Keep Your Heart Healthy With Natural Ingredients
Cardiovascular workouts are important to keeping your heart healthy. But we sometimes need to do a little more than that. Our hearts constantly pump blood throughout our bodies and regulate circulation. The heart also has a major effect on the state of our emotions, as the rhythm of the heart is controlled by the nervous system.
Stress, tension, and negative emotions can have a negative impact on the heart and body. One of the best ways to prevent these problems related to the heart is to keep it healthy and keep the blood flowing cleanly and steadily with some of these natural ingredients:
#1 Cacao
This herb is a natural source of the chemical theobromine. It has been considered for centuries to be an effective heart tonic and even a mild stimulant. Cacao also has epicatechin, which is a flavonol that can improve how the blood vessels function. Of course, if you want to get a lot of cacao from regular sources, you would need to eat a lot of fattening chocolate bars!
#2 Garlic
Many cultures in the past centuries recognized that garlic was very therapeutic. The Egyptians believed that garlic had more than 200 uses in medicine. Some studies indicate that ingesting one clove per day can cut down on bad cholesterol or LDL, and raise good, HDL. Other trials have shown that garlic can help to stabilize blood pressure, slow down blood platelet aggregation and boost circulation.
#3 Hawthorn
Many herbalists cannot say enough positive things about this tonic for the heart and circulatory systems. It is believed that hawthorn can boost your blood supply and oxygen levels. It also has been shown to drop cholesterol levels and deposits of fat in both the aorta and liver.
Hawthorn contains bioflavonoids that have very strong antioxidant properties and can help our bodies to get rid of free radicals. Also, the herb can help your body to better distribute vitamin C, which can result in the strengthening of capillaries. Strong capillaries and dilated blood vessels can help the heart to circulate blood more effectively, which then will deliver oxygen to all systems of the body with more effectiveness.
Many Chinese herbalists recommend this herb for arrhythmia, angina, blood clots, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis. You may not notice major results for a few months, but this herb is very safe to take long-term.
#4 Ginko
This is known as the memory herb, but it also can be very good for fighting circulatory problems involving the brain and heart. Ginko Biloba has been shown in many clinical studies to be effective in dilating blood vessels and increasing the flow of blood in many arteries in the body. Ginko also can stop platelet aggregation, cut down on blood clots, and help to protect the heart and artery walls from damage from free radicals.
#5 Bilberry
Bilberry is most linked to eye health, but it is good for the eyes because it boosts the health of our micro-circulatory system. This involves the tiny capillaries in our eyes and in other organs of the body. Bilberries can help to boost circulation not just in those tiny capillaries, but also to help to boost the strength of the vascular walls.