Do you sometimes worry about your heart health? How about your blood pressure?
It’s no secret that heart issues are now the leading cause of death in the U.S. for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups. Today, one person dies every 36 seconds due to cardiovascular concerns.
Because blood pressure plays such a key role in your heart health, the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology recently lowered “acceptable” blood pressure levels to below 130/80.
According to the AHA, nearly half of all American adults have some type of cardiovascular issue, potentially affecting not only their heart but also the supportive tissues that deliver blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the entire body.
A stunning 28% of individuals don’t know their most recent blood pressure numbers.
That’s concerning because your blood pressure can creep up on you without you knowing. Maintaining your blood pressure within the normal range with exercise and increased activity, stress management, attaining your ideal weight, and eliminating processed foods and seed oils can go a long way towards helping to protect your heart.
There’s something else, too, that you can do to help maintain your blood pressure and a healthy heart at the same time.
The Traditional Uses of Hawthorn and Hibiscus
If you’re like many others, when you hear of hawthorn and hibiscus, you may think of your cardiovascular system and blood pressure. And you’re absolutely right...
Both of these botanicals have a long history of traditional use for supporting cardiovascular health, including blood pressure.*
Considered one of the oldest-known plants for health, hawthorn has been used as far back as 659 AD. Its potential value for heart health was first recorded in the first century by Greek herbalist Dioscorides.
Finally, by the early 1800s, U.S. health practitioners began using hawthorn for helping to maintain normal cardiovascular function. While the hibiscus plant may be best known in the U.S. for its stunning flowers, cultures over the years have made a tea from them – sometimes called “sour tea.”
When the petals of the flower drop off, the deeply colored cup-like structures, known as “calyces,” grow into pods or buds. Hibiscus extract and tea are made from these red calyces.
People in China, Africa, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean have enjoyed hibiscus tea not only for its pleasant taste, but also its numerous purported health benefits. Hibiscus tea was said to be the beverage of choice of ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
While hawthorn berries and hibiscus flowers have been used traditionally for supporting cardiovascular health, they’ve also been used for many other health aspects over the years.
Why Hawthorn’s Active Compounds Are Key to Its Value for Health
Hawthorn is known by several different names – mayblossom, hedgethorn, maybush, mayflower and whitethorn. There are hundreds of species of hawthorn and each has its own set of valuable compounds.
The common hawthorn berry bush, Crataegus monogyna, is in the same family as apples and roses.
Every part of the hawthorn plant, including its flowers, berries, leaves, stems and bark, was traditionally used to support health in Ancient Greece and Asia. According to herbalists in Eastern Europe and the U.S., the entire plant is loaded with valuable phytonutrients.
Resembling tiny sweet cherries (but with more of a tart taste), hawthorn berries are best known for their rich polyphenols and flavonoids, including proanthocyanidins and Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) – all potent antioxidants.
Hawthorn’s phytonutrients are key to how it supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
Studies show two naturally occurring constituents in hawthorn extract, epicatechin and hyperoside, are especially important for supporting healthy blood flow in and around your heart and brain.
Additionally, improvements in exercise capacity and physical endurance were seen in studies after just a few weeks’ use.*
Compared to the leaves of the hawthorn plant, the berries contain more hyperoside, a flavonoid related to quercetin and especially important to promoting a healthy, normal inflammatory response in the body.*
Researchers have identified other naturally occurring compounds in hawthorn berry extract that are not only potentially beneficial for heart health but for digestive, skin and liver health, too.* These include:
- Vitexin
- Rutin
- Vitexin-4”-O-glucoside
- Vitexin-2”-O-rhamnoside
How Hawthorn Berries Support Cardiovascular Health
So how does hawthorn support your heart health?
Researchers believe hawthorn’s primary means of support is twofold: supporting the integrity of the blood vessel wall and promoting healthy blow flow around your heart and brain as well as your arms and legs.*
Optimal blood flow helps move oxygen and nutrients into tissues and muscles, especially the heart muscle.*The berries from the hawthorn plant support cardiovascular health through four principle pathways:
- Protecting against oxidative stress that can harm tissues and cells*
- Promoting an already healthy, normal inflammatory response*
- Maintaining normal endothelial function within the blood vessels*
- Supporting healthy levels of lipids in the body*
The endothelial cells lining the walls of your blood vessels play an important role in regulating blood flow and blood pressure. These cells produce a beneficial heart supporting gas called nitric oxide (NO) that helps your blood vessels stay relaxed and open, thus promoting both blood vessel flexibility and healthy blood pressure levels.*
All of these actions help your cardiovascular system maintain its normal function. A study of 952 patients demonstrated the ability of hawthorn extract to benefit heart and vascular health.*
Hibiscus Flowers for Blood Pressure Support and More*
The hibiscus plant, Hibiscus sabdariffa, grows in many tropical and subtropical areas, but it originated in Southeast Asia and Northern Africa.
Hibiscus flowers receive their vibrant coloring from natural chemicals called anthocyanins, which act as antioxidants. The plant is also a rich source of polyphenols, organic acids, polysaccharides and other beneficial compounds for the cardiovascular system.
For healthy heart function, you need an abundant supply of antioxidants, which hibiscus flowers supply. Antioxidants help protect against oxidative stress, or the physiological stress on the body caused by excess free radicals, which can damage heart cells and tissues.
A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials involving 390 participants with hibiscus extract came to a conclusion that’s been suspected for years...
Hibiscus has a “significant effect” on supporting blood pressure already in the normal range.*
But that’s not all. Hibiscus extract has been shown in studies to support other aspects of health:
- Healthy cell growth and replication*
- Immune health*
- Brain and nervous system health*
- Healthy lipid levels already in the normal range *
- Kidney and liver health*
- Metabolic health and weight management*
Could Hibiscus Flower Extract Help Your Metabolic Health?
One of the most exciting discoveries made about hibiscus extract is its potential for metabolic health – most likely due to its rich polyphenol content.* Nearly nine in 10 Americans are metabolically unhealthy, including 80% of obese individuals and 40% of normal weight individuals.
Surprisingly, one does not need to have a large waist circumference to be metabolically unfit. There are actually more sick people with an ideal waist circumference in the U.S. today.
Studies show hibiscus flower extract may help promote metabolic health.*
One recent study found that a daily dose of hibiscus flower extract for just one month helped maintain healthy glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels already in the normal range.*
Could it help do the same for you?
Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus Liquid Drops – A Fast and Easy Way to Get Your Daily Dose
Now you, too, can have your daily dose of both hawthorn berry and hibiscus flower extracts with Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus Liquid Drops.
So that you can receive the benefits of both botanicals, we’ve combined Organic Hawthorn Berry Extract and Organic Hibiscus Flower Extract into one pleasant tasting liquid blend.
Our pure, premium Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus Liquid Drops:
- Provides 1 mL, or the equivalent of approximately 600 mg, of herb in each one dropper-serving.
- Is gently extracted with organic glycerin instead of alcohol.
- Contains a touch of natural mandarin peel flavor to compliment the bright flavor of hibiscus flower.
This delicious liquid blend is perfect for those who don’t like or can’t swallow pills and capsules. And because they are liquid drops, your body absorbs the botanicals quickly.
For Even Greater Potential Benefits, Combine Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus With These Other Supplements
Want to take your benefits from Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus Liquid Drops to the next level? See how combining it with other supplements can help:
- For extra cardiovascular support, as well as mitochondrial support for your heart’s energy production, combine Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus with the reduced, active form of CoQ10 – Ubiquinol – in capsules or liquid pump.*
- For support of healthy blood circulation, including optimal blood flow to and oxygenation of your brain, combine Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus with our Organic Ginkgo Biloba With Coffee Fruit.*
- For additional support of healthy blood pressure levels already in the normal range, combine Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus with Fermented Black Garlic or Blood Pressure Support with bioactive polyphenols from Grape Seed Extract.*
Healthy blood flow and pressure, and an optimally functioning cardiovascular system are critical to enjoying your life at its best. Don’t delay in providing your body with the support it may need.
Support your cardiovascular health with Organic Hawthorn and Hibiscus Liquid Drops, and order your supply today.