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Hearts and Hawthorn
By Lynn Whittaker
Bow Wow U
A great herb to consider for your pet is Hawthorn or Crataegus douglassi. It is a small deciduous tree, or shrub, that is easily recognized by its nasty curved thorns that may grow from the stems at 1-3". Hawthorn’s leaves are somewhat fan shaped. When flowering it produces flat clusters of white flowers and, when in complete bloom, have a distinctive "dead" odor. In late summer the flowers are replaced with red or black berries that contain seeds. There are hundreds of species of this plant and they can be found all over North America, in Alaska and British Columbia.
This herb has been recognized in the health industry as a heart and vascular tonic for years. A great deal of scientific studies has validated Hawthorn’s effectiveness with heart conditions.
Hawthorn is effective in a number of ways. It dilates the coronary and brain vessels allowing for better circulation, greater transportation of oxygen and better nutrient flow. Hawthorn helps push the blood flow through the body by increasing cardiac output and decreasing resistance in the heart, basically normalizing the pressure build up.
Hawthorn also acts to regulate and strengthen the heartbeat. In fact, it is sometimes considered an alternative to the drug "Digitalis" (A drug that regulates the rate and strength of the heartbeat) and potentially can serve purpose while administering such drugs. It is also high in antioxidant properties. Much of this is attributable to the flavenoids in the berry. Flavenoids are typified as red pigments found in many fruits and berries. Hawthorn hunts out free-radical molecules in the blood stream that are known to rob the blood of oxygen which can lead to various forms of vascular disease. A study performed on laboratory rats, showed that the flavenoid constituents of Hawthorn helped prevent myocardial damage in situations where physiological stress was placed on the heart. This means that even healthy animals such as working dogs, and race horses, and at the other end of the spectrum, pet animals like cats, horses, and birds, who may suffer from heart conditions such as congestive heart failure, heartworm, bacterial or viral infections, can benefit from this powerful herb.
This little berry packs a powerful punch and should not be overlooked in your herbal medicine cabinet.
As with any herb or supplement, please consult your veterinarian before administering.
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