When In Heart Trouble, Keep Off These Herbs

A good million of Americans across the world are on herbal remedies that can help them keep a check on their high cholesterol or even their depression. While they might consider these herbs safe, since they’re all natural, this may be far from the truth. The combination of herbs and the other allopathic medications that you’re already on could be deadly and even fatal sometimes.

Read on to learn about the natural foods that should be avoided when you’re having a heart problem to deal with.

Garlic:

This belongs to the onion family and can be found commercially in the form of a pill, extract or oil.

Uses:
To lower the LDL or the bad cholesterol in a person’s system. It is also used as a blood thinner or as a mode of combating atherosclerosis.

Risks:
The ability to be a blood thinning element will increase the risks of people who are on anti-clotting drugs.

Gingko:

This is the extract from the leaves of a plant called the gingko plant or also known as maidenhair tree. It is generally sold in capsule form or can be used as tea.

Uses:
It is mainly used to improve memory in the case of people with Alzheimer’s or to prevent dementia; but is also known to better circulatory patterns of a person’s system.

Risks:
It could interfere with the usage of certain drugs that are meant to de-clot the arteries.

Echinacea:

This is the root of the Echinacea plant, which is available in dried form or the extracted form and is known to be sold as either a tea, juice or a capsule.

Uses:
It is used to prevent the common cold or flu-like symptoms and is said to boost the immune system.

Risks:
It is said to increase the risks related to liver damage and this gets associated with the usage of drugs that help in lowering a person’s cholesterol level.

St. John’s Wort:

This is a yellow flowering plant which is known as Hypercium Perforatum. It is known to be sold in the capsule, liquid extract and tea form.

Uses:
It is primarily used in the treatment of anxiety and depression. It could also be utilized to treat certain types of sleep disorders.

Risks:
It is said to affect the body’s capability to absorb the number of prescription medications and may be detrimental to the efficacy of certain drugs which are known to treat heart rhythm disorders and high blood pressure.

Certain other herbs like ginger, alfalfa, fenugreek, bilberry and others are known to hinder the job of medicines like warfarin which are known for their blood thinning abilities. It would be recommended that they’re not consumed when any sort of heart health medication is being consumed.