Hawthorn and blood pressure:
The effect of hawthorn for hypertension (high blood pressure) in patients with type 2-diabetes taking on average about 4.4 prescription drugs for diabetes and hypertension was examined in a randomized controlled trial. Patients (n=79) received 1200 mg of hawthorn extract or placebo daily for 16 weeks. At the end of the study, there was a significant group difference in average diastolic blood pressure (BP) reductions with the hawthorn group showing greater reductions than the placebo group (85.6 to 83.0 mmHg vs 84.5 to 85 mmHg). There was no significant difference in systolic BP reduction between the two groups. (87)