Adding another twist to the ongoing debate over the value of an herbal treatment for patients with heart failure, a new review of existing research suggests that hawthorn extract “significantly” improves symptoms. “If I had chronic heart failure, I certainly would consider (using) it,” said review co-author Dr. Max Pittler, deputy director of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England. The review does not include results of a large new study — unpublished to date — that suggested hawthorn has only a limited affect on lifespan.
