Do you have gastric reflux, poor digestion or high cholesterol? These beautiful little red berries of sweet and sour are from the Hawthorn bush (crataegus laevigata). Traditionally they are dried into these crisp berry wafers and decocted as tea or powdered for inclusion in herbal formulas.

In Chinese they are Shan Zha (pronounced Shan Jah). I use them almost daily in my evening tea. One of the main active components is quercetin. Even the herb has been used for centuries, often to aid in treating digestive issues, a study completed in 2017 confirmed that quercetin may even hold more benefits for reducing cholesterol and atherosclerosis.

Hawthorn has even been shown in research to reduce high blood pressure in Type 2 Diabetes Patients. Of course, there is never a single magic pill for any of our modern ailments, but isn't it nice to know what you put in your tea is helping?