Herbal Health Information on High Blood Pressure

When the blood pressure is measured there are two figures which are read, the “top” figure or Systolic pressure gives us an indication of the force with which the heart is beating and the “lower” reading or Diastolic pressure is an indication of the resistance the blood encounters when being distributed around the body.

The accepted norm is 120/80 going up to 140/90 with age. Over this and the blood pressure is thought to be too high, which may result in heart disease or stroke.

Blood circulation is a clever system in the body, resulting in everything the cells need to function, being carried to them via the blood.

HEART ->MAJOR ARTERIES ->MINOR ARTERIES ->CAPILLARIES ->MINOR VEINS ->MAJOR VEINS ->BACK TO THE HEART.

The heart is a pump which pushes the blood through this system. All the blood vessels have elasticity built in to their walls so that they can take the pressure of the blood being pushed through them without bursting. As we get older some of this elasticity is lost from the vessels and they may also have been furred up with fatty deposits. This results in an increased resistance to the blood being pumped out of the heart and a raise in blood pressure.

The other causes of high blood pressure may be poor kidney function resulting in fluid retention, increased stickiness of the blood (high cholesterol) and stress.

Diet is very important to adjust for people with high blood pressure.

Top of the list to throw into the dungeon is caffeine. Cut out all caffeine containing foods:-

Coffee

Tea

Chocolate

Cola drinks

Boost drinks

Many alco pops contain caffeine.

Caffeine has a constricting effect on capillaries and increases the heart rate, having a twofold, effect to raise blood pressure.

The other dungeon foods are;-

Chocolate

Cheese

Red wine.

These can produce Tyramine in the body which can cause constriction of the capillaries and an increased resistance to the blood being pumped out of the heart.

Actually if you look up Tyramine on Wikipedia, many food substances contain it, but these are the most frequently ingested ones.

Then there is the never ending salt debate.

Some research says it does raise blood pressure and some says it doesn’t. BUT in countries where salt intake is restricted, an increase in blood pressure with age is not seen.

The other major adjustment to the diet is to reduce the amount of animal fat in your diet and make sure you are getting a good supply of the essential fats (Omega oils), present in fatty fish such as salmon, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, margarines and pulses.

Exercise is an absolute must. I will not go into how as you can find your own exercise preference but the why is that it will help break down excess fat, as well as improve circulation generally.

There are many combinations of Herbs which are suitable for reducing raised blood pressure so I am going to give you an example of a typical formula I would make up in my clinic for someone presenting with high blood pressure.

YARROW:- is a wonder herb that has many actions in the body, but the one I  use it  here for, is its ability to open up capillaries, allowing the blood to flow out of the heart easily.

LIME FLOWER: – this also opens capillaries and cleans out fatty deposits from arteries. See Pevensey video.

DANDELION ROOT is a diuretic, improving kidney function. It is high in potassium which can be leached out of the body by diuretics. CLEVER HUH?

MILK THISTLE: – this is liver cleansing and supporting. There is evidence that some high blood pressure conditions are caused by poor Liver function.

VALERIAN: – to make sure everything is calm and relaxed, as tension and stress will zap the blood pressure up.

HAWTHORN:-the best herb for supporting and normalising all areas of circulation, including the Heart.

I would not recommend you self medicate if you have high blood pressure but go to see a qualified Medical Herbalist if you are interested in trying complementary medicine.

You can find my clinic details by clicking here or on the “CLINIC” tab at the top of the page

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal HealthInformation

Herbal Health Information on Poor Circulation

Strictly, the circulation means arteries, veins and capillaries, but this article is about poor circulation due to arterial and capillary health, as the veins are covered in the Varicose Vein article.

Diet plays the most important factor in trying to improve arterial health and therefore circulation.

The good old fashioned “sensible” diet is definitely the one to go for.

Eat complex carbohydrates, such as fruit and veg and wholegrain cereals.

Lean meat

Skimmed milk

Oily Fish

Polyunsaturated oils and Olive oil

Lots of Garlic and Onions

AND WATER.

An example of a day’s menu could be:-

BREAKFAST;- muesli or fruit or wholegrain cereals/ semi-skimmed milk/ fruit juice

LUNCH:- tinned  tuna   and salad or Baked potato with low fat Cole slaw or baked beans or a sandwich made with wholemeal bread and a sunflower or olive oil margarine.

Fruit

DINNER: – lean cooked meat of any sort. Remember lamb and pork have more fat throughout the body of the meat so the fat is harder to cut off when preparing it for cooking.

Any vegetables, any fruits you like, aiming for your 5 portions a day

Try to get out of the habit of having pudding.

Drink plenty of water during the day and no more than three cups of tea or coffee, preferably decaff.

You know I am now going to say EXERCISE!

No you do not have to be Mr or Mrs Super fit of the year but you do need to be exercising regularly.

20 minutes of walking a day or swimming twice a week or a dance class or whatever takes your fancy within your capabilities.  If you are less mobile then ask for some help from your Doctor who should be able to get you on to an exercise programme suitable for your ability. Many hospitals run exercise classes specifically to improve heart and circulation health.

HERBAL MEDICINE

The herbs commonly used to improve circulation are

  • Garlic:- this lowers cholesterol in the blood preventing a build up of cholesterol and also helps clear fat accumulating in blood vessels
  • Hawthorn:- as I have said in the description of hawthorn previously it is  a positive heart restorative and  is a cholesterol and mineral solvent
  • Lime Flower:-amongst all the other wonderful things it can do Lime flower has anti coagulant properties thus helping the blood to stay fluid in the arteries and not giving the cholesterol a chance to stick to the walls. It is also known to help dissolve fatty plaques in the arteries. It makes a delicious tea which has no caffeine and is very low in tannin.
  • Ginger: – used as a warming herb in both western and traditional Chinese medicine because it improves blood flow through the capillaries, which are the small little blood vessels, through which oxygen and nutrient exchange takes place to the body cells. It is easy to make a Ginger tea by grating a half a teaspoon of fresh ginger in to a cup and pouring boiling water on to it. Leave it to stand for 5 minutes, strain and drink.

So that is some good advice to try and keep your circulation in good shape. It isn’t too difficult to do and I have very often had feedback from patients who have had to make life style changes to say they have found it hard to make the change, but had got used to their new regimes quickly and now would not change back.

If you need more help do come and visit me in my clinic. You can find the clinic details by clicking here or on the “clinic” tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Chilblains

This is all about temperature regulation and maintaining a good circulation in the hands and feet.

I am keen to write about this as I remember my mother suffering horribly from chilblains and almost crying in pain. We arrived from India in the early fifties and she seemed to just carry on wearing the same clothes, although she insisted on me and my sister wearing Liberty bodices which were the itchiest undergarments ever. She did wear a coat in winter but I remember she carried on wearing her Chappals (Indian open toed sandals). Also we did not have central heating in those days it was one open fire in the living room. So when she came home she would warm her toes in front of the fire and it is these extremes of temperature which causes spasm of the capillaries (surface blood vessels) and inflammation of the skin, with accompanying pain and itching.

I know this sounds obvious but warm clothing, good socks, shoes and gloves will prevent the hands and feet getting too cold. Also avoid heating hands and feet up too quickly if they do get very cold, let them warm up slowly. This avoids the temperature extremes.

The rest is all about keeping the circulation in good condition

Diet plays an important factor in trying to improve arterial health and therefore circulation.

The good old fashioned “sensible” diet is definitely the one to go for.

Eat complex carbohydrates, such as fruit and veg and wholegrain cereals.

Lean meat

Skimmed milk

Oily Fish

Polyunsaturated oils and Olive oil

Lots of Garlic and Onions

AND WATER.

An example of a day’s menu could be:-

BREAKFAST;- muesli or fruit or wholegrain cereals/ semi-skimmed milk/ fruit juice

LUNCH:- tinned  tuna  and salad or Baked potato with low fat Cole slaw or baked beans or a sandwich made with wholemeal bread and a sunflower or olive oil margarine.

Fruit

DINNER: – lean cooked meat of any sort. Remember lamb and pork have more fat throughout the body of the meat so the fat is harder to cut off when preparing it for cooking.

Any vegetables, any fruits you like, aiming for your 5 portions a day

Try to get out of the habit of having pudding.

Drink plenty of water during the day and no more than three cups of tea or coffee, preferably decaff. Caffeine causes constriction of blood vessels so reduces blood flow.

You know I am now going to say EXERCISE!

No you do not have to be Mr or Mrs Super fit of the year but you do need to be exercising regularly.

20 minutes of walking a day or swimming twice a week or a dance class or whatever takes your fancy within your capabilities.  If you are less mobile then ask for some help from your Doctor who should be able to get you on to an exercise programme suitable for your ability. Many hospitals run exercise classes specifically to improve heart and circulation health.

HERBAL MEDICINE

The herbs commonly used to improve circulation are

  • Garlic:- this lowers cholesterol in the blood preventing a build up of cholesterol and also helps clear fat accumulating in blood vessels
  • Hawthorn:- is  a positive heart restorative and  is a cholesterol and mineral solvent
  • Lime Flower:-amongst all the other wonderful things it can do Lime flower has anti coagulant properties thus helping the blood to stay fluid in the arteries and not giving the cholesterol a chance to stick to the walls. It is also known to help dissolve fatty plaques in the arteries. It makes a delicious tea which has no caffeine and is very low in tannin.
  • Ginger: – used as a warming herb in both western and traditional Chinese medicine because it improves blood flow through the capillaries, which are the small little blood vessels, through which oxygen and nutrient exchange takes place to the body cells. It is easy to make a Ginger tea by grating a half a teaspoon of fresh ginger in to a cup and pouring boiling water on to it. Leave it to stand for 5 minutes, strain and drink.
  • Chilli: – don’t try and take this as a tincture or capsules!!! a little chilli in your food once or twice a week will set the blood buzzing and is very warming.

So that is some good advice to try and keep your circulation in good shape. It isn’t too difficult to do and I have very often had feedback from patients who have had to make life style changes to say they have found it hard to make the change, but had got used to their new regimes quickly and now would not change back.

If you need more help do come and visit me in my clinic. You can find the clinic details by clicking here or on the “clinic” tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Treatment of Poor Circulation

Poor circulation may be due to a number of reasons, including, varicose veins, arterio-sclerosis, anaemia, sluggish metabolism and heart disease.

It is easily treated with herbal medicine as there are many herbs which not only improve blood flow to the peripheries (hands and feet) but also support the heart and major blood vessels.

It is always a good idea with circulatory problems to go to your doctor to check there is no major heart condition. I have twice had people come to visit me in clinic for circulation problems, listened to their hearts and then sent them to the doctor for a check up. They both had heart murmurs which were checked thoroughly and deemed not to be a problem, so I treated their circulation making sure I supported the heart. In both cases the heart murmur cleared up and their circulation improved.

Diet plays the most important factor in trying to improve arterial health and therefore circulation.

The good old fashioned “sensible” diet is definitely the one to go for.

Complex carbohydrates, such as fruit and veg and wholegrain cereals.

Lean meat including some red meat to ensure a good iron intake and eliminate a possibility of anaemia.

Skimmed milk

Oily Fish

Polyunsaturated oils and Olive oil

Lots of Garlic and Onions

AND WATER.

An example of a day’s menu could be:-

BREAKFAST;- muesli or fruit or wholegrain cereals/ semi-skimmed milk/ fruit juice

(Dried fruits contain a high amount of iron.)

LUNCH:- tinned  tuna   and salad or Baked potato with low fat Cole slaw or baked beans or a sandwich made with wholemeal bread and a sunflower or olive oil margarine.

Fruit

DINNER: – lean cooked meat of any sort. Remember lamb and pork have more fat throughout the body of the meat so the fat is harder to cut off when preparing it for cooking. Red meat at least twice a week. Eggs at least twice a week for iron content.

Any vegetables you like and as much as you like.

Try to get out of the habit of having pudding.

Drink plenty of water during the day and no more than three cups of tea or coffee, preferably decaff.

You know I am now going to say EXERCISE!

No you do not have to be Mr or Mrs Super fit of the year but you do need to be exercising regularly.

20 minutes of walking a day or swimming twice a week or a dance class or whatever takes your fancy within your capabilities.  If you are less mobile then ask for some help from your Doctor who should be able to get you on to an exercise programme suitable for your ability. Many hospitals run exercise classes specifically to improve heart and circulation health.

So that is some good advice to try and keep your arteries and circulation in good shape. It isn’t too difficult to do and I have very often had feedback from patients who have had to make life style changes to say they have found it hard to make the change, but had got used to their new regimes quickly and now would not change back.

The herbs commonly used to improve arterial health are

  • Garlic:- this lowers cholesterol in the blood preventing a build up of cholesterol and also helps clear fat accumulating in blood vessels
  • Hawthorn:- as I have said in the description of hawthorn previously it is  a positive heart restorative and  is a cholesterol and mineral solvent
  • Lime Flower:-amongst all the other wonderful things it can do Lime flower has anti coagulant properties thus helping the blood to stay fluid in the arteries and not giving the cholesterol a chance to stick to the walls. It is also known to help dissolve fatty plaques in the arteries. It makes a delicious tea which has no caffeine and is very low in tannin.
  • Ginger: – is a specific for improving circulation to the peripheries (outlying areas). It makes a nice tea if you grate a little fresh ginger into some boiling water and leave it to stand for about 5 minutes. Strain it and drink twice a day.

There are also little obvious bits of advice such as wear a hat and gloves in winter, if your hands and feet do get very cold don’t warm them against a fire as this may lead to you getting chilblains. Don’t be proud, wear bed socks if you need to. You will find you sleep better at night if you are warm.

If you need more help do come and visit me in my clinic. You can find the clinic details  by clicking here or on the “clinic” tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health on Haemorrhoids

These are the butt of all jokes if you’ll excuse the pun, but they really are not a laughing matter if you suffer from them.

Varicose veins around the anus, cause discomfort and itching. They can be internal and quite mild, protrude, bleed and return to the rectum after defecation, or remain outside the anus at all times. Bleeding from a haemorrhoid is always bright red so if you suspect you have blood in the faeces but it is a darker colour, then there is something else going on. Providing there is no other underlying cause such as pregnancy the most common cause of haemorrhoids is constipation.

If you have haemorrhoids due to a current pregnancy then I’m sorry but you can’t use Herbal Medicine at the moment as the herbs that tone up the Veins may also have a tonic effect on the uterus which may stimulate it and are therefore best to avoid during pregnancy.

Unlike the Arteries, Veins do not have elastic walls, so if they go saggy they cannot pull themselves together again. It is the surrounding muscles that the Veins pass through that provide support for them and also supply a muscle pump to keep the blood moving through them. They have valves internally which normally prevent the back flow of blood, but the valves can get damaged, causing blood to collect in the vein, when they protrude, go shiny and itch.

Doing pelvic floor exercises is a good way of toning the muscles supporting the veins, indirectly toning the veins up by improving blood flow through them.

PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISE

This is the same exercise we were told to do just after we had babies when everything below the belly button feels battered, bruised and sagging. So you look at the physiotherapist, who is usually a 20 something pretty girl with a figure to die for and think “do be serious.” But they are trained in doling out torture in the guise of exercise which, of course, magically transforms all the droopy bits and ensures you don’t suffer a prolapse in older age. If you are male or have not had babies this is going to be interesting for you.

  • Lie flat on the floor on your back. (If you can’t there is a variation coming up)
  • Feet slightly apart, Knees bent upwards
  • Gently lift your bottom slightly off the floor
  • Squeeze the muscles in your pelvic floor as if you are trying to stop yourself wee-ing
  • Count 5 slowly
  • Relax down slowly
  • Do this another 5 times and repeat the exercise at least three times in the day.

If you cannot lie on the floor then another effective way of toning up the pelvic floor muscles is to do the exercise when you are sitting on the toilet. Just pull the whole lot up as if you are desperately trying to stop yourself wee-ing, count 5 slowly and relax. You can do that every time you go to the toilet, or sitting in the car.

DIET

It is important that you eat a diet high in fibre, to avoid constipation. But make sure it is a good mixed diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables as well as cereals. Cereal bran can be irritating to some peoples gut linings so it is advisable to get fibre from all sources not just high fibre cereals.

HERBS

These concentrate on toning the Veins both internally and externally.

Internally, a tincture containing liver stimulating herbs, to ensure bowel movements are easy, as well as Vein toning herbs.

For the liver the bitter herbs such as dandelion, burdock and blue flag root are effective in treating piles.

Vein toning herbs are Yarrow, Hawthorn and Horsechestnut. Yarrow can be seen in the Beachy Head herb walk video.

A typical mix may contain:-

Hawthorn which is an excellent circulation supporting herb and can be seen in the West Rise herb walk video.

Horsechestnut (small amounts) is the herb of choice for varicose veins. It is anti inflammatory, astringent (toning) and protects blood vessels.

Blue flag root I would choose this for its laxative effect as well as having anti inflammatory and astringent properties

Marshmallow root is a protectant to coat the rectum with mucilage and stop it getting inflamed. Marshmallow can be seen in the Cuckmere herb walk video.

Externally a cream containing Horsechestnut and pilewort would tone the Veins up and soothe the inflamed skin.

Pilewort is a pretty little yellow spring flower, lesser celandine, which you will have seen growing in woodlands.

It is the root of the plant that is used and I love the fact that our predecessors must have used it for piles and named it accordingly!

I have had good success treating haemorrhoids so if you would like to see me in clinic please click here or on the clinic tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information.

Herbal Health Information for Atherosclerosis or Hardened Arteries

Before I write anything about this, I’m going to say PLEASE don’t try to self medicate on this one. This needs proper diagnosis and possibly orthodox treatment.

This is for your interest only and if you would like to try herbs to clear fatty arteries then consult a qualified Medical Herbalist. The dietary and exercise advise is relevant to keeping your body in good health at any time.

Atherosclerosis describes the hardening process which takes place due to fatty and mineral deposits attaching themselves to the walls of the arteries.

Diet plays the most important factor in trying to improve arterial health and therefore circulation.

The good old fashioned “sensible” diet is definitely the one to go for.

Complex carbohydrates, such as fruit and veg and wholegrain cereals.

Lean meat

Oily Fish

Polyunsaturated oils and Olive oil

Lots of Garlic and Onions

AND WATER.

An example of a day’s menu could be:-

BREAKFAST;- muesli or fruit or wholegrain cereals/ semi-skimmed milk/ fruit juice

LUNCH:-  tinned  tuna   and salad or Baked potato with low fat Cole slaw or sandwich made with wholemeal bread and a sunflower or olive oil margarine. Fruit

DINNER: – lean cooked meat of any sort. Remember lamb and pork tend to have a bit more fat. Any vegetables you like and as much as you like. Try to get out of the habit of having pudding.

Drink plenty of water during the day and no more than three cups of tea or coffee, preferably decaff.

You know I am now going to say EXERCISE!

No you do not have to be Mr or Mrs Super fit of the year but you do need to be exercising regularly.

20 minutes of walking a day or swimming twice a week or a dance class or whatever takes your fancy within your capabilities.  If you are less mobile then ask for some help from your Doctor who should be able to get you on to an exercise programme suitable for your ability. Many hospitals run exercise classes specifically to improve heart and circulation health.

The herbs commonly used to improve arterial health are

  • Garlic:- this lowers cholesterol in the blood preventing a build up of cholesterol and also helps clear fat accumulating in blood vessels
  • Hawthorn:- as I have said in the description of hawthorn it is  a positive heart restorative and  is a cholesterol and mineral solvent
  • Lime Flower:-amongst all the other wonderful things it can do Lime flower has anti coagulant properties thus helping the blood to stay fluid in the arteries and not giving the cholesterol a chance to stick to the walls. It is also known to help dissolve fatty plaques in the arteries. It makes a delicious tea which has no caffeine and is very low in tannin.

So that is some good advice to try and keep your arteries in good shape. It isn’t too difficult to do and I have very often had feedback from patients who have had to make life style changes to say they have found it hard to make the change, but had got used to their new regimes, quickly and now would not change back.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

View Clinic Information

Hawthorn, the wonder herb!

Hawthorn/ May Blossom

Latin name:-Craetaegus oxyacanthoides

You will not be surprised to know this is one of nature’s wonder herbs when I tell you it is documented as having been used for its beneficial actions on the heart by the 1st Century Greek Herbalist Dioscorides.

Hawthorn has a long history of use, confirmed safety and clinical evidence to support its cardiovascular benefits. The reason it is a wonder herb is because it improves circulation both to the peripheries of the body (hands and feet) as well improving the circulation to the heart itself, without increasing the heart beat or raising blood pressure.

Hawthorn in flower

The flower, leaf and berries are used in Herbal Medicine, which contain Flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins and amines

I use it as my preferred herb to improve circulation to all parts of the body, because I know I can trust it to have a gentle but effective action on all circulatory problems.

It grows absolutely everywhere in England along the hedgerows, making a wonderful display of mile after mile of beautiful white blossoms in early May. This year the weather over here was abnormally warm in April so the Hawthorn flowered about two weeks early, not living up to its name of May Blossom giving rise to the saying, “ cast not a clout ‘til May is out” meaning don’t take your winter woolies off until the May blossom has finished.

I give a lot of W.I. talks and during these many of the ladies tell me interesting facts they remember from their childhood about different herb usage.

Many of the ladies have told me that they remember going along the hedgerows with their Grandmothers, picking and eating the buds of the Hawthorn flowers which their Grandmothers called Bread and Cheese. Of course in the past April/May was a very bad time for fresh vegetables and Vitamin C levels in the diet would have been very low.

Hawthorn hedge

Picking and eating the buds of the hawthorn was a source of fresh vegetable high in vitamin c and bioflavonoids, which at the same time improved circulation and would have been a true spring tonic.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist

Walk Around West Rise Marsh with video

Hi

My name is Linda Bostock, I qualified as a medical herbalist in 1993 after completing a four year diploma course at the school of Phytotherapy in East Sussex and have been running my clinic of herbal medicine since then, first in Slough and now in Eastbourne.

Over the next few months, I will be filming a number of herbal walks, firstly in the beautiful part of the country I live in, East Sussex, and then wider afield. I would like to invite you to come with me either through my text description or the films that I will be making.

The first herb walk is in an area near where we live in Eastbourne called West Rise marsh, which is a great dog walking place. It is a lake formed from an old gravel pit and like many once abandoned areas is now a mini nature reserve with interesting plant and bird life. The area is now managed by the caretaker of the local primary school who keeps Water Buffalo on the land and I have had interesting times observing the Buffalo, especially the new calf that was born at the end of last year. Throughout the year there are many different water fowls that visit the lake and I have often watched the ungainly landings or takings off of visiting swans. There are always Reed warblers flitting around the reed beds and in the summer Swallows and Swifts swooping around catching insects.

The two plants we are looking at on this herb walk are, Hawthorn and Cramp Bark, but we also stop and look at two other plants, Goosegrass and Water Dropwort.

Cramp Bark

Crampbark

Hawthorn in the hedgerow

Hawthorn

I suppose I am the equivalent of a twitcher, except I like to collect knowledge of medicinal plants I have seen growing in the countryside, on my walks, but I don’t have to hide in a little wooden shed to see them!!!!. It still, after all this time, makes me feel thrilled to see plants I commonly use in my clinic, to treat various medical conditions, growing all around us.

I hope you enjoy these herb walks and if you have any interesting plants growing around you please share them with us on the website and we could all have a chat about them.

Sadly with the loss of so much countryside and pesticide use, our plants are all endangered species, an example of which is red clover. Red clover used to grow in all the fields when I was a child. I remember picking it and sucking the flower (we didn’t worry whether the cows had peed on it!) which was slightly sweet from the nectar it contained. Now I rarely see it, but when I do I get so excited!

So keep your eyes open next time you are walking around and look at the plants growing wild/in gardens/in the countryside. They may well be the origins of medicines you are taking.

If you would like to write to me about anything in this article or about medicinal plants you have seen in your area, please complete the form below.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist

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