Hawthorn

Scientific name: Crataegus monogyna
Common name: Common hawthorn

It grows on rocks, in hedges and woodland margins throughout much of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It belongs to the Rosaceae family and can take the form of a shrub or a twisted, spiny sapling. Between April and May, buds and clusters of small white or light pink flowers develop from the prickly branches. The fruits are also small in size, about 1 cm. They take on a beautiful bright red color when ripe, around October, and retain it throughout the winter, bringing a splash of color to the landscape.

The Common hawthorn is known since the earliest times. Apparently, it was Theophrastus who called it by the name later retained by botanists: "crataegus," from the Greek "kratos" meaning strength, robustness. The Greeks resorted to its well-wishing flowering branches for wedding processions. In contrast, Christians associated its immaculate flowers with the worship of the Virgin Mary, who, according to a little story, washed the baby Jesus' gowns and then laid them out to dry on a hawthorn shrub of all places. In ancient Rome it was the flower of weddings, a wish for happiness and prosperity, protecting babies in their cradles. This changed in the Middle Ages, when its branches became a symbol of bad luck if introduced into the home.

Vasodilatator, cardiotonic, and anxiolytic, hawthorn balances blood pressure and is an excellent treatment for neuro-vegetative dystonic disorders, such as palpitations, dyspnea, chest pain, and congestive flushing: its intake restores emotional and mental serenity, producing a pleasant feeling of well-being. Among the benefits offered by hawthorn is the ability to choose the formula best suited to one's needs, and to modulate its consumption according to the type of disorder.