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.
