Herbs to Boost the Circulation - Part 2

In part 1 of this article, we looked at what the circulatory system was, in part 2 we look at how we can give our circulatory systems a boost in winter and all year round. Eating a healthy diet, ditching junk food, stopping smoking and taking regular exercise will all have a marked impact on our circulatory health. We can also add herbs that have a vasodilatory action to our diets, or use them to make rubs and salves to use externally.

Vasodilator herbs help to expand blood vessels and lower blood pressure, herbs with anticoagulant properties are also useful as are herbs with external stimulant properties and those with rubefacient properties. A rubefacient helps to increase the circulation to the skin by dilating the skin's capillaries; the action reddens the skin, dilates the vessels, and increases blood supply locally. Below are 4 of my favourite herbs to use to help boost circulation.

Cayenne Pepper – This herb ticks the rubefacient box, it makes an ideal addition to massage oils and salves to rub on to the skin to help bring encourage better circulation, it can also help with pain as a side effect of chilblains and for arthritis and aching joints, the benefit comes from the capsaicin that the herb contains which help to stimulate blood flow and can be beneficial for reducing clotting. Do not use on broken skin and make sure you don’t get any cayenne pepper or its derivative products in to the eyes.

Adding cayenne pepper to your everyday diet can also help to stimulate the heart, it can also have a positive effect on regulating blood flow and in strengthening blood vessels, add the powder to meals or take in capsule form or as a tincture, it’s worth noting that cayenne pepper is rather pungent so may cause a burning sensation especially if you don’t like spicy food. Capsaicin is a natural rubefacient, a compound that upon topical application produces a reddening off the skin which causes dilation in the skin capillaries which increases blood circulation.

Garlic – Has anti-coagulant, vasodilator, rubefacient and stimulant properties, it is also classed as a cardiovascular tonic and may help to dilate the blood vessels, garlic can also have a warming effect on the skin when used externally. Garlic contains many useful volatile oils including allinin, which converts from allicin which is a sulphur rich organic compound found in garlic that is currently undergoing studies for its potential anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties, it is also one of nature’s richest sources of potassium which can help the body to control blood pressure and ensure that blood flows freely around the circulatory system.

Garlic also contains iron, calcium, magnesium which has vasodilating properties which helps the body to improve the circulation of the blood, manganese, zinc, and selenium it also contains vitamin C which is a natural blood thinner that can help the body to reduce high blood pressure. A paper published in 1993 following a clinical study at the University of Saarland in Germany demonstrated that taking 800mg (0.8 grams) of garlic powder, which is the equivalent of eating half a garlic clove every day for a month, helped to increase the micro-circulation in the veins, capillaries and arteries beneath the skin by an amazing 47.6%.

Ginger – Like garlic, ginger ticks all the boxes we’ve mentioned required for circulatory health it contains an oleoresin known as gingerol which is being studied for its ability to reduce pain and inflammation in suffers of rheumatoid arthritis. Internally eating ginger can help to boost circulation and gives a warming feeling to the skin. Used externally is muscle rubs and hand creams ginger can relax the capillaries in the skin which helps to bring a feeling of warmth so rubbing a massage oil containing ginger can help to warm the hands and feet.

In 2004 a study led by Dr Ann Walker at Reading University where she worked as a senior lecturer, was held to discover whether ginger root had the potential to increase the body’s metabolic rate and also improve circulation in the hands and feet. The study concluded that taking about 1000mg (1 gram) of dried ginger per day can improve the circulation of blood to the hands and feet by expanding the blood vessels and warming the tissues.

Ginkgo Biloba – Is mostly famed for its ability to help improve the memory, it does this by increasing the circulation of blood to the brain, because gingko is a rather useful all-round circulation booster. Ginkgo has been used by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for over 5,000 years. In western herbal medicine it has been used to treat memory loss in the elderly and to increase and improve the circulation in patients who suffer from hardening of the arteries.

German herbalists prescribe the use of gingko to treat varicose veins, gingko contains an extract known as tebonin which has been shown to be helpful in bringing relief to people who suffer from unsightly and painful varicose veins. Gingko can help to improve the flow of blood through the blood vessels and it can also help to strengthen them, it also improves the flow of blood to the heart which helps to lessen the demand for oxygen which can help in cases of asthma and where shortness of breath is suffered. Sufferers of Raynaud’s Disease have also found gingko to be of benefit, it helps to dilate the blood vessels which helps to relieve pain and restore he normal colour to the skin, and it has also been shown to alleviate painful leg cramps caused by narrowing of the arteries in the legs.

Warning: The capsaicin in cayenne pepper may increase the risk of bleeding associated with certain blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin, compounds in ginkgo, ginger, and garlic can also have the same effect.

Winter Warming Unguent

An unguent sounds terribly old fashioned, it was in fact the name that was given to preparations that we call salves today. I wanted to give this recipe a sense of the past, imagining that my great, great grand-mother would have applied something like this to warm her cold and aching muscles. Externally when an unguent is applied that is full of oils with rubefacient properties it has a warming, and stimulating effect on the skin, this can also help to alleviate pain in the extremities are painful due to cold aches and pains.

Ingredients:

10 Drops Juniper Essential Oil
10 Drops Clove Bud Essential Oil
10 Drops Ginger Essential Oil
10 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil
10 Drops Black Pepper Essential Oil
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
15 Drops Capsicum Tincture
30 Drops Gingko Biloba Tincture
30 Drops Cinnamon Tincture
120ml Sweet Almond Oil
15g Beeswax

Method: First put all the essential oils and the tinctures into a small glass container so you can quickly poor them in when required. Next heat the sweet almond oil and the beeswax in a double- boiler (or a glass bowl sitting over a pan of water) over low heat. Stir until the beeswax has melted.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the essential oils and tinctures, making sure everything is evenly combined and then pour the unguent into a clean amber glass jar and allow to cool. Label, date and store in the fridge. Rub a little of the unguent on to the hands, feet, knees that have been chilled and need to be warmed up.

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to source the most up to date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that remedies in our articles are effective, when in doubt, consult your GP or a qualified Medicinal Herbalist. Remember also that herbal remedies can be dangerous under certain circumstances therefore you should always seek medical advice before self-treating with a homemade remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding or suffer from any known illness which could be adversely affected by self-treatment.

Herbs To Boost the Circulation - Part 1

The winter is a time when many of us suffer from problems derived from poor circulation, our extremities feel the cold when the temperatures plummet, but if you suffer from poor circulation the effects can be much worse for the legs, feet, toes, hands and fingers. The increasingly sedentary lifestyles and junk food diets which contribute to nutrient deficiencies and a lack of fibre that many of now have also have an effect on our circulation. To explain it plainly, the body’s circulatory system is comprised of the blood and the lymphatic system – a complex series of lymphatic vessels whose purpose is to carry a clear watery fluid called lymph to the heart. The entire system has over 20,000km of blood vessels that are comprised of major arteries, the veins and the capillaries. When working as nature intended, the circulatory system carries oxygen and essential nutrients to all the cells in our bodies and helps to remove waste products and carbon dioxide. When the blood is being freely circulated around the body without restriction then all is well, but if there is a circulatory problem, a fatty substance known has plaque can build up along the walls of the arteries consequently narrowing them and restricting the free flow of blood around the body.

When this occurs hypertension is a result, hypertension is caused by the build-up of plaque deposits along the walls of the arteries, this occurs commonly in the elderly and middle aged, making them harden and narrow. This hardening and narrowing constricts the flow of blood and this in turn puts extra pressure on to the walls of the blood vessels which makes the blood pressure rise. Eventually the blood vessels become less elastic and cannot function in the way they should, they cannot give you sudden ‘blood spurts’ energy rushes that allow you to get additional energy to do simple everyday things like walk upstairs, everything becomes harder to do and causes fatigue.

The hardening and narrowing of the vessels can also cause a condition known as hardening of the arteries and is caused by the fatty plaque deposits that narrow the arteries. If you have hardened arteries and also smoke you run the risk of developing Buerger’s disease, a disease which affects the legs and arms, particularly the hands and feet. Sufferers get chronic inflammation of the veins and arteries in the lower extremities, the inflammation occurs in sections of the blood vessels and is known as vasculitis, recent research has concluded that Buerger's disease may actually be an autoimmune condition which is triggered when nicotine is taken in to the body.

Another disease of the circulatory system is known as Raynaud’s disease, sufferer’s exhibit a marked constriction and also spasming of the blood vessels in their extremities, as the vessels spasm they block the free flow of blood around the body he condition occurs because your blood vessels go into a temporary spasm which blocks the flow of blood. As the spasming occurs and the vessel is blocked the section of the blood vessel that is blocked exhibits a colour change, it first goes white, then blue and then goes back to red once the spasming has stopped and the vessel returns to normal and blood begins to freely flow again.

Raynaud’s disease can also be brought on by cold temperatures and also by anxiety or stress, studies have found that women suffering from Raynaud’s disease had low levels of vitamin C and the mineral selenium in their diet, ensuring that got a plentiful supply of both nutrients in their diet improved the condition, adding magnesium, vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids to the diet has also proved beneficial.

The elderly, pregnant women and those people who are overweight can also suffer from varicose veins, these develop when the small valves inside the veins stop working as they should. When the veins are not healthy due to restrictions or damage blood is prevented from flowing freely through a series of tiny valves that open and close to let blood through, when this happens the blood gets stuck and eventually the vein becomes swollen and enlarged, the medical term for this is varicose.

In part 2 of this article we will take a look at 4 herbs that can be utilised to help boost the circulatory system and give a recipe for winter warming unguent that can help.

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to source the most up to date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that remedies in our articles are effective, when in doubt, consult your GP or a qualified Medicinal Herbalist. Remember also that herbal remedies can be dangerous under certain circumstances therefore you should always seek medical advice before self-treating with a homemade remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding or suffer from any known illness which could be adversely affected by self-treatment.

Anti-Stress Sweetmeats

Each year many of us look forward to the festive season, but as it fast approaches, for many it can often feel less like the way it is portrayed to be as the season of gift giving that culminates in idyllic family get-togethers, and more like a huge stress festival.

There is too much to do and too little time to do it in, as we frantically run around trying to find the best gift for Great Aunt Maud, whilst sorting out the food shopping, festive menu and so, so much more!

To help Course Director Zoi Maraki is sharing her recipe for a stress busting seasonal treat that can be made quickly to help ease the stresses of the season. Keep in mind as this recipe contains nuts it is not suitable for making if you have a nut allergy.

Dry Ingredients 1 Scoop Ashwagandha Powder 1 Scoop Siberian Ginseng Powder 1 Scoop Astragalus powder 1 Scoop Slippery Elm Powder 2-3 Scoops Organic Ground Almonds Wet Ingredients 1 Tablespoon Tahini 1 Tablespoon Chocolate Almond Butter 1 Teaspoon Manuka Honey 1 Cup Organic Maple Syrup

Method

Mix the dry ingredients and then add the rest of the wet ingredients. Roll the dough into small balls. Coat the balls with desiccated coconut. Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

N.B. A scoop in the recipe is approx 20g

Devil’s Claw and Back Pain

The fierce and scary-looking hooked spines of the seeds of Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) have evolved to catch onto the fur (or skin!) of animals to aid their distribution. In more ways than one this is a very tough plant indeed. It grows mainly in the Kalahari Desert and hasn’t been successfully cultivated elsewhere. It has very attractive red flowers and deep tuberous roots and makes best use of intermittent and unpredictable rainfall. As the demand for the tubers for medicine has increased worldwide, sustainable harvesting is now practiced in its native habitat, with only the tubers on one side of the plant being harvested per season. In Europe, since the early 1960s, interest in Devil’s claw’s medicinal potential have led to a growing number of clinical studies, mainly in Germany, whose results show evidence of health benefits. In fact, Devil's claw is one of the best-researched of herbal medicines.

Devils Claw

Its mode of action has been largely elucidated, and its efficacy and excellent safety profile have been demonstrated in several clinical investigations. Indeed, some studies have shown that Devil’s claw compares favourably with modern drugs for arthritis.

 Although some study designs have been weak, there are clinical studies that demonstrate an improvement or amelioration in pain, range of movement and creaky joints. But it is as a remedy for back pain for which this plant is best known. Not only is the herb anti-inflammatory within the joint, but it can reduce muscle tension. Large muscles along the spine act ‘in sympathy’ when arthritic pain occurs between the vertebrae.

 Studies (e.g. PMID: 11810324) have used a simple pressure probe to give objective evidence that Devil’s claw acts to relax the musculature around spinal inflammation. This muscle spasm often accounts for a lot of the pain of back ache. You can find out about suitable products of Devils’ Claw and learn more about the Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) scheme to ensure the quality of herbal products on the British Herbal Medicine Association website.

PMID = PubMed identifier

Ann Walker PhD FCPP MNIMH RNutr, Herbal Practitioner and Nutritionist,
Course Director, Discovering Herbal Medicine course

Bilberry and the Microcirculation

Bilberries: Photo © Jenny R

Bilberries have a long history as a food and medicine. They contain dark red pigments called anthocyanins which laboratory research shows help to maintain the integrity and hence the health of the microcirculation. Many people will not have even heard the term ‘microcirculation’ but its status determines the health of all our major organs and our limbs, not to mention our brain.

 The term refers to the circulation of the blood in the smallest of blood vessels, which includes the arterioles, capillaries, and venules. If these vessels are fragile and leaky then the entire circulatory system is at risk because fluid escapes into local tissues causing swelling and inflammation. A healthy microcirculation is important for preventing or managing many major diseases, including diabetes, various types of dementia and cardiovascular disease, to name just a few, and research interest is very active in all these areas.

From Bilberry’s traditional use for diarrhoea and haemorrhoids to its use to enhance night vision among air pilots during the World War II, the herb has long been considered a valuable therapeutic ally by those interested in natural medicine. Bilberries are not the only source of anthocyanins by any means, as these compounds are present in many dark red fruits, but it is a concentrated source. Although the traditional use of Bilberry for treating night vision and other diseases has been ‘pooh poohed’ (PMID: 35847049) on the basis that clinical trials are too small or not well designed, the biological feasibility of bilberries being effective therapy for conditions associated with failure of the microcirculation, remains.

We all need to protect our microcirculation for a long and healthy life. Through its effects on the microcirculation, Bilberry is of potential value in the treatment or prevention of many diseases of modern society. It joins the ranks of other foods that can support the microcirculation such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, cocoa, beetroot, green leafy vegetables, herbs, spices and green tea.

PMID = PubMed identifier

Ann Walker PhD FCPP MNIMH RNutr, Herbal Practitioner and Nutritionist,
Course Director, Discovering Herbal Medicine course

Gifts of Chocolate & Flowers – With a Herbal Twist!

Photo & Article © Debs Cook

At some points in our gift giving endeavours we can hit a brick wall deciding what to get for Aunt Carol or cousin Lucy and we resort to flowers, potted plants or chocolates, the poor men folk get a worse deal receiving socks or aftershave. It doesn’t have to be that way, with a little careful planning, and a little time sourcing some ingredients you can make a selection of fabulously fragrant goodies for bath and body to give as gifts!

All the fragrant goodies in the photo above which includes a sugar scrub, lip balm, some bath melts and bath fizzers will appeal to chocoholics and floral bath pampering addicts alike and they can all be made in just 1 day! These homemade gifts contain no chemical nasties, they can be tailored to favourite flavours and preferred perfumes of the recipients and you can make gifting goodies for the ladies on your gift list AND the men folk as well.

The bonus is as gifts go, these items can be made any time of year for giving for birthday presents, a thank you gesture, to say get well soon, or for occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The Bath fizzers can also be made in small petit four cases and packaged in organza bags, then given as wedding favours to female guests, they can be coloured and fragranced to echo wedding décor and they make a very personal gift. I'm sharing 2 of the recipes below and maybe with some gentle encouragement I will share more!

Remember when you give your gifts to include a list of ingredients either on the product or in a little booklet that you can give with your gift. If you know that a recipient has an allergy, then don’t make items using things they need to avoid e.g. nut allergy, avoid nut based oils and use sunflower or grapeseed oil instead.

Chocolate Peppermint Lip Balm

This lip balm is really wonderful, make sure that you only use food grade essential oils to make sure they are safe for using in beauty items that may potentially be consumed. The hemp seed oil and cocoa butter are both very moisturising and contain antioxidants, they will help sooth dry cracked lips caused by winter winds.

Makes 10 x 30ml Jars

100ml Hempseed Oil
60g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% Cocoa Solids – I used 85%)
30g Organic Unrefined Cocoa Butter
30g Beeswax 1
6 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Method: Place all ingredients with the exception of the peppermint oil in to a heatproof glass bowl over a pan of water that comes about 2” below the base of the bowl. Stir slowly until all the ingredients are melted and the resulting mixture is smooth and dark glossy chocolate brown. Pour the mix in to a heatproof glass jug - you can skip this stage but it’s easier to pour in to the pots from a jug. Add the drops of peppermint oil and stir with a metal spoon to combine everything together, then pour in to your jar or tins.

To Use – Use a lip brush or the tip of your finger to apply a little of the lip balm to the lips. N.B. Because this lip balm contains real chocolate it may stain clothes if it gets on them, it will also give the lips a slight chocolatey look if too much is applied.

Lavender & Geranium Bath Melts

These bath melts are so fragrant and you can make them in a variety of fragrances see the suggestions below. The main ingredient in these fragrant and moisturising bath melts is cocoa butter which has several benefits to help keep your skin healthy it contains several fatty acids including oleic, palmitic and stearic acids which have antioxidant properties that can help to reduce the signs of ageing, cocoa butter can also help to reduce inflammation on the skin and soothe skin conditions such as eczema.

Makes 18 – 36 melts depending on the size of case you use.

200g Unrefined Cocoa Butter – You can use refined but the smell is better from unrefined.
100g Sweet Almond Oil
100 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
50 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
18 – 36 Pink Rose Buds for decoration
2g Beetroot Powder – Which will act as a natural colouring to give a pink colour to your melts. 

You will also need: -

Foiled Petit Four Cases or Cupcake Cases
Large Heatproof Mixing Bowl Large Pan – Big enough for the bowl to sit in and be supported by the pan rim
Wooden Spoon
Heatproof Measuring Jug

Method: These melts are very easy to make, place enough water in your pan to come 2” below the base of the heatproof glass bowl you’ll be using to make the melts, put the bowl on the pan and turn on the heat, it will take a few minutes to start to get warm.

Whilst you’re waiting for the water to heat up take about 1 teaspoon of your almond oil and place it in a cup, add the beetroot powder and stir to make your colouring. Once the water is at a steady simmer put the cocoa butter, the rest of the sweet almond oil and the colouring in to the pan and stir gently until the cocoa butter has melted and everything is thoroughly mixed.

Cocoa butter melts at around 93–101°F (34–38°C), turn off the heat and using oven gloves lift the bowl off the top of the pan. Then add your drops of essential oil, build up the layers a little at a time, remembering the important rule that you can add it, but you can’t take it away. Once you have the fragrance you like then pour the contents into a heatproof jug, you can skip this stage but I find it easier to pour the liquid into the little moulds than trying to spoon it in.

Leave the melts to set overnight, if you’re in a hurry as soon as the mix is cool, you can pop them in the freezer to harden. Note that these melts will melt at temperatures over 75°F (24°C) so don’t leave them near a radiator or in sunlight etc where the temperature can raise above this.

To Use: If you’re making mini melts then add 2-3 to the bath, simply pop into the bath just under where the hot water is running in to the bath. If you make cupcake sized melts then add 1 melt to the water. Bear in mind that when you’ve finished bathing the bath will be slippery from the cocoa butter and oil so be careful when you stand and in getting out of the bath. It should also be noted that some natural and artificial colour pigments may stain the bath, but the staining should be temporary and should clean off easily.