Hawthorn has been known and revered since ancient times. This bush, with white flowers and red fruits similar to little apples, was used by the ancient Greeks, Celts and Romans in religious practices. It is still unknown who and when had used hawthorn as a medicine. Whoever did it, made an extraordinary work. To this day, with regard to the broad spectrum of both herbal an synthetic drugs, hawthorn flowers and fruits are outstanding heart medicines with almost none of side effects. What is more surprisingly is a relation of these facts with wide biological activity of hawthorn. Hawthorn reduces heart rate, simultaneously increasing strength of individual heart beats. It means that heart beats slower but more efficient. This plant also helps smooth muscles to relax which, in turn, makes blood flow through blood vessels more smooth. Thus, the heart effort is also smaller. Blood reaches distant organs, i.e. brain or kidneys, with ease, hence these organs operate efficiently. Hawthorn is also a diuretic and although urine output increases moderately, a blood pressure decrease is observed in patients suffering from hypertension of renal origin. If a formulation contains alcoholic, not water, extract of hawthorn, it will reveal a sedative action. It can be considered as an advantage in patients with heart diseases accompanied by anxiety and even fear. Herbapol Wrocław manufactures following preparations utilizing therapeutical properties of hawthorn: Cardiol-C drops, Kelicardina and Neocardina fluids, Melisal forte syrup and Cratonic tablets.
