Hawthorn

What is it?

Hawthorn is a shrub whose fruits, leave and flowers has been used as traditional health supplement/remedy for certain conditions.

Benefits

Hawthorn has been thought to help relieve symptoms of heart failure patients, lower bad cholesterols (LDL) and lower blood pressure. Currently there are no highly evidence based evidence and studies on its actual benefits.

Possible side effects

Unwanted side effects is rare. However some possible side effects some people may experience include agitation, fatigue, nausea, trouble sleeping and palpitations. For lactating and pregnant woman, there are no evidence to determine the pregnancy category of this supplement hence it is best avoided. Also avoid taking hawthorn if you have known allergy with it.

Drug-drug Interactions

1.      Digoxin: hawthorn may affect the effectiveness of digoxin which controls the contraction of cardiac muscles.

2.     Anti-hypertensive drugs: as hawthorn lowers blood pressure, it may lower blood pressure further when used with medications to treat hypertension.

3.     Nitrates: it also affect nitrates which dilates blood vessel hence best to avoid for patients on nitrates.

Dosage

There is currently no specific guidelines on the dosage. Please follow the instructions on product label and if in doubt consult your doctor first.

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