Hawthorn for children

Hawthorn has long been known for its beneficial properties and is often used by adults for heart pain, asthenia, neurosis, arrhythmia, and other indications. Many mothers, considering herbal preparations to be safer and more effective than medicines with chemical components, are interested in whether hawthorn is allowed in childhood. And indeed, for the use of infusions, decoctions and other means on the basis of this medicinal plant in children, there are some limitations.

Hawthorn is a plant of the Rosaceae family and is a small tree or tall shrub growing in the northern hemisphere. It has white flowers, sharp spines on the stems and orange-red fruits. It has been used for medical purposes since the 16th century: first as a astringent for diarrhea, then to cleanse the blood and strengthen the heart.

From hawthorn receive two types of raw materials.

• Fruit. They are collected fully mature and dried in a dryer or in a warm room. In dried form, they have a spherical or slightly elongated shape, wrinkled brownish, orange, or even black skin. In the pharmacy, you can often buy packs with 50 grams. dried berries, as well as packages with 10–20 filter bags containing 2.8 g each. raw materials (powdered fruit) in each bag.
• Flowers They are collected at the very beginning of flowering, dried in air or in a dryer. Such parts of the plant are also sold in packs of 50 grams each, and are also available in bags of 2 grams each.

Hawthorn contains many flavonoids, carotenoids, pectins, vitamins, glycosides and organic acids, which impart cardiotonic properties to the preparations prepared from this plant. In addition to strengthening the contractions of the heart muscle and reducing its arousal, hawthorn improves blood flow in the vessels that feed the myocardium and brain.

An additional antispasmodic effect caused by triterpene compounds and flavonoids leads to a decrease in blood pressure and a decrease in heart rate, which is required for tachycardia and hypertension. Hawthorn also has a sedative effect: this plant reduces the excitability of the central nervous system and helps eliminate insomnia.

Any hawthorn-based products, whether infusion, compote, or alcohol tincture brewed from the fruit, are not recommended before the age of 12 years.

And adolescents should be given it only after consulting a doctor, so that the drugs do not harm, but have only 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 urticaria, and if you drink them on an empty stomach, there may be abdominal pain and nausea.

Due to the beneficial effects of hawthorn on the heart muscle and the vessels of tinctures and infusions from such a plant, it is 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 complex treatment of many heart diseases or used for their prevention.

Since hawthorn preparations have a calming effect, they are also prescribed for neurosis and asthenic conditions.

From the dried fruit you need to make an infusion, for which take a tablespoon of raw materials (about 15 grams.), Pour 200 ml of water and placed in a water bath. After 15 minutes, remove the container, allow the liquid to cool for 45 minutes. Strain the solution and squeeze the berries, you need to top up the infusion with so much boiled water to make 200 ml. The drug is given to drink half an hour before meals 2-3 times a day, 1/3 or 1/2 cup.

If you take powdered berries in portion sachets, then you need to make an infusion 2 bags and 200 ml of boiling water. Once the solution has been in place for 15 minutes under the lid, you should squeeze the sachets with a spoon and pour boiled water to a volume of 200 ml. The tool is taken in half a glass before meals twice or three times a day.

Preparation of infusion of 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 taken in 15-30 ml during the meal once a day.

If the child is older than 12 years, appointed "Hawthorn tincture", then the remedy is given before meals three times or four times a day. A single dose of the drug (10-15 drops) is diluted with a quarter cup of water. The duration of use of any means with hawthorn content is up to 30 days.

To purchase hawthorn in the form of dried fruits, flowers, or finished tincture at the pharmacy, you do not need to show a doctor's prescription. For the storage of Hawthorn tincture, a dry place is suitable where the child does not find the product, and the temperature will not exceed +25 degrees. The shelf life of such a drug is usually 2 years. The storage conditions of dried hawthorn are the same, and the finished infusion should be used within two days after brewing. Shelf life of dried berries or flowers - 2 years.

On the dried hawthorn there are many good reviews, in which this plant is called useful for the heart and nervous system. The infusion prepared from it, according to patients, has a pleasant taste, so it is easy to take.

On the "tincture of hawthorn" also respond mostly positively. The advantages of such drugs include low price, vegetable base and a good effect. Among the drawbacks most often mention alcohol in the composition and the restriction for kids, sometimes - an unpleasant taste.

For more information about the benefits and dangers of hawthorn and tinctures of it, see the following video.