Crataegus oxyacantha Linn . commonly known as Hawthorn - A Scientific Review

Nature has been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and an impressive number of modern drugs has been isolated from natural sources, many based on their use in traditional medicine.Plant extracts are attractive sources of new drugs and have been shown to produce promising results in the treatment of various diseases.Crataegus oxyacantha Linn., commonly known as Hawthorn, is one of the most widely used herbal plant with diverse pharmacological actions.It possess antioxidant and collagen stabilizing action. Hawthorn is used to treat a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, but primary use is treat hypertension, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure and arrhythmia. The chemical composition of Hawthorn includes vitamin C, Flavonoids, Glycosides, Saponins and Tannins,Cratategen, cardiotonic amines, Amygdalin ,pectins etc., Hence the aim of the present article is to compile all the data related to pharmacological aspects of this herbal plant .