Two Important Herbs for a Healthy Heart
Do you Love your heart... You Should! Learn about 2 Important herbs that help your heart and vascular system to be healthy.
Heart problems are skyrocketing here and all over the world! Your heart is the center of your life and existence. Learn about 2 Important herbs that help your heart and vascular system to be healthy.
Your heart can stop beating at any moment. Most of us do not think about that. We take it for granted. We ignore it until we get heart pain or end up in the hospital with a heart attack. Worse yet, we never get the chance to make it healthier, because it causes our death. It is then our family who has to deal with those consequences.
We harm our heart function with the foods we eat and other harmful lifestyle habits.
We need to love our hearts enough that we think about that before we eat that burger with three meat patties and enough processed cheese to clog up its ability to pump blood effectively.
We need to love our heart enough not to poison it with drugs that have side effects, junk foods, and with emotions like hatred and negativity.
In today’s Substack, you will learn about two herbs that are extremely important to keeping your heart healthy and its blood flow optimal.
I want to say first that herbs are added after you make needed lifestyle changes, such as getting rid of junk food, processed food, sugar, alcohol, smoking, drugs, watching too much TV with not enough exercise, and too much computer time.
Herbs should be part of your overall program you undertake to improve your health and its circulation.
The first herb we are going to talk about is Hawthorn berries!
Hawthorn Berries, leaves, and flowers for the Heart
Referred to as the heart herb
The hawthorne berries, leaves, and flowers are all used for healing the heart, not just the berries.
Hawthorne berries grow on the hawthorne tree or hawthorne bush. It is also called quickthorne, thornapple, May-tree, Mayflower, hawberry, or whitethrone, depending on the area it grows in. It is a common tree or bush that grows all over the US and in different parts of our world. We had hawthorne trees growing on our property in TN when we lived there for 5 years. The majority of people have no idea its berries, leaves, and flowers are so important for heart health.
Hawthorne berries, leaves, and flowers have been used for centuries by different cultures, including many Native Indian cultures. It was part of their natural medicines that were used for health and wellness, including heart problems.
Howthorne berries, leaves, and berries are used to address many heart problems, including heart pain, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. They are used to avoid those problems in the first place. The best heart attack prevention is proper food, exercise, and lifestyle. Hawthorne berries are part of that healthy lifestyle.
How do Hawthorne berries, leaves, and berries help your heart be healthier?
They contain flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, which are antioxidants that protect the health of your heart’s blood vessels and protect those blood vessels from harm.
Hawthorne berries, leaves and berries contain a wide array of specific heart-healthy nutrients, including Quercetin, Rutin, Choline, B vitamins, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin C
Taking a supplement of hawthorne berries, flowers, and leaves can improve your heart’s contraction and vasodilation, which relaxes and widens your blood vessels, increasing the flow of blood. These properties make it easier for your heart to function properly. This increase in the blood flow can improve fatigue, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Hawthorn berries help your heart to be healthier and to last longer as you age.
Side Effects and Warnings from Dr. Axe below. I am posting the link to his article on Hawthorne, because it is one of the most thorough and accurate on Hawthorne.
“You should not take hawthorn if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not give hawthorn products to children. Supplementing with hawthorn is recommended for short-term use by adults. If any symptoms get worse when taking hawthorn, you should discontinue use and seek emergency medical care.
For some users, hawthorn can cause nausea, upset stomach, fatigue, sweating, headache, dizziness, palpitations, nosebleeds, insomnia, agitation, and other side effects.
While hawthorn is known for being excellent for the heart, it can interact with prescription medications taken for heart disease. Medications for other heart concerns, high blood pressure, and male sexual dysfunction are also known to interact with hawthorn.
Some specific medications known to possibly interact with hawthorn include digoxin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), nitrates, phenylephrine, and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.
If you have heart disease or any other health condition or are currently taking medication(s), check with your doctor before taking a hawthorn berry product or any other hawthorn supplement. (19, 20)
It is also important to note that heart failure is a very serious health condition. It’s best not to self-treat with hawthorn supplements if you suffer from this condition.”
Dr. Axe’s full article on Hawthorne
Dosage:
I go by Dr. Axe and his advice on dosage, which is 160 to 1800 mg per day for a month to 6 months, then take a break for several months.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/hawthorn-berry/
Start with the minimum dosage, then work up slowly. Your system and tolerance are individual to you.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/hawthorn-berry/
So go slowly when adding herbs to your program and clear it with your doctor first.
Do not take hawthorne with drugs unless cleared by your doctor. They can interact with severe side effects.
So far, safe hawthorn doses appear to be between 160 to 1,800 milligrams per day for a three to 24-week time period. Noticeable improvement in symptoms may take six to 12 weeks. (18) https://draxe.com/nutrition/hawthorn-berry/
Cayenne Pepper is an amazing herb for the heart, circulation, digestion, colds and flu, and possibly anticancer properties!
Cayenne is one of the most important herbs for the heart and blood circulation.
Cayenne or Capsicum annuum, a member of the chili pepper family, has been used for over 9000 years, going back in history to usage by the tribes in the Amazon, and different cultures in both Central and South America for different health problems.
It is considered one of the important foods for longevity! The Hunza people in Asia, who are known to live to over 100 years of age, include cayenne pepper in their daily meals. They also eat apricot pits, millet, and live a simple diet and lifestyle. Cayenne is a part of many people’s diet across the world.
I consider Cayenne the 1st herb for overall body circulation.
I could write pages about the benefits of cayenne pepper for the heart and circulation throughout your whole body. I am prone to blood clots in my compromised right leg. I have used it with two other herbs for over 40 years to keep my legs and their circulation free and clear of blood clots.
Cayenne Pepper is a Powerhouse of Nutrients
Cayenne pepper contains a wide variety of nutrients, including Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, B1, B2, B6, Vitamin C, Coline, Copper, Crytoxanthin, Folate, Iron, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Lutein, Magnesium, Manganese, and Zeaxanthin!
Cayenne Pepper helps you recover more quickly when sick with a cold or flu!
These nutrients and antioxidants listed above, including Cayenne’s high Vitamin C and beta-carotene content, help to fight off colds, flu, and viruses. Cayenne helps to move mucus out of the body so you recover more quickly.
Cayenne contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, which is another reason to use it daily in your meals. It helps to prevent you from getting sick during the flu and cold season.
Cayenne is effective against 16 different kinds of fungal strains, including ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot infections.
Cayenne will help you to resist infections, colds, and flu.
Using Cayenne in your food acts as a preservative, so it lasts longer in the refrigerator!
Cayenne Pepper Aids in Digestion
Cayenne stimulates the nerves in your stomach to produce digestive fluids, helping you to break down your food! It helps to prevent stomach ulcers caused by H. pylori bacteria.
Cayenne Boosts Your Metabolism
Eating Cayenne increases the heat in your body, which uses up a few more calories.
Cayenne helps to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure, and relieve pain!
Cayenne Pepper increases fibrinolytic activity and cleans your arteries of lipid deposits, and dilates your arteries so that there is more unrestricted blood flow. This effect can lower your blood pressure as well.
“Cayenne power has very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the skin.
It reduces the amount of substance P, a chemical that carries pain messages to the brain. When there is less substance P, the pain messages no longer reach the brain, and you feel relief.
Studies have found that cayenne pepper relieves pain after surgery, such as a mastectomy or an amputation.” https://draxe.com/nutrition/cayenne-pepper-benefits/
Cayenne contains anti-inflammatory properties without the serious side effects of prescription drugs.
“One study found that cayenne pepper was just as effective as the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac at reducing inflammation. “
https://healthwholeness.com/nutrition/22-benefits-cayenne-pepper/
Cayenne is found in many arthritis creams for that reason.
Cayenne can help reduce allergy reactions!
Cayenne helps reduce allergies due to its high Vitamin C content and antioxidants. Since it is also an anti-inflammatory, this property also helps reduce allergic reactions.
Cayenne Research as an Anti-Cancer Agent
“Studies suggest that capsaicin may have a role as a natural remedy for cancer, including in the management of prostate cancer.
One study conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine found that this important ingredient in cayenne pepper is able to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the activation of new dangerous formations.
There is also data that suggests cayenne pepper benefits include being effective in helping prevent lung cancer.” https://draxe.com/nutrition/cayenne-pepper-benefits/
Side Effects:
Cayenne is a blood thinner, so consult your doctor first before using cayenne.
It can cause stomach burning in some people, so start with just a bit in your food.
I buy Cool Cayenne caps because it is easier on your stomach. You can put it in a juice and drink it down or a tea.
References:
https://healthwholeness.com/nutrition/22-benefits-cayenne-pepper/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/cayenne-pepper-benefits/