Calendula Oil for Wound Healing
I bought some of this calendula for when Ariana gets the inevitable scrape. It helps knit the skin together more quickly. In fact, if the wound is deep, it’s not recommended, as it will heal so fast, the top layers of skin will heal faster than the inside. Also good for skin ailments from acne to sunburns.
For deep wounds St. John’s Oil (Hypericium) is best.
[originally posted on NFA on 6-5-2006]
Hawthorn
Active Components
Phytochemicals: acetylcholine, adenine, adenosine, anthocyanidins, beta-carotene, betasitosterol, caffeic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, esculin, hyperoside (largely in berries), flavonoids, pectin, quercitrin, rutin, ursolic acid, vitexin, vitexin 4′-O-rhamnoside (mostly in leaves and flowers).
Nutrients: amino acids, calcium, choline, chromium, essential fatty acids, iron magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, zinc, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin C.
Medicinal Actions
Primary: congestive heart failure (leaves and flowers), weak heart (berries), heart circulation (leaves and flowers), arrhythmia, heart inflammation (berries), pressure/tightness in chest and slow heart rate (leaves and flowers), oxygen deprivation in heart (leaves and flowers)
Secondary : arteriosclerosis (berries), angina (berries), high blood pressure (berries)
Also: orthostatic hypotension (berries) in tincture when combined with camphor, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome (tea), colitis diarrhea (dried, crushed berries), fight infection (leaves and flowers), stimulate immune system (leaves and flowers), insomnia
Hawthorn is the #1 natural remedy for heart disease.
Ways to Use
Extract/Tincture - 5-15 drops, three times per day. If making an extract yourself, it’s best to use berries.
Tea - consume 2-3 times per day (2T buds: 1 cup boiling water). If making Hawthorn tea yourself, it’s best to use the leaves and flowers.
Capsules: 80-300 mg extract in capsules, 2-3 times per day. Capsules containing 2.2% bioflavonoid content or 18.75% oligomeric procyanidins are best.
Whole berries: 4-5 grams per day
Note: it may take 4-6 weeks before results are shown. As with many herbs, Hawthorn is slow acting, but effective, and safe for long-term use.
Safety Concerns
Diarrhea can occur, if taken in excess (from tea made with berries only, not tinctures or capsules made with berries, and not from leaves and flowers in any form).
Safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Clinical Trials and Scientific Data
Improved blood flow in coronary arteries; contractions of the heart muscle are strengthened. Weikl A, Noh HS. The influence of Crataegus [Hawthorn] on global cardiac insufficiency. Herz Gefabe 1993;11:516-24.
Lowers resistance to blood flow in peripheral blood vessels, improving circulation to the extermities. Loew D. Pharmacological and clinical results with Crataegus [Hawthorn] special extracts in cardiac insufficiency. ESCOP Phytotelegram 1994;6:20-6.
Those with stage II congestive heart failure benefit from Hawthorn leaf and flower extracts. Schmidt U, Kuhn U, Ploch M, Hübner W-D. Efficacy of the Hawthorn (Crataegus) preparation LI 132 in 78 patients with chronic congestive heart failure defined as NYHA functional class II. Phytomed 1994;1:17-24; Leuchtgens H. Crataegus special extract WS 1442 in heart failure, NYHA II. A placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study. Fortschr Med 1993;111:352-4; Weikl A, Assmus KD, Neukum-Schmidt A, et al. Crataegus [Hawthorn] special extract WS 1442: Objective proof of efficacy in patients with cardiac insufficiency (NYHA II). Fortschr Med 1996;114:291-6; Tauchert M, Ploch M, Hubner W-D. Effectiveness of hawthorn extract LI 132 compared with the ACE inhibitor Captopril: Multicenter double-blind study with 132 patients NYHA stage II. Munch Med Wochenschr 1994;132:S27-33
Where to purchase
Hawthorn is available in some health food stores and many online stores, including Mountain Rose Herbs. They have Hawthorn in bulk herb form as well as in capsules.