Make your own hawthorn tincture from wild-harvested, and local, fresh haws. Haws, are the fruit of the hawthorn tree, and are often used in herbalism. These fruits are currently ripe, in my region, and are a great addition to the home apothecary.ย ย
Another valuable use of hawthorn haws is as hawthorn syrup, this tonic syrup can be a good option if you do not wish to use a tincture of the berries. Either the syrup or the tincture can function similarly to commercially available liquid extracts. With the hawthorn plant being in abundance, often in urban areas, there is no need to purchase hawthorn if you can find it locally.
If you have allergy concerns, harvesting and making your own herbal remedies is a good way to avoid allergens and have confidence in the herbs you are using.
The berries are astringent and nourishing to the heart, rich in polyphenols. The black haws, often harvested from Columbia Hawthorn of Western North America, also have heart-healthy anthocyanins. These are antioxidants that fight free radical damage, such as the damage caused by high blood pressure, and are important for circulation, heart health, and also eye health. The anthrocyanins are helpful for general health as supplements, though hawthorn extract is not a medication or a cure, it is a valuable herbal ally.
Hawthorn flowers are also used in herbal medicine, and have a long history of use in Europe as well as North America.
While hawthorn is a long term tonic herb, it doesnโt mask symptoms but strengthens and restores the heart. It can have a balancing effect on blood pressure and help heal heart injuries, over the long term. Due to the impact on blood pressure, it may be able to reduce headaches. But it takes time to work. It is a tonic and needs to be taken daily to have an effect. One recommendation for tonic herbs is to take them for five or six days, then have one day without taking them. This seems to support the tonic herb’s function, without overwhelming the body’s healing systems. Use caution if not giving oneself a pause from the frequency of herbal use, and monitor your own health and response to taking the herb.
Haws don’t have a lot of juice, depending on species, so using the fresh or dried haws for tincture both work. Make your own hawthorn berry tincture, or use the haws to replace elderberry in food recipes, candies, or jams and jellies as a functional herbal food.
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Hawthorn Tincture from Fresh Haws
Description
A simple, herbal tincture from fresh hawthorn haws
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh hawthorn berries, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups 40 proof alcohol of choice (brandy or vodka)
Instructions
- After carefully picking haws, and avoiding getting scratched up by the thorns, transfer picked haws to a colander.
- Rinse the haws thoroughly in cool water to remove dust and debris. Remove leaves, you can leave stems.
- Transfer rinsed and drained haws into a wide mouthed quart jar.
- Fill jar with alcohol of choice, I recommend brandy since it also has antioxidants from the grapes.
- Cap the jar and shake well.
- Place in a dark cupboard, shake daily for 4-6 weeks.
- After 6 weeks, strain the tincture and use a potato ricer or similar implement to press out as much tincture from the haws as you can.
- Reserve all liquid
- Transfer the tincture to opaque glass bottles, label them and date them.
- Store in your apothecary
Basic Hawthorn Tincture:
Yield: 500ml
Ingredients:ย
- 2 cups fresh hawthorn berries, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups 40 proof alcohol of choice (brandy or vodka)
Directions:
- After carefully picking haws, and avoiding getting scratched up by the thorns, transfer picked haws to a colander.
- Rinse the haws thoroughly in cool water to remove dust and debris. You can leave the hawthorn leaves in, or remove them.
- Transfer rinsed and drained haws into a wide mouthed quart jar.
- Fill jar with alcohol of choice, I recommend brandy since it also has antioxidants from the grapes, and if you are celiac brandy will be gluten free.
- Cap the jar and shake well.
- Place in a dark cupboard, shake daily for 4-6 weeks.
- After 6 weeks, strain the tincture and use a potato ricer or similar implement to press out as much tincture from the haws as you can.
- Reserve all liquid, strain through a cheesecloth to restore a clear appearance if the liquid is cloudy.
- Transfer the tincture to opaque glass bottles, label them and date them.
- Store in your apothecary, keep tinctures out of the reach of children.
Using Hawthorn Tincture:
Typical use of hawthorn tincture is by an increment, 1-5ml, 1-3 times per day. Normally taken with water. Caution should be used if one is on blood pressure medication, as hawthorn may interact with it’s effects. Consult your primary care physician or pharmacist of you are on heart medications, before adding herbs. Same with breastfeeding or pregnancy, although hawthorn as a food berry used in jam and jelly, is generally considered safe.
Keep your own notes, and if you notice side effects like agitation, palpitations, dizziness, or nausea, then discontinue use.
More Uses for Hawthorn:
Hawthorn flowers can be used similarly to elderflowers in wine and mead. They have a slightly more harsh tone to them, but do go well if blended together with elderflower or with rose.
Hawthorn berries can be used in jam or jelly, and can impart a rich reddish hue to jelly especially. You can blend the dark haws with ripe sasketoons for jam, simply send through a sauce mill to remove seeds. They also are ripe around the same season as choke cherries, and can be blended with them, oregon grape fruit is also a good option to add some lemony tang to a mixed wild berry jelly.
Hawthorn wood is hard, and whitish in tone. It is beautiful as a turning wood for woodworkers, and hawthorn wood makes wonderful walking sticks.
The hawthorn tree itself is a valuable home for nesting birds, as the long thorns help protect song bird nests. The haws are often used as winter food by various bird species, and like saskatoons, the gold finches and red winged grosbeaks love them as well. Hawthorns are a valuable part of our ecosystem, not just valuable as one of our herbal allies.
Learn More About Hawthorn:
There’s a lot more to learn about this fascinating herb than can be covered in a short post. Join the DIY Herb of the Month Club to get access to our Hawthorn Herb of the Month, and deep dive into a fascinating, month-long, journey to get to know this herbal ally better. There’s even recipes, like hawthorn jam and jelly, to explore the functional food aspect of this wild foraged berry, as well as the apothecary recipes. There are also references to scientific articles, and guidance on studying scientific articles and doing your own research into this valuable herbal ally.
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