Australian and Chinese researchers recently showed that a Hawthorn and Kiwi extract lowered LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) better than Lipitor. Their study, published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, evaluated the effects of Hawthorn and Lipitor in mice fed either a normal diet or one very high in cholesterol. They found that the Hawthorn actually lowered the LDL even during the high cholesterol diet, while the Lipitor did not.
The moral to this story is simple: Hawthorn has long been touted as a cardiovascular tonic, but this study shows that a natural compound may outperform a standard prescription medication for treating high cholesterol. Plus, you don’t get the laundry list of side effects from Hawthorn like you do with Lipitor. Yet another reason that natural is better……………..
