-
Crataegus (hawthorn) - as
well as reducing high blood
pressure this herb has a
trophic effect on the heart
This is important because
left ventricular heart failure
is often caused by
prolonged hypertension
-
The main action of Crataegus oxyacantha (Hawthorn leaves
- and berries) is as a trophorestorative to the heart
- Experience has shown that combining the leaves and the
- berries may give better results in ischaemic heart disease
- than either part used separately
-
Hawthorn owes its action to a composite of constituents
which appear to potentiate each other. There are two main
groups of constituents:
(i) Flavonoids such as quercetin, hyperoside, vitexin, and
rutin
(ii) Oligomeric pro-cyanidins (OPC's), which consist of
catechin units.
-
A monograph compiled for the German Federal Ministry of
- Health lists the following actions for Hawthorn
- increases muscle contraction
- increases rate of contraction
- affects conductivity of nerve fibre
- decreases response of tissue to stimuli
- Increases in coronary and myocardial circulation are also
- noted
-
Crataegus oxyacantha
Crataegus improves coronary circulation, improving blood
supply to the myocardium
It improves the activity and nutrition of heart muscle cells and
as such works best used over a long period of time
Crataegus increases peripheral blood flow and decreases
peripheral resistance mainly by vasodilation to muscles
- In hypertensive patients it helps reduce blood pressure
- It has been found to be of benefit in cases of cardiac
- arrhythmia's
- particularly for extrasystoles of various origin
- also for paroxysmal tachycardia and other tachycardia
- attacks
- In all these cases it works particularly well in elderly
- patients with senile hearts, has been called the drug to
- care for the ageing heart
-
Crataegus therefore has the following uses:
Angina pectoris
Arrhythmia's
Hypertension
Ageing heart
Atherosclerosis
Intermittent claudication
- Coleus forskohlii - can have
- a pronounced lowering
- effect on high blood
- pressure
- Only varieties containing
- forskolin should be used
- Coleus also has
- pronounced antiplatelet
- activity, which may be
- desirable in some cases
-
Coleus lowers normal or elevated blood pressure in different
animal species by relaxing arteriolar smooth muscle
Despite a reduction in blood pressure, Coleus increased
cerebral blood flow in rabbits, an effect thought to be due to
vasodilation and increased cardiac output
- Coleus has a positive inotropic action on heart muscle
- (increases the force of contraction)
- Coleus is a potent inhibitor of human platelet aggregation
- Coleus acts by increasing cAMP in the cell, and therefore
- acts synergistically with Crataegus which decreases cAMP
- breakdown through inhibition of phosphodiesterase
-
Valeriana (valerian) -
whether this herb acts as a
peripheral or central
vasodilator or if the activity
is due to a general calming
effect on the nervous
system is not known
- Mexican Valerian is used for its sedative effect and for its
- ability to treat the stress/anxiety component of hypertension
- Valerian is a very safe and gentle herbal nervine
-
Olea europaea (olive leaves) - has been shown to
lower high blood pressure in clinical trials provided
the dose is sufficiently high
Olcuropeoside a component present in olive leaf
extract may be responsible for the vasodilator effect
on the smooth muscle layer of coronary arteries
-
Viburnum opulus (cramp
- bark) - thought to relax
- smooth muscle and has
- been used to augment
- antihypertensive
- prescriptions as a
- vasorelaxant.
-
Achillea millefolium
(yarrow) - is used by some
herbalists to specifically
lower an elevated diastolic
blood pressure
It is considered to be a
specific for thrombotic
conditions associated with
high blood pressure
- Taraxacum officinale
- (dandelion leaves) - has
- diuretic activity and high
- levels of potassium and can
- be useful especially for the
- treatment of elevated
- systolic pressure in the
- elderly.
-
Tilia europa (Lime
Flowers) Being a peripheral
vasodilator, Lime
Flowers can play a role
in lowering blood
pressure
- Viscum Alba (Mistletoe) is a relaxing nervine which acts
- directly on the vagus nerve to reduce heart rate whilst
- strengthening the wall of the peripheral capillaries and so
- helps to reduce blood pressure and ease arteriosclerosis
- Where there is nervous quickening of the heart (nervous
- tachycardia) it may he very helpful
- Headache due to high blood pressure can be relieved by it
-
Salvia miltiorrhiza
Dan Shen is a circulatory tonic, hypotensive, anticoagulant, and sedative.
It is also used for coronary heart disease, the acute stage of arthritis and
restlessness
Dan Shen might dilate the blood vessels
increase portal and liver blood flow
prevent intramicrovascular coagulation and as a result relieve
ischaemia of the tissues, enrich nutrition of cells and accelerate repair
of lesions.
- Turmeric (Curcuma longer)
- Actions include
- Antiinflammatory
- Antiplatelet
- Antioxidant
- Hypolipidemic
- Choleretic
- Antimicrobial
- Carminative
- Depurative
-
Commiphora mukul (guggul)
A well-known Ayurvedic herb for the treatment of arthritis
which has recently come into prominence as an effective
treatment for high blood cholesterol
Guggul as a treatment for obesity and
associated lipid disorders.
Do not give during breast-feeding.
- Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus)
- Stimulates hepatorenal function
- stimulates bile flow from the liver
- reduces blood lipids
- inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis
- protects liver cells against toxins from antioxidative processes
- promotes regeneration of liver cells
- prevents cholestasis
- reduces nausea of various origins.
-
Globe artichoke
Cynara extract in vitro inhibited cholesterol
synthesis, but unlike modern cholesterol drugs (the
HMG-CoA reducatase inhibitors), might not result in
the accumulation of potentially undesirable
intermediate metabolites
- Saponin-containing herbs are believed to sequester
- cholesterol in the digestive tract
- Gymnema is rich in saponins and has been found to
- reduce cholesterol in clinical trials on diabetics
- Saponins from Medicago sativa (alfalfa) have also
- been shown to lower cholesterol
-
Mucilages
Soluble fibre is thought to lower cholesterol by the following
mechanism.
Bacterial flora in the large bowel metabolize soluble fibre to produce
short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)
Some of these SCFA are carried by the portal venous system to the
liver where they influence hepatic metabolism to decrease cholesterol
biosynthesis
- Guar gum
- Ulmus (slippery elm)
- Althaea (marshmallow root)
- Plantago species (psyllium) (seeds or husks)
-
Green tea (Camellia sinensis)
Green tea consumption has been shown to significantly
reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides and increase HDL
Green tea is the unprocessed, dried, young leaves of
Camellia sinensis
Hypocholesterolaemic,
antiatherogenic,
antiplatelet
- Specific Herbs for CCF
- Terminalia arjuna
- Coleus forskolin
- Crataegus oxyacantha
- Astragalus membranaceus
-
Terminalia arjuna
Assists the nutrient supply to the heart
this provides more energy to the heart muscle, so that the
beat is stronger and the number of beats reduced
Reduces total cholesterol and triglycerides and elevates
HDL-cholesterol in rabbits receiving a high cholesterol diet
Diuretic effects have been reported
-
Concluded that Terminalia was
- cardioprotective rather than cardiotonic
- hepatoprotective
- mild diuretic
-
Adverse effects
an Indian doctor reported a patient, who after consuming
Terminalia for about four years, developed acute
myocardial infarction
there was no previous history of any cardiac illness except
one episode of sinus tachycardia.
It was suggested that cases of stable angina be treated
with Terminalia alone with extreme caution
- Astragalus membranaceus
- Astragalus traditionally was used in Chinese Herbal Medicine
- as a tonic for building both vitality and blood
- Astragalus has a cardiotonic effect on isolated hearts and
- cardiac cells
- A cardiotonic effect was also demonstrated in heart failure
- patients
-
Astragalus saponins have a positive inotropic action on
isolated working hearts of rats
A hypotensive action has also been observed, which may be
due to cAMP elevation.
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