This hawthorn cordial combines the nourishing qualities of hawthorn with delicious spices that help digestion.
Ingredients used to make the cordial … all organic
- hawthorn berries
- apple
- fresh ginger
- cardamom pods
- vanilla bean
- cinnamon stick
- zest of lemon
- dried hibiscus
- pomegranate juice
- honey
- brandy
Dosage and Storage
This can be stored in a dark, cool location and is best consumed within 1 year.
Enjoy in small amounts after an evening meal. (I find that it helps me wind down from the day.)
Recipe adapted from Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal by Rosalee de la Forêt
Bonus notes:
How does Hawthorn work?
Hawthorn can help improve the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during contractions, widen the blood vessels, and increase the transmission of nerve signals.
Hawthorn also seems to have blood pressure-lowering activity, according to early research. It seems to cause relaxing of the blood vessels farther from the heart. It seems that this effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin.
Research suggests that hawthorn can lower cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). Hawthorn fruit extract may lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of bile, reducing the formation of cholesterol, and enhancing the receptors for LDLs. It also seems to have antioxidant activity.