Hawthorn for Heart Failure

A 2008 study showed that 900mg daily of Hawthorn extract (from the flowers and leaves) can significantly decrease sudden cardiac deaths by

39.7% (in heart failure patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 25%-35%) vs placebo over 2 years when used in addition to standard medical treatment. In these patients, cardiac mortality (heart attack, heart failure progression and sudden cardiac death) decreased by 20% compared to placebo but this was not statistically significant. Adverse events were similar, in number and in type, to placebo. Hawthorn extract is thought to increase muscle contractility of the heart and may have an anti-arrhythmic effect. Other studies have shown improved exercise capacity with Hawthorn extract; there is mixed evidence regarding its effect on heart failure symptoms. Hawthorn may cause stomach discomfort or other adverse effects.

Holubarsch CJ, Colucci WS, Meinertz T, Gaus W, Tendera M; Survival and Prognosis: Investigation of Crataegus Extract WS 1442 in CHF (SPICE) trial study group. The efficacy and safety of Crataegus extract WS 1442 in patients with heart failure: the SPICE trial. Eur J Heart Fail. 2008 Dec;10(12):1255-63. doi: 10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.10.004. Epub 2008 Nov 18. PMID: 19019730.

Tauchert M. Efficacy and safety of crataegus extract WS 1442 in comparison with placebo in patients with chronic stable New York Heart Association class-III heart failure. Am Heart J. 2002 May;143(5):910-5. doi: 10.1067/mhj.2002.121463. PMID: 12040357.

Zick SM, Gillespie B, Aaronson KD. The effect of Crataegus oxycantha Special Extract WS 1442 on clinical progression in patients with mild to moderate symptoms of heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. 2008 Jun;10(6):587-93. doi: 10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.04.008. Epub 2008 May 19. PMID: 18490196; PMCID: PMC2577845.