Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge), also known as Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, belongs to Crataegus of Rosaceae and is a deciduous tree with a height of 6 meters.
Distributed in Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and other places.
Hard core, thin pulp and slightly sour taste. Fruit can be eaten raw or made into preserved fruit cakes, dried and used as medicine. It is a unique medicinal and fruit tree species in China. It has the functions of reducing blood fat, lowering blood pressure, strengthening heart and resisting arrhythmia. It is also a good medicine for invigorating spleen, stimulating appetite, promoting digestion, promoting blood circulation and resolving phlegm, and has a good effect on chest diaphragm, spleen fullness, hernia, blood stasis and amenorrhea.
Vitexin, a flavonoid in hawthorn, is a kind of drug with strong anticancer effect, and its extract has certain inhibitory effect on the growth, proliferation, infiltration and metastasis of cancer cells in vivo.
1, digestive aid
Hawthorn contains many kinds of organic acids. After oral administration, the acidity of gastric juice increased, the activity of pepsin increased, and the digestion of protein was promoted. 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 ingredients, which can increase appetite if taken orally; Hawthorn can regulate gastrointestinal motility, inhibit gastrointestinal smooth muscle in spastic state and excite smooth muscle in relaxed state.
2. Reduce blood lipid and prevent atherosclerosis.
Hawthorn flavonoids can significantly reduce serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (I) in experimental hyperlipidemia animals. The concentration of di (c) and apolipoprotein B(ApoB) significantly increased the concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL_C) and apolipoprotein A(ApoA), but had little effect on triglyceride (TG).
The hypolipidemic effect of hawthorn is to inhibit the synthesis of liver cholesterol and promote the intake of plasma cholesterol by liver. Hawthorn flavonoids can also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (AS) and play a role in preventing the occurrence and development of AS.