Rainer W. Bussmann and Douglas Sharon
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 Typical heart conditions, including heart Pain involved 68 applications (2.7%), for which 44 species (8.6%) were used. Blood pressure issues were rather insignificant, with high Blood pressure treated in 8 applications (0.32%; 7 species, 1.4%), and low Blood pressure in 3 applications (0.12%; 3 species, 0.6%). Interestingly, Erodium cicutarium was used to treat both conditions. Most treatments of the circulatory system involved the purification of the Blood in order to improve the general conditon of the patient. Sixty-eight applications (2. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
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 And Norvasc and similar drugs do have an important role in some heart conditions. But ALLHAT suggested that not all blood pressure medicines are created equal.
As much as we value thiazide diuretics in general, and chlorthalidone in particular, these are not perfect blood pressure-lowering drugs. Although they are inexpensive and effective, they can cause several serious side effects. One potential complication of diuretic treatment is elevation of blood sugar levels, which can lead to an increased risk of diabetes. |
Eric R. Braverman
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 Kevin was a fifty-five-year-old man with a history of heart conditions. He had already experienced his first heart attack and wanted to make sure that he did not have another one. At six feet two inches and 172 pounds, Kevin was underweight, and he was not in good health. When Kevin came to see me, his cholesterol was at 234. To control it he was taking Cardizem, which, combined with his physical condition, left him feeling sluggish all the time. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
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 People with heart conditions and those taking antihypertensive
Traditional Preparation drugs should consult their doctors prior to using this plant to monitor these possible effects (as medications may need adjustment).
Drug Interactions None clinically documented in humans; however, the use of this plant may potentiate antidiabetic, anticoagulant, and antihypertensive drugs (based on animal studies). |
| Those with heart conditions should seek the advice and supervision of a health practitioner to determine if nettle is suitable for their condition and to monitor its effects.
Nettle has been documented to have diuretic effects. Chronic use of this plant may be contraindicated in various medical conditions where diuretics are not advised. Chronic long-term use of any diuretic can cause electrolyte and mineral imbalances. Consult your doctor if you choose to use this plant chronically for longer than thirty days concerning possible side effects of long-term diuretic use. |
| In Jamaica, Haiti, and the West Indies, the fruit and/or fruit juice is used for fevers, parasites, and diarrhea; the bark or leaf is used as an antispasmodic, sedative, and nervine for heart conditions, coughs, flu, difficult childbirth, asthma, hypertension, and parasites.
Today, in the United States and Europe, graviola is sold as a popular adjunctive natural therapy for cancer. This use has stemmed from published research on graviola and its naturally occurring chemicals possessing anticancerous actions, rather than its established traditional uses in South America. |
Joseph E. Mario
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 No Lava Java brand coffee extract has most harmful acids and oils removed that etch and stain the teeth, change acid/alkaline balance, cause ulcers, circulation problems, digestive upsets, heart conditions, high blood pressure, and lymph blockage.
•COLDS As many as 300 contagious rhinoviruses thrive in cool temperatures of 86A to 95 AF., spread two days in advance to trigger nasal production of kinins that cause blood vessels to dilate, allowing plasma leaks, stimulating pain in nerve endings, glandular secretions, sinus and throat inflammations, headaches, fever and muscle pain. |
Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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 We've already discussed how coenzyme Q10 affects health, and we'll be looking at the role of D-ribose in the next chapter. For now, let's consider how L-carnitine works to enhance cardiac metabolism and fight cardiovascular disease.
THE WHAT, WHERE, AND WHY OF L-CARNITINE
Like coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine belongs to a group of vitamin-like nutrients. They are similar to vitamins in that they are not only obtained from the diet through food sources, but are also made in the body. Since coenzyme Q10 and carnitine synthesis may diminish with age, relative deficiencies may develop over time. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
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| In Belize, a tea brewed from the aerial parts of the plant is taken for nervousness, heart conditions, stomachache, dyspepsia, neuralgia, cough, colds, fever, flu, and liver complaints. There the mashed leaves are also used in a poultice for boils and infected sores, and the leaf juice is taken internally for intestinal parasites.
PLANT CHEMICALS
The biological activity of the chemicals found in gervao help explain the traditional uses of the plant for liver problems and respiratory complaints. |
Sharol Tilgner, N.D.
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 Mental picture and specific indications:
Hawthorne is indicated for irritable, nervous heart conditions, heart conditions related to an emotional heartache or spiritual heartache from a disconnection with the spirit, in conjunction with weak or slow digestion. It helps open the heart to forgiveness of others or forgiveness of life events that may be keeping a person from healing. It is specific for all heart-related ailments. This herb is a source of nutrition and support for the heart. Symptoms are worse in a warm room and better in fresh air with quiet and rest. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 It is also valuable in treating heart conditions. Their robust, almost meaty flavor and crisp texture make them versatile enough for salads as well as for cooked dishes. The seeds germinate easily and mature within ten days. Just like the gigantic sunflower plant that follows the sun's progression from east to west, the sprouts require plenty of sunlight to sprout. They also require lots of water. The black oil sprouting variety has the best germination rate and the hulls fall off naturally.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is one of the most highly nutritious foods on the planet and is easy to grow. |
Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND
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 In addition, the French and Swiss herbal pharmacopoeia indicate that it is useful in the management of mild heart conditions.3 It is thought to be particularly useful in individuals that are weak or exhausted whether from overwork, illness or age.4 A number of references mention its use in conditions of hysteria and convulsions. |
| Hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata (Pois) DC, Crataegus monogyna (Jacq)
THUMBNAIL SKETCH
Common Uses
ž Congestive Heart Failure (mild)
ž Hypertension (mild)
Active Constituents
ž Triterpene Glycosides
ž Oligomeric Procyanidins
Adverse Effects
ž Nausea, Dizziness, Headache (rare)
Cautions/Contraindications
ž Pregnancy and Lactation
Drug Interactions
ž heart conditions Medications
Doses
ž Standardized Extract (2.2.% flavonoids or 18.75% oligomeric procyanides): 900 mg daily
<- Dried Fruit: 0.3-1.0 g taken as an infusion
ž Liquid Extract (1:1 in 25% alcohol): 0.5-1. |
Patricia Bragg and Paul C. Bragg
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 In some heart conditions even a small amount can be dangerous! The action of the heart muscle is governed by the balance of natural, organic sodium and calcium salts in the blood. Salt tends to disturb this vital action, increasing the heartbeat and causing high blood pressure which affects millions!
Statistics show the Japanese have the highest blood pressure problems. What causes high blood pressure? Medical science recognizes many causes: salt, stress, toxic substances such as smoking and insecticide sprays, the side effects of drugs, food additives and toxic pollutants. |
Berkeley Holistic Health Center and Shepherd Bliss
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| It also uses radiation to treat cancer (radiation causes cancer), digitalis for heart conditions (digitalis creates heart conditions), and ritalin for hyperactive children (ritalin is an amphetamine-like drug which normally causes hyperactivity). It is, however, important to note that homeopaths very rarely utilize any of the above treatments.
Aconite (Monkshood)
—acts similarly to Arnica which means that it is good for shock. However, it is good for people who are very anxious and fearful after their injury (Arnica's shock has more confusion and dullness). |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 Extracts from the perennial herb motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) are recommended for the treatment of nervous heart conditions. The 1986 Commission E monograph recommends an average daily dose of 4.5 g of the crude drug. The cut and dried aerial parts of motherwort occur as ingredients in "cardiovascular teas" (from Kneipp and other manufacturers), and motherwort extract is an ingredient of several combination products (e.g., Crataezyma, Oxacant).
Mixtures of herbal cardiotonics and volatile oils containing 3-12 ingredients are available for local external application. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 The key Ayurvedic herb for heart conditions is Terminalia arju-na and this can also be of value in the treatment of angina.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (dan shen) is a Chinese herb which has been clinically studied for angina and other heart conditions. Its benefits include cardioprotective, vasodilator and antiplatelet activities.
Antiplatelet herbs such as Coleus forskohlii, Allium sativum (garlic), Zingiber (ginger) and Curcuma longa (turmeric) may have value even if the patient is taking aspirin, because of their differing mechanisms. (They do not appear to decrease prostacyclin production. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
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 In modern Chinese medicine, an intravenous infusion (1 ml equivalent to 4g raw material) is used in the treatment of toxic shock and anaphylactic shock as well as for weak heart conditions and cardiac exhaustion [6].
Making the tea: Same as for Aurantii pericarpium (q.v).
Tea preparations: In F^urope, immature orange fruit is used in a few herbal tea formulas. It is also a component of some teas dispensed by practitioners of TCM.
Phytomedicines: Immature orange fruit is used in various combination products (bath additives, skin care oils) primarily for external use. |
| This data has been adopted from traditional medicine wherein motherwort herb has been used for nervous heart conditions (perhaps based on the Doctrine of Signatures due to the shape of the leaf), for bronchial asthma, for menopausal conditions, amenorrhea and as a sedative. The drug is mentioned quite often in the Russian materia med-ica [6] (e.g. in the Pharmacopoeia of the former Soviet Union, Ph.USSR X).
Making the tea: Pour hot water over 4.5 g of dried herb (= about 4 teaspoonfuls), which is the daily dosage. Steep for 10 min and then pass through a tea strainer. 1 teaspoon = about 1.0 g. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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 Given this care and treatment, most adults will recover from an attack of bronchitis fairly quickly and without complications, but the very elderly or frail, babies and young children, and people with heart conditions or a history of lung infections are at much greater risk.
CHRONIC BRONCHITIS
A condition associated with prolonged exposure to nonspecific bronchial irritants and accompanied by mucus hypersecretion and certain structural changes in the bronchi. (The Merck Manual)
Chronic bronchitis is a long-term condition unaccompanied by fever. |
Tanya Harter Pierce
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 People with high blood pressure or other heart conditions should be sure they are under the supervision of a physician while using cesium.
Case Stories
Case Story #1 ?Lung Cancer Metastasized to Bones and Liver
In April 2003, at the age of 82, Olga was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. She had such a large tumor in her lung that it could be easily felt from the outside around her ribs. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation. But these treatments were ineffective, and by June 2003, Olga's doctors proclaimed that her cancer had spread to every bone in her body and to her liver. |
Berkeley Holistic Health Center and Shepherd Bliss
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| It also uses radiation to treat cancer (radiation causes cancer), digitalis for heart conditions (digitalis creates heart conditions), and ritalin for hyperactive children (ritalin is an amphetamine-like drug which normally causes hyperactivity). It is, however, important to note that homeopaths very rarely utilize any of the above treatments.
Aconite (Monkshood)
—acts similarly to Arnica which means that it is good for shock. However, it is good for people who are very anxious and fearful after their injury (Arnica's shock has more confusion and dullness). |
Kathi Keville
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 This is really not surprising, since German researchers have been studying it for more than 25 years, and their government approves its use to treat mild heart conditions.
European doctors often prescribe hawthorn as a tonic at the earliest warnings of heart or circulation problems, yet most North American doctors are unfamiliar with it. This is too bad, since hawthorn provides some of the same benefits as digitalis—without the harmful, accumulative side effects, such as an increased risk of irregular heartbeat and toxicity—and can often be used for mild heart conditions. |
Gary Null
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| Angina, palpitations, and other heart conditions, as well as menstrual disorders including PMS, have all been treated with this herb.
Mugwort. This has often been recommended by herbalists for vaginal yeast infections and skin infections.
Muira puama. This one is used as an aphrodisiac.
Raspberry Leaf. As an astringent, raspberry leaf is useful in a wide range of cases, including diarrhea, leucorrhoea, and other loose conditions, often a result of the difficulty in proper food digestion associated with aging. |
| Historically, we were told you could not help heart conditions with nutrition and complementary treatments. We were told we need balloon angioplasty, coronary bypass operations, beta-blockers, calcium blockers, and all kinds of drugs. A lot of what we now know is based upon the work of Dr. Dean Ornish, whose findings were published in peer-reviewed mainstream medical journals. He has also written several popular books.
Dr. Ornish worked with a group that had advanced degeneration of the heart, capillaries, and other vessels; in other words, they had atherosclerosis and arterial sclerosis. |
Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson
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 William Withering's 'An account of foxglove and some of its medical uses' (1785) introduces foxglove as a remedy for dropsy and oedema, later additionally used for heart conditions, especially congestive heart failure. This is largely due to an inhibitory effect on Na+/K+-ATPase. Today, pure compounds (including semisynthetic derivatives of digitalis glycosides, rather than standardized extracts) are used. The glycosides digoxin (the most widely used in the UK), digitoxin and lanato-side C all have monographs in the Eur. Ph. |
Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.
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 For serious heart conditions, it may be best to use concentrated dried decoction extracts and syrups, which contain more of the beneficial pigment compounds. The darker the syrup, the better. TCM herbalists use the fruit to help patients digest fats and other heavy foods. Because the species are not identical, it is best to use the Western variety (C. oxycantha and C. laevigata) to treat heart problems and the Chinese variety (C. pinnatifida) to treat digestion-related disorders. It is very common in China to see children eating candy-coated hawthorn fruit on a stick. |
| Research Highlights
• German physicians combine hawthorn with digitalis in cases of rapid heartbeat with and without atrial fibrillation and report it can also be used for heart conditions for which digitalis is not yet indicated (Blesken, 1992).
• Studies have shown hawthorn to be sufficiently strong to benefit patients with NYHA (New York Heart Association) stage II cardiac insufficiency (Weikl et al, 1996) as well as patients in stage I and stage II congestive heart failure (Ammon et al., 1981).
• Chinese researchers have also reported a beneficial effect on angina symptoms (Weng etal. |
| Kudzu root may be mildly beneficial for treating heart conditions. Patients with angina and hypertension often report that they feel much better after using this herb for a period of time, confirming traditional Ayurvedic reports that it acts as a general tonic for health and long life. For the heart, it can be taken as a tea on a daily basis.
If you eat kudzu before you drink alcohol in excess, you will be overcome by hangover nausea almost immediately due to a chemical reaction involving a component called ac-etaldehyde. This will of course discourage alcohol use for a very long time. |
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