10 Herbs For The Heart

There is an herb that is helpful for almost any health condition, but all herbs don't treat all complaints. That principle is also true for heart herbs. Used for the right indication, these ten herbs can be extraordinarily useful, but used in the wrong circumstances, they can even make heart disease worse.

1. Garlic.

Garlic is both a food and an herb. Eaten in its natural state (chewing is essential to release some of his active chemicals) or taken as a tablet or a capsule, garlic can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, although not as much as statin drugs, and also lower blood pressure, although not quite as much as many medications.

So what's not to love about this pungent addition to healthy diet? If you are on Coumadin (warfarin), Plavix, or Brilinta, it is possible that the blood thinning properties of garlic might be too much. This isn't likely to be something you notice until the first time you cut youself. Some heart patients who take anticoagulants and eat a lot of garlic report that minor cuts cause bleeding that creates what looks like a crime scene.

2. Hawthorn.

Just about anyone who has had a heart attack and who has a friend who is "into" herbs will be told to take hawthorn, and the fact is that there are many times that hawthorn is just right for the heart. Hawthorn helps the heart beat slower and stronger. It helps the heart adapt to low-oxygen conditions without generating the inflammation that damages heart cells. 

But there are people who shouldn't take hawthorn. If you have a basically healthy heart but severely athersclerotic arteries, hawthorn can cause high blood pressure. In fact, there are people who have had their first heart attack after they started using hawthorn on a regular basis. If you have congestive heart failure, you accumulate fluid in your ankles, or you easily get out of breath when you walk, hawthorn may be helpful. But monitor your blood pressure carefully when you take the herb.

3. Ginkgo.

Millions of people take gingko leaf extract (which is not the same thing as the raw herb, used in teas, or the ginkgo nut, eaten as a food) for age-related mental decline. The usefulness of ginkgolide extract made by German herb product giant Schwabe Arzneimittel has been shown in over 2,000 studies. Some people experiencing "brain fog" after coronary bypass operations and other heart procedures take ginkgo to improve their memories and stay alert.

Some people who have had heart surgery should be careful with ginkgo, however. There are only a few isolated case reports of bleeding in people who use the herb, but if you take Coumadin (warfarin) or any other anticoagulant, and most people who have had stent placement or bypass surgery do for at least a few months, then you should avoid ginkgo.

See Also: Herbs to Boost and Build a Healthy Immune System

4. Echinacea

Echinacea is one of Europe's and North America's most popular immune stimulant herbs. Taken during colds and flu season, especially at the beginning of an upper respiratory infection, its anti-inflammatory action can help speed recovery. But people who take niacin or fibrates for lowering cholesterol should avoid it, because of the effects of the combination of the drugs and herb on the liver.

More Heart Herbs to Use with Caution

5. St. John's wort.

Cardiovascular disease is depressing, and antidepressants, including the herbal antidepressant St. John's wort, don't always work in every situation. St. John's wort taken in the right dosage, however, the right dosage being capsules standardized to deliver 900 mg of hypericin per day, is about as effect as any pharmaceutical treatment. You should not use St. John's wort if you have taken any antidepressant medication in the SSRI or MAO-I class (ask your pharmacist if you are not sure) in the last six weeks, because of the remote possibility of triggering a condition called serotonin syndrome. And you should not take St. John's wort if your doctor has prescribed a statin drug for cholesterol, since the herb interferes with the way the liver responds to the cholesterol drug.

6. Green tea capsules.

A cup or two of green tea a day won't do your body any harm, although small amounts of green tea won't do your body any good, either. Larger amounts of the catechins through which green tea exerts its healing effects are only available from green tea capsules, with or without caffeine. Most people who have heart disease benefit from green tea, but if you are on the anticoagulant drug warfarin, also known as Coumadin, you should not take green tea supplements because they are high in vitamin K. Other blood thinning medications work through a different process and are safe with green tea.

7. Ginseng.

One of the oldest (and most expensive) Chinese herbal remedies, ginseng has been used for thousands of years to build up stamina and to prevent infections, especially during winter. Used in the right dosage, it can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Overdosing ginseng, however, can cause sharp spikes in blood pressure. If you take the herb, check your blood pressure every day and discontinue if your blood pressure goes up.

8. Grapefruit juice.

Grapefruit juice is loaded with vitamin C and with plant chemicals that strengthen the linings of veins and arteries. It also is loaded with quercetin, a plant antioxidant that interferes with the action of an enzyme made by the liver that breaks down statin drugs. Drinking grapefruit juice on a regular basis when you are on a statin drug or the heart medication amiodarone can cause the drugs to build up in your system so that they cause stronger side effects.

9. Hong hua (safflower, the bloom, not the oil).

The Chinese herb hong hua, also known as Flos Carthamus, is a standard ingredient in many over the counter Chinese herbal combination remedies. If you don't know whether a product contains this herb, ask the seller. But if you take the high blood pressure medication metoprolol, avoid the herb, since it prevents the liver from making the enzyme that breaks it down. Excessively low blood pressure may result when the herb and the medication are mixed.

See Also: 10 Super Powerful Herbs And Spices Your Body Needs To Boost Immune System

10. Aloe vera juice.

Aloe vera gel, applied to the skin, does not pose any particular danger to heart patients. Aloe vera juice, drunk as a beverage or health drink, can lower potassium levels and endanger heart function, especially in people who do not eat enough fresh vegetables in their daily diets, or who do not take a magnesium supplement.