03/06/2024
Hawthorn or May/ Crataegus spp.
Annual visit to Mother May and Sister May out on the Moor. Mother May has been consistently bountiful over the years and she delivered once again this year for a collection of hawthorn leaf and flower. These have been tinctured to be used as medicine.
The leaves, flowers and haws can be used as medicine and it's traditionally used as a circulatory tonic for conditions such as high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
Fruit leather can be made with the haws and I have also made ketchup with the haws in the past which far exceeded tomato ketchup in flavour but it was time consuming to produce.
In folklore, alongside ash and oak, hawthorn forms part of the fairy triad. Rosaries can be made from the dried haws and this, "can be used for meditative purposes or to count the number of chants used in a spell" ( Pearson, N.G. 2019 Wortcunning). I have made rosaries in the past for myself, friends and family with the purpose of protecting and warding off negative spirits as hawthorn has also been used for this purpose historically such as at Roodmass. According to Nigel G. Pearson, "bathing the face with dew from the hawthorn on May morning bestows beauty and enhances the complexion"
(Pearson, N.G. 2019 Wortcunning). Hawthorn leaves can be chewed, "with intention to aid focus and Otherworldly contacts at sacred sites" ( Pearson, N.G. 2019 Wortcunning) I often chew on the leaves outside the local pub. I'm sure some folk would regard the pub as a sacred site and you could argue that some of the customers are a little otherworldly at times...
Please seek medical advice before self prescribing. Some herbs can interfere with pharmaceutical drugs and, in the case of Hawthorn, it may interfere with calcium channel blockers and other forms of heart medication.
