Hawthorn has long been known for its beneficial properties and is often used by adults for pain in the heart, asthenia, neurosis, arrhythmias and other indications. Many mothers, considering herbal preparations safer and more effective than drugs with chemical components, are interested in whether hawthorn is allowed in childhood. Indeed, for the use of infusions, decoctions and other means based on this medicinal plant in children, there are some restrictions.
Features:
Hawthorn is a plant in the Rosaceae family and is a small tree or tall shrub found in the northern hemisphere. It has white flowers, sharp thorns on the stems and orange-red fruits. It has been used for medicinal purposes since the 16th century: first as an astringent for diarrhea, then to cleanse the blood and strengthen the heart.
Two types of raw materials are obtained from hawthorn.
- Fruit. They are harvested fully mature and dried in dryers or in a warm room. When dried, they have a spherical or slightly elongated shape, wrinkled brownish, orange or even black shell. In a pharmacy, you can often buy packs of 50 grams. dried berries, as well as packaging with 10-20 filter bags containing 2.8 gr. raw materials (powdered fruits) in each bag.
- Flowers. They are harvested at the very beginning of flowering, dried in the air or in a dryer. These parts of the plant are also sold in packs of 50 grams, and are also available in packs of 2 grams.
The ready-made "Tincture of hawthorn", which can be found in most pharmacies, is made from the fruit. For one liter of medicine, take 100 grams. berries, and the only auxiliary component is 70% ethyl alcohol. One bottle of such a drug contains 25, 40, 50 or 100 ml of a clear liquid with a yellowish, reddish or brownish tint and a characteristic aroma.
Properties and action
Hawthorn contains many flavonoids, carotenoids, pectins, vitamins, glycosides and organic acids, which impart cardiotonic properties to drugs prepared from this plant. In addition to enhancing the contractions of the heart muscle and reducing its excitement, hawthorn improves blood flow in the vessels that feed the myocardium and brain.
An additional antispasmodic effect due to triterpene compounds and flavonoids leads to a decrease in blood pressure and a decrease in heart rate, which is in demand in tachycardia and hypertension. The hawthorn also has a sedative effect: such a plant reduces the excitability of the central nervous system and helps to eliminate insomnia.
Are children given?
Any means based on hawthorn, whether it is infusion, compote or alcohol tincture brewed from fruits, are not recommended under the age of 12 years.
It is difficult to predict how such a medicinal plant will affect a child's body, for example, a baby, so you should not risk it.
And adolescents should be given it only after consulting a doctor so that the drugs do not harm, but only have a positive effect.
Among other contraindications for the use of dry hawthorn in adolescents, only hypersensitivity to this plant is noted. Tincture, due to the presence of ethanol, is also not prescribed if the patient has liver disease, traumatic brain injury or some kind of brain disease.
Although rare, tinctures and infusions provoke an allergic reaction in the form of itching or hives, and if you drink them on an empty stomach, abdominal pain and nausea are possible.
It is also important not to exceed the dose prescribed by your doctor, as this can lead to bradycardia, decreased blood pressure, drowsiness, dizziness or tremors.
When is it used?
Due to the beneficial effects of hawthorn on the heart muscle and blood vessels, tinctures and infusions from such a plant are especially often prescribed for functional disorders of the heart, which are manifested by painful sensations and discomfort in the chest. Hawthorn can be included in the treatment of many heart diseases or used to prevent them.
Since hawthorn preparations have a calming effect, they are also prescribed for neuroses and asthenic conditions.
Such remedies are prescribed for severe stress and anxiety, as well as for constant physical or emotional overload. They are also in demand after severe infections that have badly affected the cardiovascular system and caused the patient's exhaustion.
Instructions for use
An infusion must be made from the dried fruits, for which they take a tablespoon of raw materials (about 15 g), pour 200 ml of water and place in a water bath. After 15 minutes, the container is removed, the liquid is allowed to cool for 45 minutes. Having filtered the solution and squeezed out the berries, you need to add so much boiled water to the infusion to make 200 ml. The drug is given to drink half an hour before meals 2-3 times a day for 1/3 or 1/2 cup.
If you take powdered berries in portioned sachets, then to prepare the infusion you need 2 bags and 200 ml boiling water... Having insisted the solution for 15 minutes under the lid, squeeze the bags with a spoon and add boiled water to a volume of 200 ml. The agent is taken half a glass before meals twice or three times a day.
The preparation of an infusion from dried flowers involves the use of 1 filter bag and 200 ml of water. The brewing process is the same as for crushed berries, but the dosage is less: such a solution should be drunk 15-30 ml during meals once a day.
If a child over 12 years old is prescribed "Tincture of hawthorn", then the remedy is given before meals three or four times a day. A single dose of the medicine (10-15 drops) is diluted with a quarter glass of water. The duration of using any product containing hawthorn is up to 30 days.
Purchase and storage
To purchase hawthorn in the form of dried fruits, flowers or ready-made tincture in a pharmacy, you do not need to show a prescription from a doctor. A dry place is suitable for storing Hawthorn Tincture, where the child will not find the remedy, and the temperature will not exceed +25 degrees. The shelf life of such a drug is usually 2 years. The storage conditions for dried hawthorn are the same, and the finished infusion should be used within two days after brewing. The shelf life of dried berries or flowers is 2 years.
Reviews
There are many good reviews about dried hawthorn, in which this plant is called good for the heart and nervous system. The infusion prepared from it, according to patients, has a pleasant taste, so it is easy to take.
About "Tincture of hawthorn" also speak mostly positively. The advantages of such a medicine include a low price, a plant base and a good effect. Among the disadvantages, alcohol in the composition and restriction for babies are most often mentioned, sometimes an unpleasant taste.
For more information on the benefits and dangers of hawthorn and tinctures from it, see the next video.
