🌿 Traditional Herbal Medicine Profile
This page outlines the crude botanical applications, traditional herbal infusions, and active properties of Crataegus Oxyacantha. Herbal preparations act biochemically on body tissues.
🌸Bach Flower Remedy:
This remedy is one of the 38 natural remedies discovered by Dr. Edward Bach. It works primarily on balancing emotional and mental states, fears, despair, and psychological imbalances, rather than physical symptoms.
▲GENERAL
Source: Derived from the fresh berries, leaves, or flowers of Crataegus oxyacantha (synonym.
Crataegus laevigata), a deciduous shrub or small tree in the Rosaceae family, native to Europe and North America, prepared for homeopathic use through maceration, serial dilutionPotentized liquid homeopathic medicineA solution prepared by repeatedly diluting and shaking (succussing) a substance to enhance healing power while removing toxicity., and succussionVigorous shaking of homeopathic dilutionThe process of vigorously shaking a liquid homeopathic solution against a firm surface during dilution to potentize it. to enhance therapeutic action and eliminate toxicity.
Traditional Context : Historically employed in homeopathy for cardiovascular, psychological,.
and systemic disorders , particularly those involving heart weakness, irregular pulse, and nervous exhaustion.
It is noted for symptoms such as palpitations, dyspneaDifficulty or shortness of breathLaborious or painful breathing, often associated with respiratory or cardiac conditions., and anxiety, often aggravated by exertion, heat, or emotional stress, and ameliorated by rest, fresh air, or quiet environments.
Modern Context: Indicated for cardiovascular conditions (e.g., heart failure, hypertension,.
dyspnea, anginaChest pain from reduced heart blood flowA condition marked by severe pain in the chest, often also spreading to the shoulders, arms, and neck, caused by an inadequate blood supply to the heart.-like pain), systemic symptoms (e.g., fatigue, edemaSwelling caused by excess fluid in tissuesA condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body.), gastrointestinal symptoms.
(e.g., dyspepsiaIndigestion or upper abdominal discomfortDiscomfort or pain in the upper abdomen, often associated with nausea, bloating, heartburn, or acid reflux.), and neurological symptoms (e.g., vertigoSensation of dizziness or spinningA feeling of movement or spinning of oneself or the surroundings when there is no actual movement., insomniaPersistent inability to fall or stay asleepA sleep disorder marked by difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early, or unrefreshing sleep.).
It suits patients with chronic or subacute symptoms characterized by cardiac weakness, anxiety, shortness of breath ,.
or general debility, typically exacerbated by exertion, heat, or emotional stress, and often seen in elderly patients, those with cardiovascular disease, or individuals with stress-related exhaustion.
The remedy is particularly relevant for those with a warm, sensitive constitution, often presenting with physical symptoms like palpitations or edema alongside emotional traits like anxiety or restlessness, commonly observed in patients with heart conditions, chronic fatigue, or anxiety disorders
Confused feeling, followed by a feeling of quiet and calmness mentally.
Anxiety with palpitationsSensation of rapid or irregular heartbeatA noticeably rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat due to agitation, exertion, or physical conditions..
Very nervous and irritable, with pain in back
of head and neck.
Irritable, cross and despondent.
Morose and sulky.
Ailments from grief.
Despair about recovery.
Irritability with heart disease.
Cross, ill-humor,
peevish.
Sadness, depression.
▲VERTIGO, DIZZINESS
Faintness and collapse.
COMMENTS - Crat was introduced into medicine as a heart remedy by Dr.
Greene of Ennis, Ireland, and it
has been used empirically with much success in cases of heart failure.
It has usually been given in drop doses
of the tinctureConcentrated liquid raw extractA mother tincture prepared by soaking botanical, animal, or mineral raw materials in alcohol and water..
Dr.
Green had a reputati on for the cure of heart disease that caused patients to flock to him from all parts of
the United Kingdom.
He cured the majority of them and amassed considerable wealth by means of his secret
medicine.
Contrary to the code, he, though a physician in good standing, refused to reveal the remedy to his
professional brethren.
After his death, his daughter, a Mrs.
Graham, revealed that the remedy her father
had used so successfully was crataegus oxyacantha.
Halbert in Clinique, March, 1899, recorded the case of “Mr.
S., a young man sixteen years of age, had worked
hard at manual labor since his twelfth year to sup port a widowed mother.
He had in fact, done a man's work
before his physical maturity would permit it.
For some time he has shown signs of cardiac h ypertrophy and
had been cautioned by physicians to take good care as to his heart.
“About a year ago during some gymnastic extreme in the nature of sport, he was sud denly admonished that
something had ‘given way,' and for relief was obliged to take to his bed.
When I first saw him he was obliged
to lie down, respiration was labored and irregular and the heart's action was greatly exaggerated and erratic.
“There was decided precordial bulging, the apex beat was considerably displaced, downward and to the le ft
and the whole cardiac dullness was greatly extended, the impulse was heaving in character with considerable
mitral systolic blowing and the corresponding diastolic intensification, there were also signs of considerable
pulmonary engorgement and some pain in the chest region.
“The patient was put into a warm bath for twenty minutes and then carefully returned to bed.
Aconite 3x was
administered every half-hour and continued hourly for a day or two afterward until he was somewhat relieved.
“Crataegus, five-drop doses of the tincture, was then administered five times daily for a long time.
The effects
of this remedy were most remarkable, the cardiac irritation gradually lessened, the area of dullness decreased
and the rhythm improved, at the same time all the general symptoms improved rapidly.
“He has now been using the remedy for several months and the result is most satisfactory.
I have every reason
to expect a cure of the extreme symptoms and believe the heart will be reduced to a safe hypertrophyAbnormal enlargement of an organThe increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells., wi ll
virtually be a cure.”
A girl of twelve had a sudden collapse in
Crataegus oxyacantha the third week of typhoid.
Crat five drops, every two hours was given on the
indications ofagreatpallor with irregular breathing, cold limbs, pulse 120, very weak and irregular.
Strychnia,
Dig and Cact had failed to give more than temporary relief.
Under Crat she rallied at once.
T.
C.
Duncan gave complete relief in a case of angina pectoris, the pain being above and to the left of the
stomach.
Strong pulse and forci ble indications of hypertrophy were found.
A very tender spot on the left side
of the spine.
Crat removed at the same time “a hurried feeling” and the anxious expression on her face.
Dr.
Duncan produced a “hurried feeling” in himself when provingTesting a remedy on healthy volunteersThe systematic method of administering a substance to healthy subjects to observe and record the symptoms it produces. Crat., w hich he attributed to the rapid action
of the stimulated heart.
Anshutz reported that Dr.
Jennings procured for himself some of the remedy and his experience with it explains
Dr.
Green's national reputation.
Dr.
Jennings wrote of the case of a Mr.
B., ag ed seventy-three years.
“I found him gasping for breath when I
entered the room with a pulse-rate of 15 8 and very feeble, great edema of lower limbs and abdomen.
“A more desperate case could hardly be found.
I gave him fifteen drops of Cratae gus in half a wineglass of
water.
In fifteen minutes the pulse beat was 126 and stronger and breathing was not so labored.
In twenty -
five minutes pulse beat 110 and the force was still increasing, breathing much easier.
“He now got ten drops in same quantity of water and in one hour from the time I entered the house he was, for
the first time in ten days, able to lie horizontally.
I made an examination of the heart and found mi tral
regurgitationBackward flow of blood or fluidsThe casting up of undigested food from the stomach, or the backward flow of blood through a defective heart valve. from valvular deficiency with great enlargement.” For the edema, he pres cribed Hydrargyrum
cum creta, Squill and Digitalis.
“He received ten drops four times a day of the Crataegus and was permitted to use some light beer to which
he had become accustomed at meal time.
He made a rapid and apparently full recovery until in three months,
he felt as well as any man of his age in Chicago.
“He occasionally, particularly in the change of weather takes some of the Cratae gus which, he says, quickly
stops shortness of breath or pain in the heart.
His father and 'a brother died of heart disease.”
In another case, a woman “was suffering from a compensatory enlargement of the heart from mitral
insufficiency,” was taken with dyspnea when Dr.
Jennings was called and was nearly dead.
Under Crataegus, and some other indicated remedies, she made an excellent recovery.
“In a letter from her,
three months afterward, she said she was feeling well, but that she would not feel fully secure without some
of the Crataegus.”
“The forty other cases ran courses somewhat similar...all having been apparently cured.
Yet I am not satisfied
beyond a doubt, that any of those patients were completely cured except those whose troubles of the heart
were functional.
And it is possible and even probable that in weather of a heavy atmosphere or when it is
surcharged with electricity or if the patient be subjected • to great excitement or sudden or violent commotion
or exercise he may suffer again therewith.
“Cardiac impulse after a few days' use of the Crataegus is greatly strengthened and yields that low soft tone
so characteristic of the first sound, as shown by the cardiograph.
The entire central nervous system seems to
be influenced favorably by its use, the appetite increases and assimilation and nutrition improve.
“Also a sense of quietude and well-being rests on the patient and he who before its use was çross, melancholic
and irritable after a few days of its use shows marked signs of improvement in his mental state.
“I doubt if it is indicated in fatty enlargement.
The dose which I have found to be the most available is from ten
to fifteen drops after meals or food.
If taken before it may in very susceptible patients, cause nausea.
I find
also that after its use for a month it may be well to discontinue for a week or two, when it should be renewed
for another month or so “Usually three months seem to be the proper time for actual treatment and after that only at such times as a
warning pain of the heart or dyspnea may point out.”
Dr.
T.
C.
Duncan contributed the case of Mrs.
A., a printer, who “came to me co mplaining of some pain in the
side as if it would take her life.
She did not have it all the time, only at times, usually the last of the week, when
tired.
One Saturday she came with a severe at tack,
locating the pain with her right hand above and to the left of the stomach.
The pulse was strong and forcible.
“On careful examination I found the heart beat below normal indicating hypertrophy.
I examined the spine and
to the left of the vertebra ab out two inches I found a very tender spot (spinal hyperemia).
She told me that
when a girl she had several attacks and that her own family physician gave her a remedy that relieved her at
once.
“She had tried several physicians, among them an allopath, who gave hypodermic injections of morphine
without relief.
Hot applications sometimes relieved.
I now recognized that I had a case of angina pec toris and
that her early attacks were due, I thought to carrying her heavy brother.
Now the attacks come when she
becomes tired holding her composing stick, at the same time she became very much flurried, so much so that
she had stop work because she was confused.
“I now gave her a prescription for Cactus, but told her I would like to try first a new remedy, giving he r
Crataegus, saturating some disks with tincture.
I directed her to take two disks every hour until relieved and
then less often.
If not relieved to take the Cactus.
“She returned in a week reporting that she was relieved after the first dose of Crataegus.
More, that hurried,
flurried feeling had not troubled her this week.
Her face has a parch ment skin and the expression of anxiety
so significant of heart disease was certainly relieved.
I have not seen her since.”
The proving of this remedy produced a flurried feeling due, to the rapid action of the stimulated heart.
A nervous
female medical student who also proved it had “an unusual rush of blood to the head with confused feel ing,”
followed later by “a feeling of quiet and calmness mentally.”
▲HEAD
Very nervous and irritable with pain in back of head and neck.
▲EYES
Conjunctival irritation, with nasal discharge
▲CHEST
Dyspnea or shortness of breath, with a sensation of suffocation or oppression,.
resembling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or heart failure, worse with exertion, heat, or lying down.
Angina-like pain, with radiating discomfort to the arms or neck, resembling ischemic heart disease, aggravated by warm environments, emotional stress, or night.
Cough, dry or hacking, with throat irritation, resembling post-viral cough, worse with heat or exertion.
Tendency to respiratory hypersensitivity, with aggravationWorsening of symptomsAn increase in severity or intensity of symptoms, often caused by environmental factors or after taking a remedy. from warm, stuffy environments or systemic debility.
Systemic:.
Chronic fatigue or weakness, with a sensation of prostrationExtreme physical weakness or exhaustionA state of extreme physical weakness, collapse, or exhaustion, often accompanying severe illness., resembling chronic fatigue syndrome or post-viral exhaustion, worse after exertion, heat, or emotional stress.
Edema, particularly in the extremities, with puffiness or heaviness, resembling heart failure or venous insufficiency, aggravated by heat, standing, or night.
Heat intolerance, with aggravation in warm, stuffy conditions and a desire for fresh air or rest.
Tendency to systemic hypersensitivity, with aggravation in cardiovascular or debilitative states.
Gastrointestinal:.
Dyspepsia or indigestion, with bloating, sour eructations, or discomfort, resembling functional dyspepsia, worse with rich foods, heat, or emotional stress.
Nausea or aversion to food, with a heavy or sinking sensation, resembling gastroparesis, aggravated by warm drinks, exertion, or stress.
Abdominal fullness or sluggish digestion, with a tendency to discomfort, worse with dietary indiscretions or fatigue.
Tendency to digestive hypersensitivity, with aggravation from emotional or physical strain.
Neurological:.
Vertigo or dizziness, with a sensation of spinning or unsteadiness, resembling vestibular dysfunction, worse with heat, exertion, or turning the head.
Insomnia or restless sleep, with frequent waking or anxiety, resembling primary insomnia, aggravated by emotional stress, heat, or night.
Headaches, constrictive or heavy, resembling tension-type headaches, worse with mental exertion or warm environments.
Tendency to neurological hypersensitivity, with aggravation from heat or cardiovascular stress.
Palpitations or irregular heartbeat, with a sensation of fluttering or skipping beats,.
resembling arrhythmias or heart failure, worse with exertion, heat, or emotional stress.
Chest pain or tightness, with a heavy or constrictive feeling, resembling angina pectoris, aggravated by warm environments, exertion, or night.
Hypertension or weak pulse, with a sensation of faintness, resembling essential hypertension or orthostatic hypotension, worse with emotional stress or fatigue.
Tendency to cardiovascular hypersensitivity, with aggravation from physical or emotional strain.
Psychological:.
Anxiety or nervousness, with anticipatory fear or restlessness, resembling generalized anxiety disorder, worse with heat, exertion, or night.
Irritability or impatience, with sensitivity to contradiction, resembling adjustment disorder, aggravated by physical discomfort, fatigue, or emotional stress.
Depression or despondency, with emotional withdrawal or hopelessness, resembling persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), worse with isolation or chronic illness.
Tendency to emotional sensitivity, with aggravation during cardiovascular or systemic flare-ups.
Respiratory:.
Systemic:.
▲ABDOMEN
Nausea.
Dyspepsia and nervous prostration with heart failure.
Temperature - Cutaneous chilliness.
Blueness of fingers and toes, all aggravated by exertion or excitement.
Chilliness in heart disease
▲EXTREMITIES, LIMBS
Limbs cold and edematous.
Coldness of fingers.
Blueness of limbs.
Swelling of lower limbs.
Swelling
of feet
▲SKIN
Chronic fatigue or weakness, with a sensation of prostration, resembling chronic fatigue syndrome or post-viral exhaustion, worse after exertion, heat, or emotional stress.
Edema, particularly in the extremities, with puffiness or heaviness, resembling heart failure or venous insufficiency, aggravated by heat, standing, or night.
Crataegus oxyacantha (Hawthorn) 758.
Heat intolerance, with aggravation in warm, stuffy conditions and a desire for fresh air or rest.
Tendency to systemic hypersensitivity, with aggravation in cardiovascular or debilitative states.
Gastrointestinal:.
Dyspepsia or indigestion, with bloating, sour eructations, or discomfort, resembling functional dyspepsia, worse with rich foods, heat, or emotional stress.
Nausea or aversion to food, with a heavy or sinking sensation, resembling gastroparesis, aggravated by warm drinks, exertion, or stress.
Abdominal fullness or sluggish digestion, with a tendency to discomfort, worse with dietary indiscretions or fatigue.
Tendency to digestive hypersensitivity, with aggravation from emotional or physical strain.
Neurological:.
Vertigo or dizziness, with a sensation of spinning or unsteadiness, resembling vestibular dysfunction, worse with heat, exertion, or turning the head.
Insomnia or restless sleep, with frequent waking or anxiety, resembling primary insomnia, aggravated by emotional stress, heat, or night.
Headaches, constrictive or heavy, resembling tension-type headaches, worse with mental exertion or warm environments.
Tendency to neurological hypersensitivity, with aggravation from heat or cardiovascular stress
▲SLEEP
Insomnia of heart patients.
Sleeplessness in aortic disease
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This clinical profile is compiled from: Andrew Chevallier, FNIMH — Herbal Remedies (Eyewitness Companions), and Dr. David Keifer, MD — Herbal Remedies Reference Guide. Synced with traditional botanical use and pharmacological outlines.
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This profile has been verified by the Herbalhomeo medical team in accordance with authoritative homeopathic references.
⚕️ Information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a professional homeopathic practitioner.