Is hawthorn hot or cool?
Hawthorn is neither cold nor hot. It is a lukewarm fruit. It is slightly warm in nature, sour and sweet. Research has shown that hawthorn extract can dilate coronary arteries, increase coronary flow, and protect myocardial ischemia and hypoxia; it can also strengthen the heart, lower blood pressure, and resist arrhythmia; it can also lower blood lipids, resist atherosclerosis, and lower serum cholesterol. and triglycerides.
Effects and functions of hawthorn
1. Helps digestion
Hawthorn contains organic acids such as maslinic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, and malic acid. It will enhance the acidity of gastric juice, increase the activity of pepsin, stimulate the gastric mucosa, promote the secretion of gastric juice, and help digest protein and fat. Hawthorn also has a certain regulatory effect on gastrointestinal function, and is effective for spastic gastrointestinal smooth muscle. It has an inhibitory effect and has an excitatory effect on relaxed smooth muscles.
2. Anti-cancer
Hawthorn contains a compound called vitexin, which has anti-cancer effects. Both nitrosamines and aflatoxin can induce or aggravate cancer, and vitexin in hawthorn can not only block the synthesis of nitrosamines, but also inhibit the carcinogenic effect of aflatoxin.
3. Antibacterial
Hawthorn has a strong antibacterial effect on Shigella, Proteus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, etc. Hawthorn can promote both non-specific and specific immune functions.
4. Appetite and digestion
Hawthorn is rich in esterase, which can effectively promote the digestion of fatty foods, promote gastric juice secretion, and increase gastrointestinal digestion capacity. , which also plays the role of appetizing and digesting.
5. Prevent cardiovascular disease
Some components in hawthorn can lower blood lipids and blood pressure. Appropriate eating of hawthorn can reduce the causes of hyperlipidemia and hypertension. vascular lumen stenosis, arteriosclerosis and thrombus, etc. The substances contained in hawthorn can effectively promote myocardial contractility and reduce angina pectoris. It can also help people enhance the ejection ability of the heart, which can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases.