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Vital Signs

Regimens: An Herbal Extract Eases Symptoms of Heart Failure

In a review of 14 studies, researchers have found that the herbal supplement hawthorn extract is effective in treating symptoms of chronic heart failure.

In most of the studies, which were randomized and placebo-controlled, extract from hawthorn leaves, fruits and flowers was used as an adjunct to conventional treatment. The paper was published Jan. 23 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

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Credit...Stuart Goldenberg

None of the trials reported data on mortality, so there was no evidence that the herb extends life. But it worked significantly better than placebos in improving exercise endurance and the strength of heart muscle contractions.

Most studies reported mild or no side effects, and the authors conclude that the extract, when used with conventional symptomatic treatment, is beneficial.

Still, Dr. Max H. Pittler, the lead author and deputy director of complementary medicine at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in England, warned that patients should not imagine hawthorn is a substitute for regular care. “Patients need a proper diagnosis from their doctors,” Dr. Pittler said, “and they need to consult with their doctors if they want to take hawthorn along with their conventional medicine.”

Dr. Pittler said it makes him uncomfortable that hawthorn is available without a prescription. “We don’t really know the mechanisms by which hawthorn works,” he said, “and it is important to caution that patients should not self-diagnose, and then self-treat with hawthorn.”

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