Starwest Botanicals Organic Hawthorn Berries Whole, 1 Pound (Pack of 2)

.....continuing onward from the title of this review, I use hawthorn plus a combination herb pill for blood pressure control.At first I tried stewing the whole berries for about 20 minutes on a very low simmer and then adding the rest of the ingredients I use for my mixed herb tea. Then after reading some of the other reviews I ground the berries and the difference in flavor of the infusion was really noticeable. They even have a hint of sweetness when they are ground before using them.HOWEVER, after totally ruining two grinders I read that the seeds contain cyanide, which is true of several other other kinds of fruit seeds also. So I shall not try grinding the berries again. I think that cooking the whole dry berries with the seeds intact is safe, but grinding them might not be.Now I bring the water to a boil and then turn it to a simmer for about 30 minutes with the pan covered, and then turn it off and let it steep for another 30 minutes, finally bringing it to a boil and simmering again for a total time for all steps involved of between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. Since this takes so long I usually make 3 quarts at a time.I also add fresh ginger slices at the beginning of the process.After the liquid is a nice rich reddish color I heat it again and add 2 or 3 kinds of tea including green tea to make a drink which is very high in antioxidants and has an interesting flavor. I then strain everything through a permanent coffee filter.I store it in the refrigerator, but there are two of us so the 3 quarts really doesn't last too long.My homeopath health adviser suggested that I also make hawthorn extract, filling a jar just over 3/4 full with the berries and adding vodka (or brandy) to the top and letting that steep in a dark place for about 2 months, so I am doing that also.I will buy from Starwest Botanicals again. In fact, I have this product on my Subscribe and Save list.

Some folks did not receive a pack of two, which is what this product says that it is. I did, and thankfully so. If you did not, I hope that Amazon customer service can help you out. Product is good quality and tastes great.

I bought these because I have hypertension. I'm not sure how much they work medicinally and I don't expect to cut back on my medication. But they do seem to help me, if only because they are a tasty drink which does not involve sugar, acohol, salt, or caffeine; but does involve boiling (then simmering) water.

In fact, this is wrong item I bought, I mean this was my fault not amazon's. The one I wanted is "Shanzha" in chinese but in English it is the same words as Hawthorn Berries. When I opened it, I knew they were not the one I was looking for. They are too samll and I don't know how to eat them. later I drink the water as tea by put them into hot water, taste good.

Good stuff. Seems to help level out my blood pressure. Not quite as good as Russian grown, but not bad. Price is decent for what you get.

I love the hawthorn berries and use them for making a tea which is good for blood pressure and the heart.

It arrived quickly and was packaged well and appeared to be fresh. I am using this product for my dog who has a heart murmur.

I was very pleased with the Hawthorn Berries which I bought because I had heard about their effects on lowering blood pressure. I am please to report that they did have a positive effect (in conjunction with doing Tai Chi and taking blood pressure medication).I would highly recommend it.