By Wendy Read

It’s Latin name spells out hard wood and sharp thorns. Haw means hedge and traditional hedgerows of hawthorne can still be found marking boundaries throughout the UK and Germany. The ancient pagan fertility custom of going “a-Maying” included choosing a May Queen to rule until winter and cutting branches of “May Blossom” to deck doorways to protect against evil spirits. This tree can grow to over thirty feet and lives to a great age. Christ’s crown is said to have been made from Hawthorne, and the Pilgrims named their ship after her Mayflower moniker as a symbol of hope. She’s also called Whitehorn for the color of her bark.

Her wood is hard and used to make walking sticks, small boxes, combs, and maypoles. Her thorns have been used as awls, sewing needles and gramophone needles.It is her berries, flowers and leaves that are used medicinally, mostly for a cardiac tonic, but also occasionally for their astringent properties in cases of diarrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding or to draw out splinters or toxins from bites. Hawthorn improves heart contractions and blood flow by relaxing arteries and reducing blood pressure. The antioxidants in Hawthorn help prevent and repair damage due to free radicals. I reach for Hawthorn in cases of poor peripheral circulation, high blood pressure, angina, heart palpitations or recovery from heart attack or surgery.

Before the invention of stills, many medicines were made and preserved as honeys, jellies, wine, beer or vinegars. That’s back when people liked to take their medicine! Leaf buds and newly opened leaves are known as “bread and cheese” in rural England and considered a spring treat. They’re often served with jelly made from the previous year’s berries. A traditional heart- friendly cordial I like to make includes hawthorn berries and flowers steeped in red wine with a touch of rosemary. I add brandy infused with Motherwort (Leanorus cardiaca) and honey.

So there you go – another medicine chest right in your own back yard. Take care of your heart, and eat your weeds!