Here's another excellent herbal treat I've been enjoying lately: hawthorn berry and flower. Latin: Crataegus. This is a large shrub, currently flowering all around the lakeshore where I walk my dog everyday. Remembering last year's harvest I dug into my cupboard and pulled out a stash of dried fruit and flower (used fruit dehydrator).
I make it into tea. This makes an excellent drink on a hot day - drink it hot or cold, it will cool you all the same.
There is more to hawthorn than refreshing tea. It has been used in traditional medicine for ages. It has been dubbed the "valerian of the heart" for it offers relief from a variety of heart ailments, notably it lowers blood pressure. It is an excellent holistic approach for people suffering from systolic hypertension.
It is often used by folks having sleeping disorders, or those who are generally tense.
A liqueur made of hawthorn is used to dilate blood vessels.
My grandmother reminds me that it is also used in rheumatic ailments, particularly in joint pains and muscle pains.
Pick flowers when in full bloom. Pick them on a sunny day, avoid when wet (as after rain or morning dew). Dry quickly, in warm temperature or flowers will turn dark.
Pick fruit in the fall, just before they ripen. Dry in warm temperature.
Keep dry fruit and flowers in breathable cotton sashes.
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