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Are Hawthorn and Garlic good for your heart?
Hawthorn is well-known as a heart tonic due to its blood lipid-lowering, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and vascular endothelial protective qualities. The benefits of Hawthorn for the heart are enhanced further when paired with Garlic, which also helps the cardiovascular system, due to its anti-oxidant actions, cholesterol-lowering properties, and blood pressure-reducing abilities.
How can Hawthorn help your heart?
Hawthorn berries and flowers are used medicinally and considered a tonic herb by herbalists, and a specific remedy for cardiovascular disease. It is the herb most associated with a healthy heart and research shows us why this is the case. Let's have a look:
1. It helps blood flow more efficiently
Hawthorn dilates the coronary arteries (the arteries that take oxygen and other nutrients to the heart), so that blood can be carried to the heart more effectively. These are the arteries that get furred up in heart disease –the wider they are, the easier it is for blood to get along to the heart. It is thought that the flavonoids Hawthorn contains are responsible for this vasodilatory (dilating the blood vessels) effect, which is particularly useful for people with angina. (1)
2. It has a sedative effect
Stress is a contributing factor in the development of heart disease, so herbs that have a sedative action will be of benefit for this reason. Hawthorn berries have a gently sedative action on the central nervous system and has been used for a long time by herbalists for those with nervous conditions. (2)
Hawthorn berries sedative effect also increases the heart tone, improving the force of contraction whilst reducing the rate of contraction. In other words, your heart will beat more strongly so it won't have to beat as often –your pulse rate will fall, which is good, and the increased strength of your heartbeat will ensure that blood flows more powerfully around the body, which improves your general circulation. (3)
3. It stabilises capillaries
Hawthorn's flavonoids help to stabilise capillaries – those tiny blood vessels that reach into the furthest-flung areas of your body. This is also good for your general circulation and your blood pressure. (4)
4. It lowers blood pressure
Procyanidins, which are one of the flavonoids that Hawthorn berries, leaves and flowers contain, strengthen and stabilise blood vessel walls, protecting them from damage. Procyanidins also inhibit an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme, which makes blood vessels constrict (and thus pushes up blood pressure). This inhibition brings your blood pressure down. (5)
5. It's shown to have serum lipid-lowering abilities
High serum lipid levels indicate that you have high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and fats called triglycerides, or both. High levels of these substances increase your risk for developing heart disease. So, taking Hawthorn can be of great help in managing these levels. (6)
6. It has antioxidant properties
This is due to its polyphenol content. Antioxidants help neutralise unstable molecules called free radicals that can harm your body when they are present at high levels. Heart disease risk is lowered in those with high antioxidant diets. (7)
7. It has anti-inflammatory properties
Inflammation is at the root of many chronic illnesses, heart disease being one. Promising animal and in-vitro research points to Hawthorn being helpful in reducing inflammation.
A study done on mice with liver disease showed that Hawthorn berry extract decreased inflammatory compounds, which in turn reduced liver inflammation. (8)
How can Garlic help your heart?
Garlic has a range of positive effects on the cardiovascular system including:
1. It reduces serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels
It does this while raising levels of helpful high density lipoproteins (HDL).
Results of a randomised clinical control trial showed that Garlic significantly reduced total cholesterol count when supplemented alongside lemon juice. (9)
2. It inhibits Platelet Aggregating Factor
Platelet Aggregating Factor helps blood clump together. After a cut, this helpfully stops us bleeding. But unnecessary high levels of Platelet Aggregating Factor put us at risk of experiencing blood clots and coronary artery disease.
Studies show that Garlic has the ability to inhibit Platelet Aggregating Factor. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 60 voluntary subjects with increased platelet aggregation, daily ingestion of 800 mg of powdered Garlic in tablet form, over 4 weeks, led to a significant inhibition of increased ratio of circulating platelet aggregates and of spontaneous platelet aggregation. (10)
3. It's an antioxidant
The antioxidant properties of Garlic help prevent the peroxidation of fats (another contributing factor for atherosclerosis – clogged up arteries). Lipid peroxidation is a process where free radicals "steal" electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, as a chain reaction of oxidative degradation of fats. It's this process is a contributing factor for atherosclerosis. (11)
4. It lowers blood pressure
High blood pressure is a leading risk factor in developing heart disease. A 2016 clinical trial proved Garlic's blood pressure-reducing abilities. Participants with hypertension who were given aged Garlic extract showed significantly reduced blood pressure and haemodynamic measures compared to the control group. (12)
How to take Hawthorn and Garlic
Hawthorn and Garlic can be taken combined in a capsule; 1 capsule, twice daily.
Alternatively, they are also available in tablet or drop (tincture) formulations, both combined and separately, and Hawthorn is also available as a tea. Always read the manufacturer's guidelines before use and remember it's important to stick within the dosage guidelines for any herbal supplement.
Safety
At high doses, garlic could irritate the intestinal mucosa, causing tummy upset. However in a human trial with daily doses of garlic over 3 months did not cause any adverse effects. (13)
You should never attempt to self-diagnose or self-medicate for heart conditions, but should seek the advice of your doctor in order to get a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. There are steps that you can take to improve your heart health generally and reduce the likelihood of heart disease; however, these steps do not constitute an alternative to proper medical care in a diagnosed case of heart disease.
If you are taking a remedy for your heart health and are already receiving medical attention for this, you should inform your doctor of what you are taking so they can adjust treatments if necessary.
If you experience swelling of the legs, pain in the heart region, the arms, upper abdomen or around the next, or if your breathing becomes laboured or distressed, you must seek medical assistance urgently.
