Medicinal Monday - Thorney and Beautiful - the Black Hawthorn Tree

The Hawthorn Tree was considered magical by many cultures around the world and figures in mythology.  In Native American Lore, there is a Chippewa legend, "Why the Porcupine has Quills".  The story is about a porcupine that is being hunted by a bear.  The clever porcupine used the branches of a Hawthorn Tree on his back as protection and when the bear tried to bite the porcupine, the thorns pricked the bears' mouth and he went along on his way, leaving the porcupine alone.  Nanabozho, a trickster god was impressed with the porcupine and took the branches of the Hawthorn tree and peeled the bark away making them white and put them on the back of the porcupine with clay, which is how the porcupine got its quills.  Native Americans not only told stories of the clever porcupine but also used the Hawthorn tree for medicinal purposes that are equally as clever.

About the Hawthorn Tree

This is a beautiful tree with lovely white or pink flowers, small tart berries, and a thorny, protective trunk.  The tree has many interesting folk names including may-tree, whitethorn, quickthorn, thornapple, mayblossom, and hawberry. Its range spans most of North America and is also found in Asia and throughout Europe.  There is also a range of species and subspecies of this tree, all have a slightly different bloom, berry and ripening time. Not all varieties are trees, some are large shrubs that make good hedges.  Whatever their size is, they all have thorns.

Hawthorn Trees need full sun and well-drained soil, almost any type of soil will do.  Songbirds love these trees and will often visit them in the spring and fall to eat the bright colored berries. Most trees grow 15 to 30 feet tall and look best when grown together in a cluster. These trees are susceptible to a number of diseases including apple scab, fire blight, leaf spots, and rust.

Medicinal Uses

The flowers, leaves, and berries of Hawthorn trees have been used medicinally for hundreds of years. The Kwakiutl used a poultice of chewed leaves and applied them to swellings and the Okanagan and the Thompson used the thorns as probes for boils and ulcers.  The Okanagan-Colville would use the thorn to pierce areas by arthritic pain.  The upper end of the thorn was set on fire and burned down to the point where it was buried in the skin. 

An oral infusion of new shoots was used to wash out a baby's mouth for mouth sores and was also used to treat diarrhea in children.  The Okanagan and  Thompson used a decoction of sapwood, bark, and roots as a stomach medicine, and the fruit of this tree was eaten as a good health food to treat general sickness and build strength.  The Iroquois used the dotted Hawthorn tree used an infusion of branches without leaves for stomach problems. They also used a decoction of this tree as witchcraft medicine that was taken to prevent "breaking out like cancer", a condition caused by witchcraft.

Did You Know...

Modern scientific study has shown that Hawthorn is used for high blood pressure and that it strengthens the heartbeat.  The berries are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant.

The name hawthorn comes from the old English word haw, which means hedge when combined with the word thorn, it literally means "thorny hedge".

Certain moths and butterflies feed exclusively on the nectar and leaves of the Hawthorn trees.

In Celtic Lore Hawthorn is a gateway tree that holds the doorway between our realm and the fairy realm. It is thought to be the tree sacred to fairies and faes.   It was also thought to have the power to put people into a deep sleep.

In the U.S. the charcoal made from burnt root wood of the Hawthorn tree was used in pig iron furnaces used to make iron ore.

The berries of the Hawthorn Tree resemble a cranberry or crabapple in looks and in taste.  Some are made into condiments and preserves.