Hawthorn properties
Common Hawthorn, Maythorn or May, is native to British flora and belongs to the Rosaceae family. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. is an evergreen shrub with many branches and thorns It is frequently found in hedgerows, brush, thickets and woods. It adorns the landscape with its small white flowers in May and early June in most of Europe (1), hence its common English name "May".
Crataegus monogyna has 1 cm long sharp thorns on its twigs and branches. During its flowering, hawthorn represents a source of pollen and nectar to a variety of different insects. From August, almost the entire shrub can turn dark red with numerous berries.
In traditional medicine, hawthorn is recommended as an antispasmodic agent in the treatment of asthma, diarrhea, gallbladder disease and uterine contractions, and as a sedative for the treatment of insomnia (World Health Organization) (2). As wild, common and abundant species, Crataegus laevigata DC. is used in infusions or in the form of leaves, flowers and fruits based tonic extracts.
Crataegus monogyna Jacq. or related species, known collectively as hawthorn, have been used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (3). On the other hand, the properties of hawthorn come from its composition rich in flavonoids, biogenic amides and triterpene acids present in its leaves, flowers and fruits. These phenolic actives have an antioxidant effect and help prevent damage due to free radicals (4).
The main triterpene acids contained in hawthorn are oleanolic acid and ursolic acid (5). The fruit contains large amounts of pectin, carotene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamin, and about 2–3% catechins (6).
