Time for Some Heart-tending
Hello friends. What a time to be alive. There are many among us with aching hearts. Outside of our personal ongoing grief and heartache, those of us with big fierce hearts are hurting for many reasons. Those of us who love this Earth and all Earth's inhabitants despair for the future of the web of life. Those who love our friends and communities grieve for the suffering we see around us. Those who are among the many communities currently being targeted by the state and its minions who feel emboldened by the rhetoric of hate are heartbroken by ongoing stress and pain and fear. Those of us who are in community with targeted groups or who feel empathy for and act in solidarity with all who are vulnerable to political repression and violence are overwhelmed by all the pain we see.
So what do we do? There is no easy solution to the current situation we are facing here in the U.S., though there are many examples in history we can look to for how people manage in times like these. We are going to need to strengthen and nourish our networks of care, that much is definite. This means we need to nourish and strengthen our hearts as well.
Hawthorn, Hawthorn, Hawthorn
Going to use this missive to talk about the herb that may be the most important medicine for these times: Hawthorn, any of the innumerable members of the genus Crataegus. Hawthorn trees are thorny gnarled trees that look a lot like Apple trees, a close relative. Hawthorns have little fruits commonly called berries, though they are not actually berries, they are haws, kind of like little apples.
Hawthorn medicine works at the intersection in each of us where the metaphoric and anatomic heart meet. By this I mean that Hawthorn is potent medicine for the anatomic heart, the organ that pumps blood through our cardiovascular systems but also the spiritual heart. Hawthorn strengthens our hearts and cardiovascular systems and helps strengthen and regulate the heart muscle. Simultaneously, Hawthorn supports our spiritual hearts by providing a steadying force, easing agitated states, and supporting emotional balance.
When we are overwhelmed with emotion, especially for extended periods of time, Hawthorn acts as a filter or gatekeeper. We have an easier time sorting and processing our emotions when we work through them a few at a time, rather than being flooded with them all at once. Hawthorn helps us do this! On those days when simply turning on the news or looking at one's phone sends us into tears, when we cannot bear anymore of the horrors, Hawthorn is our friend.
Hawthorn's singular medicine allows us to continue to feel strongly and deeply without being laid low by our despair. In a world that consistently offers us numbing options for our pain, Hawthorn offers us the chance to continue to be in our feels without going under. I always tell our students, Hawthorn thickens our skin without making us callous. What a gift.
Preparation and Dosage
Tincture of fresh flowers 1:2 at 95%
Tincture of fresh berries 1:2 at 95%
Tincture of dried berries, 1:5 at 50%
Many herbalists prefer a combination of flower and berry tincture. We combine 3 parts flower tincture to one part berry tincture in our clinic.
The flowers do not keep well, but the tea is nice: 2-4 oz to 3x a day Dried berries – standard decoction 2-4 oz to 3x day, or cold infusion 1-2 oz to 3x day. Dried berries make a lovely cordial. Hawthorn berry syrup is delicious and potent medicine. 1/2 to 1 tsp to 3x a day.
Hawthorn Cordial
Hawthorn Recipes
Hawthorn berry syrup, full strength:
Decoct hawthorn berries for half an hour. Strain the decoction and reduce to at least one half the volume. For an even stronger syrup reduce to one fourth of the original volume.
Hawthorn berries are like little apples full of pectin, so they tend to make a jam consistency rather than a syrup. To address this, get some Pectic Enzyme from a brew shop, stir it into the reduced decoction and let it sit overnight, before you add the sugar.
After you have reduced the decoction, for every pint of liquid, add 2 pounds of white sugar (about 4 1/2 cups). Stir until it is dissolved. Dosage is around one teaspoon, but taking more is fine as well. This is a medicinal dose and works both on the anatomic and metaphoric heart.
A correction to the version we sent in 2025: that one called for 2 cups of sugar per pint, a misprint, and not enough sugar to preserve a syrup on the shelf. At 2 pounds per pint, the syrup keeps.
Hawthorn Cordial:
Fill a jar 1/2 to 2/3 full with dried or fresh Hawthorn berries. Add Hibiscus and/or Linden if you want some cooling heart support. Add Cinnamon and/or Rose for mood-lifting support.
Cover with brandy. Let macerate for one month. Strain and add honey to taste.
Sip or drink up to an ounce for easing ongoing heart ache. This is delicious in hot water as a toddy.
This preparation is more of an energetic medicine and will have less of an effect on the anatomic heart and cardiovascular system than it does the spiritual heart.
Two of our most beloved tincture formulas contain Hawthorn
Heart Heal: Hawthorn 3 parts, Angelica 2 parts, Mimosa 2 parts, Rose 2 parts
Take 2-3 dropperfuls 2-3 x a day for moving through grief and working to integrate loss.
Acute Grief Hawthorn 4 parts, Peach leaf 3 parts, Motherwort 2 parts, Kava 2 parts, Anemone 1 part
Take 1-2 dropperfuls as needed for hot, agitated grief.
