Congratulations!
THE BENEFITS OF THE USE OF HAWTHORN IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
A. HISTORY OF HAWTHORN 3-4
B. LOCATION OF HAWTHORN 4-5
C. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENT OF HAWTHORN 6-7
D. MEDICINAL QUALITIES OF HAWTHORN 7-12
E. CONTRA - INDICATIONS OF HAWTHORN 13
F. KNOWN HERBAL FORMULAS OF HAWTHORN 13-15
G. DOSAGE AND APPLICATIONS OF HAWTHORN 15
H. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF HAWTHORN 15-19
THE BENEFITS OF THE USE OF HAWTHORN IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
HISTORY OF HAWTHORN
Hawthorn is considered by some to be a sacred herb and was used to make the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. There is debate around hawthorn’s use to make the crown, but if one has ever witnessed the magical medicinal properties of hawthorn, they would have their reasons to consider it sacred.
Hawthorn is also known as quick thorn, thorn apple, May-tree, May, and Maythorn. Hawthorn usually produces its distinctive white flowers in the month of May. In Europe, hawthorn symbolized hope, love, marriage, and intimacy. For this reason, the Mayflower ship was said to be named after the hawthorn tree, after all, there was much hope and belief of a better life once the pilgrims reached the New World.
There is an old superstition that cutting down hawthorn branches can bring bad luck, and at the same time leaving cut hawthorn branches outside the home prevents witches from entering. Another prevailing belief of the time was that hawthorn was the guardian to the fairy realm and if you napped under a tree you would be taken to the land of Fae. I wonder how many fell victim to the fairies.
Hawthorn’s use as a cardiac tonic dates back to first-century Rome. Hawthorn was considered sacred tree medicine to the ancient druids. Hawthorn has been used in Traditonal Chinese Medicine (TCM) since ancient times, mostly for digestive complaints. In more recent times the Chinese also discovered hawthorn’s benefit for the cardiovascular system. The Native Americans were also aware of Hawthorn’s tremendous medicinal properties. It is known traditionally to not only treat the physical heart but also the spiritual heart or emotional heart. Hawthorn works well in situations of grief, loss, hopelessness and heartbreak.
Hawthorn’s amazing heart tonic qualities have been known and used for thousands of years. Hawthorn is one of the oldest known medicinal plants used in European medicine. Hawthorn’s medicinal effects on the heart were first reported by the first century Greek herbalist Dioscorides and later by Swiss physician Paracelsus.
In the 1800s a Dr. Greene of Ennis, County Clare, Ireland had a knack for making other medical professionals envious. It appeared that Dr. Greene had found a magical cure for heart disorders. Word got out and people from all parts of the world came to see Dr. Greene for their heart ailment. He kept his remedy secret until his death.
Upon his death, Greene’s daughter revealed that his secret heart remedy was none other than a tincture of English Hawthorn berries. A few years after the secret was revealed, many doctors and herbalists started to give their heart patients a tincture of hawthorn with great results. Once hawthorn had been used for several years, there were many reports of remarkable results achieved with patients that suffered from heart murmurs, heart attacks, and other heart- related problems.
LOCATION OF HAWTHORN
Hawthorn is a very complex group of plants. There are 100 -1000 species in North America. Hawthorn is a highly variable plant that easily hybridizes, making it difficult to identify. In some cases even specialists have trouble with identification.
Hawthorn is found in abundance in the eastern and central United States. The most commonly used species for medicinal purposes is English Hawthorn, C. laevigata. English Hawthorn is naturalized to Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada. One-seeded Hawthorn, C. monogyna, naturalized from Quebec to North Carolina, Tennessee, and north to Ontario.
The common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, is native to northern Europe. Many North American ornamental species are common hawthorns. The common hawthorn tree can live for many years. In fact, there is a common hawthorn tree in Mayenne, France that has been traced back to the third century! At least 200 species of Crataegus can be found across the world from North Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and North America. Hawthorn’s uses and legends differ depending on what part of the world you are in.
Hawthorn is instilled with amazing healing properties that are adaptive to the problem at hand. The actual plant is adaptive and can thrive in many different environments. The best habitat for a hawthorn tree is a well-drained , moisture-retentive loamy soil. But the hawthorn tree is adaptive. Hawthorn has been found growing in clay and chalky soils. Hawthorn has developed a resistance to droughts, soil that is too wet, windy areas, and polluted areas. Because of hawthorn’s hardiness, you can find it growing in cities, towns, and industrial parks. Hawthorn can also be found in shaded areas even though it prefers the sun.
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENT OF HAWTHORN
With hawthorn being such a useful herb, it leaves one to wonder what makes the herb work so well. Hawthorn is rich in chemical compounds that are responsible for its many medicinal actions. Hawthorn is such an amazing herb that the pharmaceutical cartel has been working for years to produce something that works as well as hawthorn without side effects. And of course they have failed, because any good herbalist knows that when you isolate one compound and take it away from the whole, bad things are going to happen. Besides if something isn’t broken you shouldn’t try and fix it. But of course, it’s not about good medicine, it’s about making good money.
Hawthorn contains such an abundance of chemical constituents that listing all of them would take many pages, so a focus on the most important constituents will be more useful. There are more than 150 bioactive molecules found in hawthorn. Phenolic acids (ferulic, gallic, p-coumaric, syringic, chlorogenic, caffeic,) quercetin, pyrocatechin, phlorodizin, terpenoids, lignans, steroids, organic acids (fumaric, tartaric, succinic, citric,malic), and sugars (maltose, sucrose, glucose, fructose).
Some of the compounds found in a tincture of hawthorn are epicatechin, epicatechin gallate (ECG), rutin, caffeic, and caftaric acids. Others include aromatic compounds, volatile oils, saturated fatty acids, lauric and palmitic acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, catechin, tyramine, hyperoside, procyanidin, vitexin, querciten, coumarins, and aesculin.
The hawthorn berry, leaves, and flowers contain similar and unique constituents. For this reason, many herbalists make medicine with all three parts. The berry contains vitexin-4″-O-glucoside (VG), vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside (VR), vitexin (VIT), rutin (RUT), and hyperoside (HP). The leaf contains higher levels of vitexin-2-rhamnoside than the berries. Hawthorn flowers contain the highest concentration of flavonoids, and the leaves contain the highest levels of oligomeric procyanidins.
Like most berries, the fruit of the hawthorn is also a nutritive herb. Hawthorn contains aluminum, calcium, chromium, cobalt, fiber, fat, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, sodium, thiamine, tin, vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc.
MEDICINAL QUALITIES OF HAWTHORN
Hawthorn’s medicinal properties for the entire cardiovascular system are nothing short of amazing. Hawthorn’s reputation as a cardiac tonic is not taken seriously enough by the medical community and even some herbalists. Hawthorn is a food that was created specifically to feed the heart and circulatory system.
With heart disease still holding the title for the number one killer, we should be shouting hawthorn’s benefits from the rooftops. Hawthorn possesses potent antioxidant activity that helps protect the heart and circulatory system from oxidative damage. This protection helps prevent or slow the development of atherosclerosis, a disease that is all too common in the world today, especially in America. This dreaded and unnecessary disease has crippled and killed far too many people.
Along with a change in diet, hawthorn may be one of the most powerful lifestyle interventions to help protect against heart disease. Research has revealed that older, more stable arterial plague is usually not the cause of most heart attacks and strokes. It is the new plague formations that are typically unstable, making them more likely to dislodge and create a blockage.
Hawthorn can help stabilize new plague formations making them less likely to rupture and cause a cardiac event. Studies have shown that hawthorn accomplishes this by regulating inflammation and apoptosis- related factors. Hawthorn extracts inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, another mechanism by which hawthorn helps prevent the formation of atherosclerosis.
Studies have found that Chinese hawthorn [C.pinnatifida] significantly lowered total cholesterol and triglycerides in rats, mice, and rabbits. More recent studies have shown the same Chinese hawthorn extract’s ability to lower total cholesterol and the lipoproteins VLDL’s and LDL’s. Using hawthorn to lower cholesterol is a much better option than statins, which are riddled with side effects such as muscle pain and weakness and increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Endothelial dysfunction is another risk factor for coronary heart disease. Endothelial dysfunction leads to a decrease in the production of nitric oxide in the arteries, which results in increased vasoconstriction of the arteries. The vasoconstriction is caused by an excess of endothelin synthesis [ET-1]. Hawthorn extract decreases ET-1 while also increasing the production of nitric oxide, thus preventing vasoconstriction of the arteries. Hawthorn’s ability to create vasodilation of the arteries stems from its ability to increase nitric oxide production.
Inflammation is another factor that leads to the development of atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that a hawthorn extract made from the fruit can lower inflammation by suppressing the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Hawthorn’s powerful anti-inflammatory properties not only protect the heart but also the health of the entire body asinflammation is a causative factor in many health conditions.
Hawthorn is a unique herb with unique medicinal properties. According to herbalists of the past and some of the present, hawthorn is a curative for all manner of heart disorders. For example, hawthorn can help protect the heart from damage caused by a low oxygen environment. Hawthorn can strengthen a weak heart, correct heart rhythm, increase blood flow to the heart, correct valvular insufficiency, and heart oppression.
Modern research is confirming what the best herbalists learned through trial and error. Modern research is beginning to understand why hawthorn is a great remedy for structural problems of the heart. Hawthorn can create cardiac remodeling. A study using rats showed that hawthorn could modify left ventricle remodeling after the subjects hearts were subjected to 1 month of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy.
Hawthorn improves the strength and function of the blood vessels. Hawthorn also helps correct capillary fragility and strengthens the connective tissue around the blood vessels. While there may not be any existing studies on hawthorn’s ability to heal faulty heart valves, holes in the heart, and other structural abnormalities, some herbalists with faith and experience have witnessed hawthorn’s amazing abilities to do just that. In cases where this type of healing is needed, a change in diet and possible juice fasting will need to be done in conjunction.
High blood pressure plagues millions of people worldwide. Of course, these numbers are hard to believe if one is well versed in natural healing. Many of these people have white coat hypertension, and there is also the fact that the benchmark for what is considered high blood pressue has been systematically lowered many times over the years.
Pharmaceutical companies want to stay in business even if that means ruining people’s health. For example, studies now show that lowering systolic blood pressure with drugs below 140 systolic in elderly people does more harm than good. Now this is not to say that true high blood pressure isn’t harmful. But lifestyle changes and herbs are the most healthful way to lower blood pressure.
Hawthorn is known to have blood pressure- lowering benefits without the side effects found with pharmaceuticals. Hawthorn has a mild blood- pressure lowering effect. Improvement in blood pressure should come as no surprise because of hawthorn’s ability to improve many parameters of health within the cardiovascular system. Improving blood flow, strengthening the heart, lowering cholesterol and inflammation, increasing production of nitric oxide, and improving endothelial function all lead to better blood flow.
Hawthorn has no equal when it comes to the herb’s protective effect against heart damage. A very enlightening but cruel study discovered hawthorn’s protective effect during a heart attack. Dogs were used in the study, and it proved hawthorn’s protection during a heart attack.
One group of dogs was given hawthorn for a period of time, while the other group of dogs didn’t get hawthorn. After a certain amount of time, the scientists induced heart attacks in all of the dogs. Autopsies were performed to discover if hawthorn had any protective effect on the heart. The hearts that were given the hawthorn showed little to no heart damage resulting from the heart attack. The hearts that did not receive the herb had considerably more heart damage resulting from the heart attack. Unfortunately innocent dogs were used to prove hawthorn’s protective properties, but some individuals only believe something when there is a study to back it up. So science proved yet again what herbalists have known for many years, and the herbalists didn’t have to kill a dog to prove it.
While hawthorn is well known for its medicinal properties for the cardiovascular system, hawthorn does have other medicinal properties. For instance, Naturopath Deborah Frances pioneered the use of hawthorn for asthma attacks. She recommends 3 to 4 doses of 30 drops of hawthorn tincture at 1-2 minute intervals during an asthma attack. Hawthorn’s anti-inflammatory properties can reduce the inflammation in the lungs of asthmatics and help reduce the severity of asthma attacks. Hawthorn increases the transmission of nerve signals and helps to relax the capillaries in the lungs increasing blood flow and oxygen to the lung tissues.
Traditional Chinese Medicine states that hawthorn opens up the chest. Opening up the chest in this Chinese context refers to the physical and emotional/metaphoric chest. Emotions like anxiety, grief, obsessive thinking and fear can all become trapped in the chest and block the flow of Qi. When the Qi is blocked, the breathing may become shallow and unhealthy and the energy flow of the body is disrupted. Hawthorn restores the free flow of Qi in the chest area. Hawthorn can free up the physical restrictions and emotional disturbances that cause the tension in the chest area.
Hawthorn acts as a diuretic, making the herb valuable for kidney problems. Hawthorn’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties help protect the kidneys from becoming damaged from inflammatory processes and oxidative damage. Hawthorn leaf was used in a study to prevent oxidative stress injury to the kidneys of rats with diabetic kidney disease.
The outcome of the study found the rats given hawthorn had lower levels of urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglycerides, and malondialdehyde and significantly higher levels of nitric oxide and superoxide dismutase. These results are very impressive, especially considering that kidney disease is considered incurable by mainstream medicine.
Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease in humans. This study should not be overlooked even though results in rats do not necessarily apply to humans. But with the wide array of hawthorn’s benefits, it would be very wise for anyone in danger of developing kidney disease caused by diabetes to use hawthorn.
Crataegus azarolus is indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. This species of hawthorn has been studied for its ability to lower high blood sugar. Diabetes can cause damage to the cardiovascular system. Pharmaceutical treatments can help keep a patient’s blood sugar numbers down, but the drugs do nothing to slow or prevent the systemic damage that diabetes causes. Some drugs used for diabetes can actually damage the pancreas leading to type 1 diabetes. Safer treatment options are in dire need.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine published a study that found Crataegus azarolus to have potent blood- glucose lowering effect. Rats were used as the test subjects. An extract of the herb was used and was found to lower blood glucose significantly in a time and dose-dependent manner. The study also pointed out that patients with diabetes usually develop high cholesterol and triglycerides. Crataegus azarolus lowered the total LDL-C, VLDL-C, TC and TG and increased HDL-C in rats. This study is yet another example of hawthorn’s rejuvenating properties.
Chinese medicine has utilized hawthorn for digestive issues for centuries. TCM considers hawthorn an herb that relieves food stagnation, meaning food stays in the stomach too long. Studies with rats have shown that hawthorn extract dramatically increased transit time of food in the stomach. Another study found that a hawthorn extract protects against gastric ulcers as well as the drug ranitidine. This ability could carry over to protecting against developing ulcerative colitis. Hawthorn also has a history of treating indigestion and stomach pain. Hawthorn also protects the digestive system from harmful microorganisms. Hawthorn has antimicrobial properties against gram-positive bacteria Micrococcus flavus, Bacillus subtilis, and Lysteria monocytogenes.
Other medicinal properties of hawthorn are sedative, diuretic, gallbladder problems, edema, gout, sciatica, fever, increasing immune function during exhaustion and increased blood flow to the limbs.
CONTRA-INDICATIONS OF HAWTHORN
Another advantage that Hawthorn offers is its gentleness. Hawthorn comes with tremendous healing properties and few if any side effects or contra-indications. Hawthorn is so safe it can be given to babies with skipping heartbeats. Hawthorn taken on its own or with other herbs should be fine for most people.
Concern is warranted when there are prescription drugs involved. It may not be wise to give hawthorn to someone that is already taking digoxin. Reports of hawthorn interacting with digitalis to enhance its effect have not been confirmed, but digitalis is such a dangerous drug on its own that it would be wise to practice caution.
According to the Mayo Clinic, hawthorn “may” interact with beta- blockers, calcium channel blockers, and nitrates. This is just a theory. They have no evidence that hawthorn can cause interactions with these drugs.
Dr. Christopher was asked about drug/herb interactions on the herbalist seminar DVD’s, and he stated that he didn’t know of any interactions of herbs and pharmaceuticals. He said that the drug should never be cut out cold turkey. Instead, start the client on the mucusless diet and recommended herbs and, as the health improved, the prescribing doctor could wean the client off of the prescription medication. Of course, there could be exceptions, but the 100 herb list was chosen by Dr. Christopher for not only its effectiveness but also its safety.
KNOWN HERBAL FORMULAS OF HAWTHORN
There are many herbal formulas on the market today that utilize hawthorn. Most of these formulas are geared toward heart health, but a few have other ailments in mind.
Cardio Essence, manufactured by Flora, is a popular and effective formula for circulatory problems like high blood pressure. The herbs used in the formula are hawthorn blossom and leaf, hibiscus flower, passionflower, and hawthorn berry.
Cardio Peak, manufactured by Life Extension, ccontains arjuna bark, and hawthorn leaf, flower and stem.
Heart Formula, manufactured by Dr. Schulze (a well -known graduate of the school of natural healing, The formula contains hawthorn berry, red clover blossoms, cactus grandiflorus flower, motherwort, garlic bulb, yellow ginger root, and habanero pepper.
Dr. Christopher’s Appetite Formula contains hawthorn berries. The formula consists of chickweed, saffron, burdock, parsley root, kelp, echinacea, black walnut, licorice, fennel, papaya, and hawthorn berries.
Dr. Christopher’s Adrenal Formula contains hawthorn berries. The formula consists of mullein, lobelia, siberian ginseng, gotu kola, hawthorn berries, cayenne, and ginger.
Dr. Christopher’s Male Tonic Formula contains hawthorn berries. The formula consists of siberian ginseng, sarsaparilla, red raspberry, saw palmetto, ginkgo, pumpkin seeds, damiana, bee pollen, hops, dandelion, hawthorn, and cayenne.
Blood Pressure Support, manufactured by Quantum labs, contains garlic bulb, hawthorn berries, olive leaf, reishi, beets, cayenne, celery seed, and chinese salvia root.
BP Defense, manufactured by Kal, contains potassium citrate, hawthorn, L-arginine, HCL, alpha lipoic acid, hibiscus, celery, and pycnogenol.
Heart Health LIquid Herbal Formula, manufactured by Herb Pharm, contains hawthorn flower and berry, cactus grandiflorus, motherwort, and ginger.
Premium Blood Pressure Support Formula, manufactured by Number One Nutrition, contains vitamin c, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, B-12, garlic, hibiscus,hawthorn, buchu leaf, uva ursi, juniper berry, and green tea leaf.
Hawthorn Special Formula, manufactured by Solaray, contains vitamin e, vitamin B-6, magnesium, selenium, chromium, hawthorn, taurine, coenzyme Q-10, motherwort, rosemary, and ginger.
Cardio Fx, manufactured by The People’s Chemist, contains hawthorn, grape seed extract, magnesium, and garlic.
Blood Pressure Support Formula, manufactured by Pure Premium, contains vitamin c, niacin, vitamin B-6, folic acid, B-12, garlic powder, hibiscus, olive leaf, hawthorn, buchu leaf, uva-ursi, juniper berry, and green tea leaf.
DOSAGE AND APPLICATIONS OF HAWTHORN
Hawthorn is a very gentle herb. Hawthorn works best at higher doses. The recommended dose for Dr. Christopher’s hawthorn berry syrup is 1/2 tsp three times per day. Hawthorn tea can be given 1 cup three times a day. Hawthorn tincture dosage 1-2 droppers full 2 to 3 times per day. If there is access to fresh hawthorn berries and dishes containing hawthorn, these can be added to the daily diet as well.
Hawthorn is used as a cardiac tonic, edema, heart attack, blood pressure regulation, arteriosclerosis, inflamed heart muscle, for a rapid or arrhythmic heartbeat, weak pulse, dropsy and heart murmurs.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HAWTHORN
I have been looking forward to this part of the paper. I have been blessed to witness the healing power of hawthorn. Hearing other people’s healing stories are inspirational and are one of the main reasons I chose to become an herbalist and enroll in the school. But once you have personally witnessed the power of natural healing there is no going back. No one can ever tell you again that natural healing is bogus and ineffective, because there is no substitution for witnessing natural healing on a personal level.
The first time I decided to employ hawthorn was for a Chihuahua of all things. I was never a fan of Chihuahuas before this, but since then I have adopted my own Chihuahua. Working with this dog allowed me to build my confidence and be a witness to amazing healing.
The dog’s name is Taz and he belongs to my dad. Before that he belonged to my niece, but then she had to move into a place where no pets were allowed. In Taz’s younger years he was always a healthy dog, and he was pampered and loved by my niece. After my dad owned him for several years he started displaying odd behavior. Taz was probably around 11 years old at the time. From time to time Taz would fall on the ground for one to three minutes and convulse and whimper. Then he would get up, and he would seem fine. I never personally witnessed one of his episodes, but from the description I thought that it could be seizures.
These episodes began to occur more frequently over the course of about one year. Finally my dad decided to take him to a vet to rule out any serious problem. As it turned out, Taz did have a serious problem. Taz had heart failure. The vet said that the bottom of Taz’s heart wasn’t functioning properly and the episodes were caused by heart failure. The vet sent my dad home with heart medication and not much hope. I researched the side effects of the drug the vet prescribed, and one of the side effects was sudden cardiac failure leading to DEATH! I told my dad that Taz didn’t need any further help of dying from sudden cardiac death. He was doing a good job of that on his own.
Years before Taz’s health problem, I came across the incurables DVD collection produced by Sam Biser featuring Dr. Schulze. This series was mesmerizing. Up until watching the videos I had always been into natural healing, but I never realized that natural healing could be so powerful as to heal incurable diseases, I was hooked. The DVD’s also led me to Dr. Christopher and his school. One of the DVD’s had a section about making herbal tinctures at home, so naturally, I wanted to try. This was around eight years ago and I have been maintaining an herbal closet full of tinctures ever since. These tinctures have helped many family members and friends, and Taz was no exception.
My dad took my advice and didn’t give Taz the heart medicine. I gave him three of my homemade tinctures: hawthorn, cayenne, and motherwort. I advised him to give them to Taz twice per day. The total dose per day was 4 droppers full of hawthorn, 4 droppers full of motherwort, and 20 drops of cayenne. The herbs were mixed into his food. Taz didn’t seem to notice and ate his food as usual.
During the first week the herbal routine didn’t seem to help that much, but I assured my dad that it would take more time for the herbs to work. Sometime during week three of using the herbs, my dad noticed that Taz only had one episode that week. As the weeks progressed, so did Taz. He was was nearly symptom- free!
A month or two into the treatment Taz escaped from his kennel and made a run for it. Taz ran full speed out into the road and disappeared. My dad looked for him, but there was no dog in sight. Finally, after three days, Taz came home and he seemed healthy. When he came home everyone was relieved, but Taz’s adventure also made it apparent that Taz was feeling much healthier. A dog with a weak heart wouldn’t feel up to running away from home for days. Before the herbal routine, Taz woulnd’t have had enough energy, which is a symptom of heart failure.
Fast forward to around two and a half years later, and Taz is still doing splendidly. In those two and a half years, Taz has only had 2 very short episodes of only about 30 seconds. (Before the herbs his episodes would last at least three minutes.)
Another sign that Taz is much healthier is his appetite. When he was sick, Taz ate very little and sometimes wouldn’t eat at all. Since the herbal routine, his appetite is strong and he has even gained a little weight. This healing shocked my dad because before this he had very little faith in natural healing. I had faith because of all the Dr. Christopher stories about hawthorn healing many of his patient’s hearts. So I truly believed that hawthorn would do the same for Taz, and it did! God bless Dr. Christopher and his wonderful family and school!
My second experience with hawthorn upped the ante. Instead of a dog, this time a real live human wanted my help! But I felt confident that I could help because of what I witnessed with Taz. This client was my wife’s chiropractor. So I set up a time to go see him and he told me about the problem that he was having.
He said that cardiac arrhythmias ran in his family but that he never really had a problem with it up until now. (He was around 49 years old at the time.) A severe prostate infection and the strong 30- day antibiotic regimen that his doctor prescribed to treat it seemed to be the causative factor. Unfortunately the antibiotic prescribed was in the Quinolones family. These drugs are notorious for severe side effects. He told me that a few days after he finished his antibiotic regimen he started having arrhythmias at work. Sometimes the episodes would last up to one hour and cause him to have to lie down and rest. This problem was starting to make it difficult for him to work, so he went to see a doctor.
The doctor said that the arrhythmia wasn’t dangerous and tried to prescribe him a beta-blocker. He didn’t want to get on beta blockers because he was well aware of the side effects, and over the years he had witnessed the side effects of beta blockers in some of his patients.
So I again pulled out my trusty homemade tinctures and gave him cayenne, hawthorn, and motherwort. Another problem with this client was that his diet wasn’t very good and I was afraid that he may be suffering from possible deficiencies, especially after 30 days of antibiotics and the digestive damage the drugs can cause. So I gave him some advice that isn’t completely in line with the school but at the time I wanted to make sure that I could help him with his problem. So I advised him to get some magnesium taurate, natural vitamin E, and Dr. Christopher’s vitalerbs. I knew that his problem was acute and that even if he changed his diet, it would take time for him to change his habits and build his nutrient stores back up. He took my advice and did what I recommended.
He made his own discovery only a few days later. He told me that he started having another arrhythmia at work and he decided to take a dropper full of cayenne. To his surprise, the arrhythmia stopped within just a few minutes of taking the cayenne. This happened several more times in the next several weeks and he said that cayenne worked every time. Needless to say, this definitely sold him on the power of natural healing. Even better news is after a few months on the herbal regimen his arrhythmia had disappeared. He is now my chiropractor and I give him a steady supply of my homemade tinctures and his heart is still very sound. This was three years ago, proving that natural healing actually heals, instead of just covering up symptoms. Just another wonderful testament to hawthorn and cayenne, two of the heart’s best friends.
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