Hawthorns have hard nucleus, thin pulp, and slightly sour taste. Hawthorns can be eaten raw or used as preserved fruit cake. After drying, they can be used as medicine. They are unique tree species for both medicine and fruit in China.
Hawthorns grow in the hillside forest or bushes, with an altitude of 100-1500 meters. Hawthorns have strong adaptability and like cool and humid environment. They can grow between - 36 ~ 43 ℃. They like light and can tolerate shade. They are generally distributed in barren mountains, bare mountains, sunny slopes, semi sunny slopes, and valleys. The gradient is 15 ~ 25 degrees. They have drought tolerance, when there is too much water, the branches and leaves are easy to grow in vain. The soil requirements are not strict, but they grow well in the slightly acidic sandy loam with deep soil layer, fertile texture, loose and good drainage.
Hawthorns are nearly spherical, or pear shaped, about 1-1.5 cm in diameter, dark red, with light spots; each fruit contains 3-5 small nucleus, slightly rhomboid outside, smooth on both sides of the inner surface. The anti-aging effect of Hawthorns ranks first among all fruits. Vitexin, a flavonoid compound in hawthorns, is a drug with strong anticancer effect. Its extract has a certain effect on inhibiting the growth, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells in vivo.
Hawthorns contain a variety of organic acids. After eating, they can enhance the acidity of gastric juice, improve the activity of pepsin, and promote the digestion of protein; Hawthorns taste sour, can stimulate gastric mucosa and promote gastric juice secretion; Hawthorns contain lipase, which can promote the digestion of fat; Hawthorns contain vitamin C and other components that can improve appetite.
Hawthorns taste sour and will become sourer after heating. Brush your teeth immediately after eating, otherwise it is not conducive to tooth health. Pregnant women should avoid eating Hawthorns to avoid inducing abortion. Those with weak spleen and stomach or low blood glucose and children should not eat hawthorns. Hawthorns cannot be eaten on an empty stomach. Hawthorns contain a large amount of organic acid, fruit acid, hawthorn acid, citric acid, etc. if eaten on an empty stomach, they will increase gastric acid sharply, cause adverse stimulation to gastric mucosa, make the stomach full and pantothenic. If eaten on an empty stomach, it will enhance the sense of hunger and aggravate the original stomach pain.
