Hawthorn ELPAT (Crataegus monogyna) – Crataegus monogyna Jacq.

Family Rosaceae-Rosales.

Description of the plant hawthorn

Barbed kustarnyk or tree, height 4 m. The bark is smooth, dark-grey. Leaves alternate, cut on 3-5 (7) blades, at the base of the klinovidnыe, dark-green, Bottom light green. white flowers, collected in corymbose inflorescences. Sepals 5, pointed, persistent, adjacent to the fetus. petals - 5 ellipsoidal. Stamens 20. Fruits false - 1-5 small drupes, included in proliferating, fleshy, red receptacle. Blossoms in May - June.

Spread – among woodlands and shrubs, places before reaching 1500 m above sea level. It is found everywhere in Europe (without the extreme north and eastern regions).

Raw materials. In medicine use flowers and leaves and fruits. Dried flowers become white or cream color. The upper part of the leaves of a dark green, bottom - a pale green.

The content of active substances in Hawthorn

Leaves, flowers and fruits contain flavonoid substances: giperozid, kvertsitin, viteksin and viteksinramnozid. Besides, contained in the raw material: leykotsianidinbiozid, Catechins, caffeic acid and chlorogenic, triterpenoid saponins, oleanovaya, urozolovaya and krategolovaya acid, acetylcholine, choline and trimethylamine.

Main drug action hawthorn

It is used in patients with coronary heart disease.

Experimental and clinical evidence of action of hawthorn

In the scientific literature there is sufficient information about the vasodilator effect of hawthorn preparations on the vessels of the heart. Thus under the influence of drugs hawthorn there is a significant increase in coronary flow rate, and along with this it improves myocardial oxygen utilization. The positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effect hawthorn preparations, I observed their antihypertensive effect. revealed, that the effects of drugs of hawthorn stronger, ,than that of theophylline with respect to their effect vasodilatig. It is recommended to use drugs for sedation of hawthorn for the treatment of digitalis in patients with chronic heart failure and myocardiosclerosis. The combined use of drugs and ouabain hawthorn for patients with pulmonary heart also gives very good results, especially good effect is observed when using such a combination of patients with age-related changes in the heart. Preparations ordinary hawthorn is very well studied in patients with myocardial infarction. There was a very good effect on patients with myocardial infarction in the treatment of their drug of hawthorn, It describes a very good effect of treatment of patients with myocardial lesion, coronary insufficiency and blockade feet beam Hiss. In one study, hawthorn drugs used in the treatment of 1567 patients, most of whom suffered from coronary artery disease and age-related changes in the heart. Very good effect was observed in 60,8%, good - in 29%, and without effect - 10,2%.

Experimental studies were carried out, concerning the application of total flavonoid mixture from the leaves and flowers of Crataegus. The flavonoid composition of the amount of total includes 17 flavonoidov, of which, As established in screening studies, greatest pharmacological activity possessed: giperozid, Quercetin, viteksin, viteksin-rhamnoside. After an appropriate clinical trial flavonoid mixture was put into practice for the treatment of coronary insufficiency under the tradename "Kratemon”.

In the experimental treatment of acute coronary insufficiency, caused by parenteral administration pituitrina in unanesthetized rabbits, total flavonoid mixture was stopped hypoxic myocardium state, proving the ECG T-wave reduction, and in some cases - to prevent the occurrence of acute coronary insufficiency. In the model of experimental myocardial activity was observed flavonoid mixture at the dosages and application schemes.

Also installed and antiarrhythmic effect of flavonoid mixture at various models arrhythmia. Flavonoid mixture possesses positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effect.

Giperozid - the individual components of the flavonoid mixture, isolated from the leaves and flowers of hawthorn - it has a particularly pronounced effect vasodilatig. It increases coronary minute flow rate in vivo and in vitro, stops experimental coronary vasospasm; It has also effect kapillyarouplotnyayuschim.

The mechanism of action totalnoy flavonoid mixture, obtained from the flowers and leaves of hawthorn, It is not yet fully elucidated. Suggest, that the effect on the coronary irrigation may be explained by a proven metabolic effect mix, moderate vasodilatory and sympatholytic effect. Antiarrhythmic effect can be explained by the effect on the balance of electrolytes in the myocardium - data are available, that flavonoid mixture increases the amount of intracellular potassium and reduces - sodium. Bradycardic effect can be associated with the inherent effect of the drug vagomimetic.

These clinical applications flavonoid mixture in the treatment of chronic coronary insufficiency show, that treated 62 patients achieved good effect in 37,1% cases, good - 51,6% and unsatisfactory - in 11,3%.

It is interesting to set a significant antiviral effect against herpes virus.

Studies have shown, that in acute experiments on cats water decoction, the alcohol and the ether extracts of flowers and fruits of hawthorn slightly lower blood pressure and briefly.

The use of hawthorn in folk medicine

In folk medicine, hawthorn preparations are used preferably in spastic diseases of the blood vessels, but there are also data on the use of these drugs for atherosclerosis brain, as well as cardiotonic, sedativnogo and partly diureticheskogo means.

Very often, hawthorn preparations are used in different combinations for the treatment of hypertension in older people, senile insomnia, cardiac neurosis, etc..

Methods of application of hawthorn in folk medicine

For treatment use flowers, leaves and fruits. The fruits are used less often lately.

Of dried flowers or leaves - two tablespoons of boiling water is poured to 1 /2 liters, incubated for two hours. Filter and drink a glass 3 times a day for half an hour before a meal.

Also produce a lot of drugs, or extracts containing flavonoids isolated from hawthorn.