Researchers led by Dr Ann Walker, senior lecturer in human nutrition at Reading University, have found that tablets made from hawthorn flowers and leaves significantly reduce blood pressure readings in patients already taking prescribed medicines for diabetes and hypertension. Significantly, the study showed it was safe to take a natural remedy at the same time as prescribed medication. The study, was published in the latest British Journal of General Practice.
Patients benefited after just four months of treatment with Hawthorn, as widely used herb for cardiovascular support. The anti-hypertensive effect worked in addition to the orthodox drugs being taken by patients.
High blood pressure is a very common disorder and one of the major risk factors for stroke and heart attacks. One in three adults, or around 17 million, people suffer with the condition in Britain alone. The proportion is roughly double, or two in three, among the elderly.
Blood pressure readings measure the force exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries as the heart beats. People frequently hear blood pressure reported as one figure over another. Systolic blood pressure is the 'top' figure, representing the pressure in your arteries as blood is pushed through them, while diastolic is the 'bottom' figure, which measures the pressure when the heart is filling with blood in preparation for the next heartbeat.
In the study, 79 patients with type II diabetes were given either hawthorn or dummy tablets in addition to their prescribed medication for diabetes, hypertension or both conditions. They took the tablets for 16 weeks. No changes were made to participant's diets.
Blood pressure readings were recorded at the start and end of the study. The study found diastolic blood pressure was reduced by around 3mmHG in patients taking hawthorn. This sounds like a small improvement but Dr Walker said this was a statistically significant reduction and there was also a reduction in the systolic score.
Details about Hawthorn are not yet entered into the Herb Health Guide but other herbs supporting the circulatory system [1] are available.