Biological properties and potential application of hawthorn and its major functional components: A review

Hawthorn (Crataegus) widely distribute in the world, and is known as an excellent fruit resource commonly planted in China. It has been used for food and medicine for thousands of years in China. This paper surmised the up-to-date literatures on the functional properties of flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids and polysaccharides of hawthorn. Meanwhile, the application prospects of hawthorn in functional foods are also prospected. These will be helpful for the developments of functional foods or deep-processing technologies of hawthorn.