Hawthorn and heart health

Hawthorn tea and heart health: what the research actually says

An honest look at the evidence for hawthorn berry, and where a hawthorn fruit tea fits

In short

No tea treats heart conditions, and a hawthorn fruit tea is not a cardiac medicine. Honestly though, hawthorn has the most serious traditional and clinical history of any berry we use: a Cochrane review found standardised hawthorn extract, as an add-on to medical treatment, improved symptoms in chronic heart failure. That used concentrated extract, not a teabag. Sippo Good Times includes hawthorn in a bright fruit blend you will enjoy daily, but it is a drink, not a treatment. Any heart concern belongs with your doctor.

Hawthorn has been the heart herb of European folk tradition for centuries, and unusually for a botanical, there is serious clinical research behind it too. But here is the honest headline first: that research used concentrated hawthorn extract as an add-on to real medical care for heart failure, which is a world away from a cup of fruit tea. Good Times includes hawthorn in a bright, everyday blend, so this page lays out the evidence and the limits plainly.

The pick

What we'd reach for

Includes hawthorn berryGood Times

Good Times

mandarin berry hibiscus tea

Best for
A bright, caffeine-free fruit cup with hawthorn
Hero ingredient
Hawthorn berry
Match
Anyone who enjoys a tart, fruity cup

What's inside, and why

The ingredients doing the work

Found in: Good Times teaEmerging

Hawthorn berry

Crataegus

The heart herb of folk tradition, and the reason this page exists. A Cochrane review found standardised hawthorn extract improved chronic heart failure symptoms as an add-on therapy (Pittler et al., 2008), at extract doses far above a teabag (Tassell et al., 2010). Cited honestly, never as a treatment.

Found in: Good Times teaWell established

Hibiscus flower

Hibiscus sabdariffa

The ruby base, rich in antioxidant anthocyanins and vitamin C, with its own research interest in blood pressure at concentrated doses.

Found in: Good Times teaEmerging

Acai berry

Euterpe oleracea

A deep berry note valued for its anthocyanin antioxidant content, adding depth to the cup.

Found in: Good Times teaTraditional

Mandarin peel

Citrus reticulata

Bright citrus that lifts the whole cup, with the vitamin C and flavonoids citrus peel is known for.

How it adapts

What you need, and how it helps

TargetHow it solves itKey ingredientWhat you'll notice
Curious about hawthorn and the heartAn honest read of the research, not a promiseHawthorn berryClear, measured information
Wanting a daily cup you enjoyA bright, tart, fruity blendHawthorn + hibiscusA drink you look forward to
Cutting caffeineNaturally caffeine-freeFruit and flower, no tea leafEnjoy it any hour
Avoiding sugary drinksTart and fruity with no added sugarReal fruitA better daily habit

Outside-in routine pairings

A ritual for the body, too

Good Times is a bright, antioxidant-rich daily cup from the inside. Mint Condition is the matching ritual for your skin from the outside.

Mint Condition

Mint Condition

matcha mint body scrub

Mint Condition is our matcha mint body scrub, built on the same idea as our teas: real organic ingredients and a moment that is good for you. Pair the cup and the scrub for a daily ritual inside and out.

See Mint Condition

People also ask

Questions, answered

Hawthorn has the most serious evidence of any berry we use: a Cochrane review found standardised hawthorn EXTRACT, taken as an add-on to conventional treatment, improved symptoms in people with chronic heart failure (Pittler et al., 2008). But that used concentrated extract at 600 to 1800 mg a day, not infused berries in a fruit tea, so we will not claim Good Times does anything for your heart. It is a fruit cup that happens to include a genuinely interesting berry.

Absolutely not. Heart conditions require medical care, and hawthorn can interact with several cardiac and blood pressure medications. Never stop or change a prescription based on a tea. If you want to explore hawthorn, that is a conversation to have with your doctor first.

Hawthorn may interact with heart and blood pressure medicines in particular. If you take any regular medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, please check with your doctor or pharmacist before drinking it regularly.

Bright, tart and fruity, led by ruby hibiscus and mandarin with hawthorn and acai adding a soft, rounded berry depth. Lovely hot, excellent iced, caffeine free and no added sugar.

Hawthorn and the heart, honestly

The deep dive

Start with the limit

Of all the topics where a tea brand could overreach, heart health is the most serious, so we will be blunt: no tea treats heart disease or heart failure, these are conditions that require proper medical care, and you must never substitute a drink for prescribed treatment. Hawthorn also interacts with several heart medications, which is another reason to keep your doctor in the loop. With all of that said, hawthorn's history is genuinely interesting.

What the research found

Hawthorn is unusual among botanicals in having Tier 1 evidence. A Cochrane systematic review of 14 trials found that standardised hawthorn extract, used as an add-on to conventional heart failure treatment, improved symptom control and some physiologic measures (Pittler et al., 2008), and reviews of its phytochemistry point to oligomeric proanthocyanidins as the likely active compounds (Tassell et al., 2010). For a folk remedy, that is a serious evidence base.

Why a fruit tea is not that

Here is the crucial gap, and we want it front and centre. Those trials used standardised hawthorn extract at 600 to 1800 mg per day, a concentrated pharmaceutical-grade preparation, taken by people already under medical care for a diagnosed condition. Good Times contains hawthorn berry as one ingredient in a balanced fruit blend. The amount and form are nothing like the studies, so it would be misleading to suggest the cup carries the same effect. It does not, and we will not imply it does.

Where a daily cup fits

So enjoy Good Times for what it honestly is: a bright, tart, caffeine-free, no-added-sugar fruit tea that happens to include one of the most storied berries in herbal tradition. If hawthorn interests you for heart reasons, the right next step is a conversation with your doctor, not a teabag, especially given the medication interactions. Drink the tea because it is genuinely lovely, and keep the heart care where it belongs.

About the author

Dan Bartley

Co-founder, Sippo

Dan co-founded Sippo with Nicole and writes the brand's ingredient guides, working from peer-reviewed sources and standards bodies like Cochrane and the NIH. He is not a medical professional, and these guides are educational, not medical advice. Every clinical claim on this page is cited in full below, with its evidence tier and any caveats noted honestly.

hello@sippo.au
The research behind this2 peer-reviewed sources, with tiers and caveats
  1. Pittler, M. H., Guo, R., & Ernst, E. (2008). Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD005312. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005312.pub2

    Tier 1Cochrane systematic review (14 trials, 855 patients)

    Found hawthorn EXTRACT, used as an add-on to conventional treatment, improved symptoms in chronic heart failure. Crucially this used standardised extract at 600-1800 mg/day, not infused berries; a teabag does not replicate this. Cited for context, never as a treatment.

  2. Tassell, M. C., Kingston, R., Gilroy, D., Lehane, M., & Furey, A. (2010). Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(7), 32-41. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.65324

    Tier 2Review

    Reviews hawthorn's phytochemistry (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) and cardiovascular mechanisms, and the long traditional use of the berry. Cited for the ingredient story and the honest distinction between extract doses and a tea.

A storied berry, honestly described

A bright, caffeine-free fruit cup that includes hawthorn, with none of the overclaiming. Love it in 30 days or it's on us.

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