The Constituents of Hawthorn Berry Extract

March 14, 2010 4:02 am admin Health and Fitness

The constituents of Hawthorn berry extract possess strong antioxidant properties that help people to maintain youthful looks in spite of the harmful effects of the sun’s radiation, and also to help prevent atherosclerosis cause by free radical oxidation of LDL cholesterol. What are the constituents of this super-supplement that render it so effective?

In fact, there are a number of chemical constituents, and it has been found that hawthorn extract is most potent when most are present together.  It is not so much a synergism as that the potency of the mixture is greater than any of the individual constituents.  Among these are a number of bioflavonoids, including procyanidins, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids and vitexin. The potency of the leaves is also dependant on the season, and fall leaves contain around three times the concentration of procyanidins than spring leaves.

Many hawthorn berry extract preparations are standardized on the vitexin content (around 2%) although this does not mean that it contains only that procyanidin since the whole extract is essential for its full benefit.

If you want to help maintain good health with hawthorn berries you can purchase quality standardized extracts at your local or internet health food store.  Always choose name brands like Solaray to ensure quality and purity of the product you purchase.