Arteries are the large blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from your heart to the rest of your body. When those walls become stiff, inflexible, and constricted by cholesterol plaque, you have a condition called atherosclerosis. The Mayo Clinic explains that atherosclerosis is both preventable and treatable. A number of effective herbal treatments can help.
Red Yeast Rice
In "Solve It With Supplements," Dr. Robert Schulman explains that much of the cholesterol-reducing properties of red yeast rice come from a compound called "monacolins." Monacolins slow the liver in its production of cholesterol-generating enzymes. A synthetic form of one of the monacolins found in red rice yeast is sold as a prescription medicine known as Lovastatin, or Mevacor. But red rice yeast also contains a number of sterols, isoflavones, and unsaturated fatty acids that add to its cholesterol-reducing effect.
A study published in the February 1999 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that those participants who were given 2.4g of red rice yeast versus the placebo experienced a 23 percent reduction in bad LDL cholesterol with no changes in good HDL cholesterol. If you're taking a lovastatin drug, talk your doctor about red rice yeast. Take red rice yeast as instructed on the bottle.
Garlic
In "Healing Without Medication," Dr. Robert Rister recommends garlic to help prevent cholesterol accumulation on the arteries. He says that there have been at least 37 placebo-controlled clinical studies that consistently found that taking garlic for one to three months reduced cholesterol by up to 25 percent. And beyond reducing cholesterol, garlic prevents the oxidation of LDL into LDC. Both thicken and inflame the arterial walls. In "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments," herbalism expert Dr. David Kiefer recommends eating one to two cloves of raw garlic a day, as cooking can destroy some of its medicinal properties.
Olive Oil
Dr. Rister also recommends olive oil for cleaning the arteries. He refers to the Lyon Diet Heart Study published in the February 1999 issue of "Circulation," which found that patients eating a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil showed a 76-percent reduction in angina, pulmonary embolism, stroke, and heart attack. The effect on heart health of a diet containing olive oil was so dramatic that the study was stopped prematurely in order to allow all the participants to take olive oil.
Sesame Seed Oil
Sesamin, a compound found in sesame seed oil, prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol into the dangerous, artery-clogging oxycholesterol LDC. But it also activates an enzyme that breaks down LDC. Further, it prevents the formation of arachidonic acid, a fat that inflames the arteries, constricting them tighter. According to Dr. Rister, sesamin can be difficult to find, but consuming 3 tsps. a day of sesame seed oil has the same effect.
References
- The Mayo Clinic: Arteriosclerosis / Atherosclerosis
- "Solve It With Supplements"; Robert A. Schulman, M.D.; 2007
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Cholesterol-Lowering Effects of a Proprietary Chinese Red-Yeast-Rice Dietary Supplement; D. Heber; February 1999
- "Healing Without Medication"; Robert S. Rister; 2003
- "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments"; Editor Dr. Victor Sierpina; 2007
