Efficacy and function of Hawthorn

Hawthorn's efficacy and function

1. Help digestion

Hawthorn contains a variety of organic acids. After oral administration, enhance the acidity of gastric juice, improve the activity of pepsin and promote the digestion of protein; Hawthorn tastes sour, stimulates gastric mucosa and promotes gastric juice secretion; Hawthorn contains lipase, which can promote the digestion of fat; Hawthorn contains vitamin C and other components. Oral administration can improve appetite; Hawthorn can regulate gastrointestinal motor function, inhibit spastic gastrointestinal smooth muscle and excite relaxed smooth muscle.  

2. Reduce blood lipid and anti atherosclerosis

Hawthorn flavone can significantly reduce the concentrations of serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) in experimental hyperlipidemia animals, and significantly increase the concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A (ApoA), but has little effect on triglyceride (TG). Hawthorn can reduce blood lipid by inhibiting the synthesis of liver cholesterol and promoting the absorption of plasma cholesterol by the liver. Hawthorn flavonoids can also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (as) and prevent the occurrence and development of as.

3. Effect on cardiovascular system

Anti myocardial ischemia Hawthorn has a protective effect on acute experimental myocardial ischemia. Hawthorn flavonoids and hydrolysates increased nutritional blood flow of ischemic myocardium, among which Hawthorn hydrolysates had the strongest effect. Hawthorn can not only increase coronary blood flow, but also reduce myocardial oxygen consumption and improve oxygen utilization. Hawthorn flavone can improve the ischemic ECG of animals. Hawthorn flavone can reduce the scope of experimental myocardial infarction in rabbits.

Strong heart Hawthorn can enhance myocardial contractility and increase cardiac output. Hawthorn extract can enhance myocardial contractility of toad hearts in vivo and in vitro, and the effect lasts for a long time. The definite active ingredients are 3 ', 4', 5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone-7-glucoside and rutin.

Antihypertensive hawthorn flavonoids and triterpenoid acids have certain antihypertensive effects when administered intravenously, intraperitoneally and duodenally, and their mechanism is mainly related to the expansion of peripheral blood vessels.

Antioxidant hawthorn and hawthorn flavonoids have antioxidant effects, which can significantly reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum and liver, enhance the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocyte and liver, and enhance the activity of plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH PX).

4. Bacteriostasis

Hawthorn has strong bacteriostatic effect on Shigella, proteus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Hawthorn can promote nonspecific and specific immune function. Hawthorn can significantly increase the weight of thymus and spleen, the content of serum lysozyme, the titer of serum hemagglutination antibody, the transformation rate of T lymphocytes and the percentage of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Hawthorn can also promote erythrocyte immune adhesion function in mice.

The effect of hawthorn on digestion and stomach is mainly related to the pharmacological effects of helping digestion and bacteriostasis, which provides a pharmacological basis for its treatment of meat stagnation, epigastric fullness, diarrhea and abdominal pain; The effect of promoting qi and dispersing blood stasis is also mainly related to the pharmacological effects of reducing blood lipid, anti atherosclerosis, anti myocardial ischemia and so on. The active components of hawthorn, organic acids and hawthorn flavonoids, are the important material basis for its pharmacological effect.

It is commonly used in dyspepsia, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, hyperlipidemia, etc.