Ayman M Mousa, Hamdoon A Mohammed
The growing use of herbal medicinal plants like hawthorn is recognized globally as a way to meet the demand for new natural pharmaceuticals with health benefits. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of the phytochemical constituents and heart-protective therapeutic properties of Crataegus orientalis. Despite numerous reviews on the biological properties of the Crataegus genus. C. orientalis has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent in managing the increasing cardiovascular complications that have followed the COVID-19 pandemic. This review highlights the primary cardioprotective biological effects of C. orientalis, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anti-ischemic, diuretic, and cardiotonic properties, supported by numerous scientific studies in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. This updated review provides an overview of the bioactive molecular components of C. orientalis and their cardioprotective mechanisms in cardiac muscle cell biology following the post-COVID-19 Pandemic, exploring its potential as an innovative functional food dietary supplement to enhance plant-derived cardioprotective formulations and its possible health benefits. This study presents a significant challenge for analyzing the active constituents of C. orientalis, which require further research, as they are expected to be promising candidates for developing new approaches to prevent and treat various post-pandemic cardiovascular diseases (CVD).