Have you ever heard of the doctrine of signatures? The doctrine states that herbs resemble the organ that they are helpful for. Hawthorn is a great example, it's fruits are bright red like blood and rather heart-shaped.
Maybe this is what inspired humans to harvest the fruits, flowers, and leaves and use them in medicine. Or possibly it is the fruit's resemblance to tiny apples that gave our ancestors the confidence to forage from the tree. Hawthorn is in fact a relative of both rose and the apple. The fruits, in my opinion, taste like bland crab apples. I nibble on them as I harvest always taking care to spit out the large seeds that are found in the middle.
When we arrived at this farm I was so glad to finally get to meet Hawthorn in person. I had heard so much about the tree in books that it was easy to identify when we did finally cross paths. For the most part one should be weary of bright red berries so, if you aren't familiar with the many varieties of hawthorn I would advise asking an experienced herbalist to help you identify it.
Hawthorn came into my life at the perfect time. Or really, I came into Hawthorn's life just when I needed the medicine most. The flowers in spring and the fruits in fall are well known heart tonics and help aid the circulatory system. And at that time in my life (circa 2019) I was recovering from personal heart break and chronic depression. In a vision I learned that the formula I needed to heal was 1 part Motherwort, 1 part Rose, and 1 part Hawthorn.
This miraculous tree and the herbal medicine it produces works it's medicine to improve circulation in the entire body, strengthen the heart organ, as well as support the emotional heart. Today it is widely considered one of the most important heart tonics and is used to improve heart conditions and as preventative medicine for those at risk of heart attacks. It is generally considered a safe herb but, consulting with an herbalist before consuming is always my recommendation, especially if you are are taking any type of pharmaceutical for a heart condition.
((A little "short" I made about gathering the berries. It is a vertical video meant to be watched on a cell phone))
While reviewing my herbal books to write this article I was surprised to find that Hawthorn, though originating in Europe and North America has been included in the apothecary of Traditional Chinese Medicine but, with a quite different application. Instead of being used as a cardiovascular tonic, hawthorn berries are employed as digestive aids in situations of stagnant food in the digestive tract.
So, I suppose that nibbling on a berry or two as I harvest is helping more than just my heart and blood but also my digestion. Truly this is an amazingly abundant herb. I feel very blessed to have crossed paths with this medicinal tree and am excited to continue learning from it's medicine.