Hawthorn Berry for Blood Pressure Regulation

Research suggests that hawthorn berry may support blood pressure regulation through multiple biological pathways, with animal studies consistently showing reductions in blood pressure in hypertensive rat models and mechanistic investigations pointing to influences on bile acid signaling, lipid metabolism, nitric oxide production, and oxidative stress in the kidneys and blood vessels. A 2017 review and a 2026 review of the broader literature both report associations between hawthorn consumption and cardiovascular benefits including blood pressure regulation, though both reviews caution that larger, well-designed clinical trials and better standardization of active compounds are still needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. The human clinical evidence is limited and mixed — one small randomized controlled trial found that a combination product containing hawthorn extract alongside camphor raised blood pressure in adolescents with naturally low blood pressure, a finding that reflects a different use case and complicates straightforward interpretation. Taken together, the body of evidence is promising but remains largely preclinical, and the absence of robust human trials on hawthorn alone means that the translation of these animal and review findings to human blood pressure management is still an open question.