Hawthorn Extract is Heart Healthy

BALTIMORE—Hawthorn extract, a popular herbal medicine in Europe and the U.S., may enable the heart to beat more powerfully and aid in increasing blood flow through the heart’s muscles, according to a review published online by Cochrane Library (Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. "Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008; Issue 1).

In this review, 14 double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials were assessed. The studies did not measure the same outcomes and several did not explain what other heart failure treatments patients were receiving. The trials that were included in a meta-analysis showed improvements in heart failure symptoms and in the function of the heart. Adverse effects were infrequent and mild; they included nausea, dizziness, and cardiac and gastrointestinal complaints.

The results suggest there is significant benefit in symptom control and physiologic outcomes from hawthorn extract as an adjunctive treatment for chronic heart failure.