Herbal Supplement Guide

There is nothing more medically important to you than keeping your heart healthy. Most of us give our heart a hard time. We eat too much of the wrong foods and allow gunk to build up on the walls of the blood vessels (like plaque on your teeth), restricting the flow and making our aging heart work harder and harder. It's bad enough getting plaque off your teeth, which are accessible to cleaning; it's well nigh impossible to clean it off the insides of you arteries (although I believe they are working on it.)

The last thing you want to happen is to get to the stage where they start pumping statins, and alpha blockers and beta blockers into you. The statins will lower your cholesterol – the bad and the good ; they will also lower your coenzyme Q10 and L-Carnitine, both essential for a healthy heart (of course you can replace them by adding them to your medication – ever seen a cat chasing its tail?); the alpha blockers will block the hormones which raise your heart beat under stress; the beta blockers will block the heart's response to adrenaline which would normally increase its rate…. probably lead to arrhythmia in an unhealthy heart - all of which will keep you alive a little longer. You might be a little Zombie-like, but you'll be alive.

So, please don't let that happen. Get your blood pressure and your Body Mass Index (BMI) checked out. The fact you are reading this suggests that you will probably at least be advised to lose weight and to eat more vegies and other stuff you don't want to eat and less of the stuff you enjoy, and to exercise more. I'm all for the exercise - as much of it as you can fit into your day. Eating is one of our main pleasures in life and the culinary part of this site is about making healthy food interesting and tasty. (You might like to browse what I have to say about that at your leisure).

But not all of us can live the perfect life all the time and I really believe that additional steps to avert the build up of arterial plaque is worthwhile and there are many herbs that help. The following herbs for a healthy heart constitute the ingredients of the supplements listed opposite.

Red Yeast Rice, an ancient Chinese remedy, has been shown to compare favourably with prescription drugs in lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff). Gugulipid has also been shown, in trials, to lower blood cholesterol by 14-27% and triglycerides by 22-30% while maintaining a healthy LDL/HDL ratio.

Rooibus is an effective anti-oxidant, can help to control blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and enhance immune functioning. Buchu is a diuretic and anti-inflammatory. Dandelion is also a diuretic and full of minerals. Olive oil is also a good source of antioxidants and does not have the same cholesterol-raising effect of saturated fats. OPCs, oligomeric procyanidins, are one of nature's best antioxidants and have an ability to strengthen weak blood vessels and protect against atherosclerosis (that gunk buildup) and are to be found in Grape Seed Oil.

Panax Ginseng will help the body withstand stress and boost immune functioning. Hawthorn works by dilating blood vessels to permit greater blood flow. Motherwort also known to lower blood pressure; recent studies have also demonstrated the significant effect that Ginkgo Biloba has on the cardiovascular system, relaxing blood vessels, acting as a circulatory stimulant and anti-inflammatory and is used in Asia to provide cardiovascular support and relieve angina; Dong Quai, another herb popular in Asia, contains magnesium, iron and niacin can be used to reduce stress.

Garlic of course, is of renowned benefit to older people and has been shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Passion Flower can relieve anxiety and nervousness and Guelder Rose is known to relax the cardiovascular system.

Other heart friendly herbs included in the supplements listed are Ginger, Chinese Salvia Root and Polygala Tenuifoliais.