Crataegus oxyacantha
Made from hawthorn — the may-blossom hedgerow tree whose berry extract is one of modern cardiology's most-studied botanicals for heart failure.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a tired heart in an old person: breathlessness on the least effort, a weak irregular pulse, swelling of the ankles, insomnia that circles the heart, and a general sense that the engine is running down. The tired aging heart: that is Crataegus.
The substance, in plain words
Hawthorn is the white-blossomed hedgerow tree of European springs. Its berries and leaves carry flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins that genuinely strengthen heart-muscle contraction — hawthorn extract is among the best-studied cardiac botanicals, tested in modern heart-failure trials.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Anxiety about the heart. Fear of death, of the heart stopping; irritability with the breathlessness.
- Insomnia of the cardiac. Cannot sleep for the pulsation and the oppression; dreams of falling.
- Despondency. Gloomy, hopeless in the chronic failure states.
The body
- Weak irregular heart. The keynote: feeble, irregular, intermittent pulse with breathlessness on exertion.
- Breathlessness of effort. Dyspnea on stairs and slight walking, worse lying; the books' great heart tonic.
- Dropsy of the heart. Ankle swelling, fluid retention with the weak pulse.
- Insomnia with palpitation. Wakes with a start, feels the heart thumping into the pillow.
- Low blood pressure tendency. Fainting, giddiness, cold extremities.
- Worse least exertion and warmth. Any effort strains; heat oppresses.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| least exertion; warmth; lying flat; excitement. | rest; open air; lying propped up. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Heart muscle, circulation, fluid balance, sleep.
Where the classical picture comes from
Hawthorn's heart reputation is ancient European folk medicine — may-blossom for the failing heart — and the proving confirmed the tonic portrait; the remedy became the library's standby for the tired heart of age.
The substance in real medicine Pharmacology
What this section is: the pharmacology and toxicology of the source substance. It is not clinical evidence that a homeopathic preparation of it treats any condition. What controlled trials do and do not show is set out on the Evidence page.
Hawthorn extract is genuinely modern cardiology's most-investigated botanical: randomised trials in chronic heart failure show measurable benefit in symptoms and exercise tolerance, and European cardiology guidance acknowledges its adjunctive use. The hedgerow tree is one of the few sources in this library with real clinical-trial support.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Digitalis purpurea | Weak heart, dropsy | Digitalis is the slow-pulse, nauseated, irregular heart; Crataegus the gently failing, insomniac one. |
| Convallaria majalis | Heart weakness | Convallaria is the dropsied heart with scanty urine; Crataegus the effort-breathless one. |
| Cactus grandiflorus | Constriction, angina | Cactus is the iron band with anginal spasm; Crataegus the running-down weakness. |
| Aurum metallicum | Heart with despair | Aurum is proud despair and surging blood; Crataegus simple fatigue. |