Herbs for Cardiovascular Health: Hawthorn, Garlic, Motherwort, and More

Heart disease is the number one cause of death globally, and nearly 50% of adults in the US have at least one major cardiovascular risk factor. The good news is you likely have herbs in your kitchen and garden that can help.

Learn the herbal actions that matter most for cardiovascular health as we share top herbs for heart support, from culinary powerhouses like garlic, ginger, rosemary, and cayenne, to longer-term tonics like hawthorn, motherwort, and ginkgo. These herbs work best alongside good daily habits to truly nourish your heart for the long haul.

What's in this episode:

• Why heart health matters 
• The cardiovascular system's connection to blood sugar, stress, inflammation, and the liver
• Herbal actions to know: antispasmodics, cardiotonics, circulatory stimulants, hypotensives, nervines, and vasodilators
• Culinary herbs as cardiovascular medicine: garlic, ginger, rosemary, and cayenne
• Hawthorn: the heart tonic herbalists reach for again and again
• Motherwort for stress-induced hypertension and heart palpitations
• Ginkgo biloba and microcirculation: cold hands, brain fog, and beyond

For the Blueberry Cinnamon Heart Healthy Shrub recipe head here: theherbalistspath.com/blog/herbs-for-heart-health-hawthorn-garlic-motherwort

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Transcript

Welcome & Show Purpose

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Welcome to the Herbalist Path. If you love learning about the power of plant medicine and how to use it in your life, this show is for you. I'm Mel Mutterspa, clinical herbalist, herbal educator, and your host. In each episode, you're going to hear me sharing herbal insights and knowledge from my 25 plus years of working with and learning from the plants. Plus, I'm going to share interviews with some of the most amazing herbalists, educators, farmers, and healers out there, all bringing their herbal wisdom here for you. Really, this show is all about continuing this movement to put an herbalist in every home and a healer in every community. Again. Thank you so much for listening and welcome to the herbalist path. Enjoy the show. Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode here on the Herbalist Path. My name is Mel Mutterspa and I am your host. I'm recovering from a bit of a respiratory infection. So if I sound a little funky, that is why. But I also thought that it would be really fun and important to talk about herbs and how we can use them to support our overall cardiovascular health. At the time of recording this, it is February, which means that it's American Heart Health Month. But the reality is that we need to care for our heart all of the time, every darn month, which is really great when we're talking about herbs because they really do best when used over the long-term duration. So why else would we want to talk about heart and cardiovascular system health? The big thing is that heart disease is the number one cause of death globally. That's going to include things like heart attacks, like stroke, and various other complications that are tied to poor circulation or blood vessel damage and things along those lines. And here in the United States alone, nearly 50% of all adults have at least one major cardiovascular disease risk factor. So that could be something along the lines of high blood pressure or elevated blood sugar, cholesterol, chronic stress, and inflammation. So many folks are running around with these kinds of things happening and they don't even recognize the symptoms until something significantly more serious happens. And that is so unfortunate. And as we talk about this, it's really important to recognize that heart health isn't just out of the heart itself, right? We know that the cardiovascular system and heart are connected to blood sugar regulation, to lipid metabolism, to the liver, to inflammation and oxidative stress, to nervous system balance and stress response. So a lot of times people might be looking for heart support, but they're also dealing with things like fatigue, metabolic issues, significant weight changes, excessive stress, blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, and so on and so forth. So as we go about this, I do want to really recognize that herbs aren't a replacement for proper medical care. When we're dealing with cardiovascular health issues, this is a big deal. And it's also important to incorporate your medical care team along with your herbs and what have you. So understanding that is so important. And of course, it's also all about our daily habits. Well, because these aren't going to do the work on their own. So we need to make sure that we're moving our body regularly, that we're eating nutritious, nourishing, colorful meals, that we're managing our stress, and that we are making sure we're getting adequate and healthy sleep habits into place, right? Because it's not just about the herbs being a magical instant. So now that we know that and recognize how important that is, let's start to talk about how herbs can actually support your cardiovascular health. Again, it's all about daily habits that are going to be able to protect the heart and the blood vessels. We want to think about how we can bring those in on a day-to-day basis. And it doesn't have to be all that challenging in reality. There's that respiratory thing. So, anyways, when I think about using herbs to support the cardiovascular system, again, more often than not, they're going to be herbs that we are using for a long-term duration or simple culinary herbs that we are adding to our foods on a regular basis. We're definitely going to talk about some of our culinary cardiovascular superheroes in this episode. But before we do that, I do want to take a moment and talk about just some of the herbal actions that we might think about when it comes to cardiovascular and heart health. And one of those are anti spasmodics. And these are going to be really important because what they do is they reduce muscle spasms throughout the body. And our heart is a big, beautiful muscle that's also going to ease any kinds of resistance to the blood flow, right? So when our blood flow is constricted, that's unfortunate. What we can do is relax the muscles throughout the cardiovascular system so that the blood can flow through with ease. We also want to think about our cardiotonics. So our cardiotonics are really beneficial for the overall heart and cardiovascular system. They help to strengthen and tone the heart muscle, right? And do all of the good work throughout the entire system. So you're thinking about herbs like motherwort, like Hawthorn, like garlic, like linden, one of my absolute favorite herbs. I also like to think about our circulatory stimulants, as they are going to stimulate circulation throughout the body, oftentimes are going to bring blood and circulation to the periphery. So these are going to be really nice for folks who have cold fingers and hands and toes and things along those lines. It helps to warm the extremities. So those are going to be really nice. Might want to think about warming herbs like ginger, like garlic, cinnamon, cayenne, things like that. We also have our hypertensives, and hypertensive herbs are going to actually help to elevate blood pressure. Not going to dive too deep on that here in today's episode, but this could be an important category to think of if you are working or living or caring for somebody that does have low blood pressure. Licorice root is one of those glycerasa glabra that I think about for these particular situations. Of course, that's not for everybody. And I should have said that disclaimer in the beginning of this episode, but the herbs we're talking about anytime in any of my episodes are not a substitute for proper medical care. Just because I mention them does not mean they are the right herb for you. So it's really important to play that matchmaker game with the herbs and the person and lifestyle habits and so many various factors that come into it. Going beyond there, we also have our hypotensives. And these are going to be the herbs that help to lower elevated blood pressure. A lot of people out there dealing with chronic stress, dealing with that elevated blood pressure. Big, big problem for so many folks out there. So these are going to be the herbs that help to normalize both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. I like to think about herbs in this category: garlic, hawthorn, motherwort, linden, nettles can even be helpful here as well. And they're about to pop up where I'm around. Another category of herbs I like to think about are our nervines, because remember, stress is a very big factor here. So these are going to be beneficial herbs for the heart and cardiovascular system. Thankfully, there's a few herbs that touch on both of those, and we'll talk about them in today's episode as well. But what they really help to do is calm and soothe the nervous system, the mind. They help to ease stress. So those can be extremely important. And our vasodilators. I really love these friends because they are great for allowing blood to flow through the circulatory system. They dilate the blood vessels, open them up, make them nice and wide so that the blood is flowing down a wide open hallway instead of being stuck and constricted everywhere. So let's talk about it a little bit more in depth because I do think it's so important, as I mentioned, to use food as medicine, lifestyle habits. So let's talk about some of our culinary herbs that can be extremely beneficial for the cardiovascular system. And one of my absolute favorites is garlic. It is phenomenal for the entire cardiovascular system. It is very specific for those that are dealing with atherosclerosis and can both prevent and reverse plaque formation on the arteries, which can reduce the risk of potential stroke or heart attack for some folks. It can also help to thin the blood or decrease thickness of the blood, which can be really nice, right? We don't want excessively thick blood. That's also something to be wary of in using excessive amounts of garlic if you're going into surgery or if you're going into labor or post-surgery, post-labor, things like that, because we do need the blood to be able to coagulate. And if it's too thin, it won't. And that can be a problem. So, you know, balancing, making sure that it's at the right level for you is important. We also know that garlic has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, which is those the low density lipids, uh, and triglycerides, and it increases the good cholesterol. Hooray! Winning there for sure. And the constituent in the garlic that is really, really phenomenal for lowering the LDL cholesterol and the development of atherosclerosis is alicin. And alicin is best when used raw. While I love, love, love, love, love garlic and I love to 10x garlic in every recipe that I cook in my home. The reality is you're not as getting getting as much of the medicinal potency from garlic when you're cooking it. So garlic is hot. Raw garlic can make you feel very nauseous. And if you've ever eaten a clove of raw garlic, you know that. And my favorite ways to get garlic into my body where I'm still getting the medicinal compounds of the allison, to still get those medicinal compounds like the allison is to ferment garlic and honey. It becomes like candied garlic. And I know that may not sound delicious, but it really is. Another thing you can do is or garlic, so pickled garlic, anybody, or just grabbing the garlic chunks out of a bottom of a jar of pickles could be really great. Be put it into a crowd of sorts. If you still don't want to just eat the garlic raw, eclectic herb does do freeze-dried garlic upsoles. So you get it in a powdered form where it's still retaining the alicin and all the other medicinal benefits that garlic has. So check out, I will link to it in the show notes of this episode. That could be super duper helpful. Another piece is maybe doing garlic and an apple cider vinegar. That could work for you as well. Crushed garlic and olive oil and bread. Like either way, what I'm saying is garlic is amazing and it is something that is incredibly beneficial for the entire cardiovascular system. Along with ginger, another circulatory stimulant. So it's going to bring the blood to the extremities. It's very, very warming. It's going to bring circulation to all of the organs throughout the body to improve whatever function they may need, whether it's digestive function or really anything, quite frankly. It is really, really nice for people with things like brain odds and having those cold hands and feet all of the time. There is evidence showing that ginger can help with lowering blood pressure, and it's delicious. It's also loaded with antioxidants that help protect the blood vessels from the arterial plaque buildup and ickiness that causes so many cardiovascular health issues. Another one I love, rosemary. Rosemary is another circulatory stimulant. It's a vasodilator. It's really great for increasing the strength of the capillaries, can be very, very helpful for people dealing with spider veins or varicose veins, things along those lines, and just general poor circulation. I love rosemary for so many reasons. I've actually got it in my tea right here, right now. Absolutely delicious and easy to add into your life on a regular day-to-day basis. At least I think that it is. Another cardiovascular superhero powerhouse here is cayenne. And it may be too hot for quite a few of you. You could do cayenne in a honey to reduce the heat if you wanted to do that. But it acts as a fantastic circulatory stimulant, a phenomenal vasodilator. It's loaded with antioxidants. It helps to dilate the arteries and the capillaries, improving blood flow throughout the entire system and reducing blood pressure. We also know that it helps to lower the bad cholesterol and elevate the good cholesterol. I think it's delicious. Some people do not. So if it is not something you find to be delicious, you know, see if you can find it in a capsule form, mix it with a honey to reduce the heat, do whatever you need to do, or choose one of the many other herbs that we've already talked about. So those are just a couple of herbs that you might already have readily available in your kitchen cabinet that can pack a powerful punch when it comes to having a happy, healthy heart and a happy, healthy soul. Speaking of both of those things, healthy, happy heart, and soul, one of my number one go-to herbs when it comes to cardiovascular health is Hawthorne. The leaf, berry, and flower can be used quite a lot in many different ways. It is a very commonly used herb amongst most of us herbalists, as it is generally regarded as safe or grass. It is in the Rose Caer family. It is beautiful. It's got thorns on the tree that are just a sign of its protection and things that it can do. It really helps to strengthen and tone the heart muscle and entire cardiovascular system. And then more on like a nervous system and spiritual level, it helps to open the heart to giving and receiving of love. Great. We could all use more love in this world today. It's also going to be really nice for somebody who may be dealing with a broken heart, who might be grieving the loss of a loved one or something along those lines. I really do love Hawthorne in that department. I like to blend it with rose and with Albizia or the mimosa tree. Just a lovely, lovely combination. I think is a primary thing of one of David Winston's formulas at Herbalist and Alchemist as well. Highly effective, really, really nice blend. This is also going to be a great herb for those of you that might get heart palpitations, particularly when you're very stressed or you're feeling a lot of anxiety. Hawthorne can come in with a little bit of nervous system love and a whole lot of heart and cardiovascular system love. So I absolutely love this plant in so many ways. It is an ally I like to have on board on a regular basis. I'll share a really great recipe in the notes of this show at the Herbalist Path. And I love to combine blueberries, cinnamon, hawthorn, hibiscus. Sometimes I'll throw some other funky stuff in there just for an extra good time. But I make a cordial with that in brandy that is so delicious and delightful. It's like that way of making medicine that tastes great. You don't mind bringing it on board on a regular basis. You could probably do that in a glycerite if you wanted to as well. It's definitely going to be thick and syrupy. I also know that eclectic herb does have a hawthorn berry powder. They actually have one, I think they call it like HBP, and it's hawthorn, parsley, garlic, all of those together. So a really, really nice one for those of you that want to take some extra care and maintenance for the heart and circulatory system. So another herb I love that is very easy to grow in the garden, at least for mine, is motherwort. And she's a really great nerving herb. This is Leonoris cardiacca. And this could be really great specifically for those that have stress-induced hypertension. Maybe you're dealing with chronic anxiety. She does have a direct affinity for the heart and the cardiovascular system, as you may have heard in the Latin name cardiacca. She can be really helpful if you are somebody who deals with heart palpitations, when you've got that really fast racing heartbeat, when you're feeling a lot of tension and stress and tightness in the chest cavity, motherwort can be an incredible ally here. I will say I prefer an alcohol extract of mother wort, so that's a tincture. That's where I see the most fits for the blood pressure lowering and the heart palpitations. So consider that. Also, if you're a woman dealing with hormonal balance imbalances, it's possible that mother wort might be a good flow or good friend for you. Also bring it in if you are grieving, general irritability. Mother Wart has a lot of love for you. And then another one that I think is really uh fabulous to talk about here. I love to use in a myriad of ways, but I take pretty much daily is ginkgo baloba. There's a lot of research going out there on the way that it helps to move blood flow through the smallest blood vessels in the body. So it's microcirculation. These tiny vessels are there to supply oxygen and nutrients to the tissues like the brain, like the eyes, like the heart, your hands, your feet, right? And when we have poor microcirculation, that's when various tissues, like I just mentioned, become deprived of oxygen. This is when we're gonna start seeing fatigue. We might see brain fog. We might see trouble, not see trouble of vision. We might have trouble with our vision or have cold fingers and toes, things like that again. So the ginkgo comes in and really just helps the blood vessels to relax and to widen, which is going to improve overall circulation and just reduces resistance in the entire vasculature. We're also going to see that oxygen and nutrients are delivered to those various tissues and organs that have been having a lot of trouble getting the oxygen that they need. We also know that ginkgo is loaded with antioxidants. The flavonoids in ginkgo are very fantastic for helping blood vessels and cell membranes protect themselves against oxidative stress. So we know oxidative stress plays a huge role in the progression of atherosclerosis and various other cardiovascular conditions. So a lot of love there with ginkgo as well. So if you are thinking, hey, I've got really cold hands and feet, maybe you find pain in the legs when you're walking, maybe you've got a lot of varicose veins. You might want to consider some ginkgo boloba in your life as well. Again, these herbs are a part of regular lifestyle exercise enhancements. They are not an instant fix. You're not just gonna pick up these herbs and be like, all of my cardiovascular health issues are now alleviated. Unfortunately, herbs aren't just some magic instant fix pill. Or is that really fortunate? Maybe that's a whole part of it all. I know so many people are just rushing to this world of herbal medicine with that big question of what herb do I take for this problem because they're sick of the system and the way that they're being treated with allopathic medicine and the continuous onslaught of more medications, more pills, more prescriptions that then lead to more and more and more, right? But here's the challenge. If you are sick of being treated that way and the way that system works, perhaps it's time to think outside of that systemic box, right? And think about a more holistic approach to your healthcare. And that's so much of what we talk about inside of the community herbalist certification and mentorship, where we talk about how the body works so you understand how to. Add in different lifestyle and dietary factors to somebody's life, how to meet them where they're at, and then how to pair the best herbs with each unique individual and the particular situations that they have going on to promote the best healing response from the body and to also guide people in their own unique healing journey. So that's what we do in the community herbalist mentorship. And if you are interested in diving deeper and really beginning to feel confident in your recommendations with herbal remedies for the folks in your community, we'd love to have you on board. Just go ahead and check us out at the herbalistpath.com forward slash community herbalist certification. We'll be there. Of course, it will be linked in the show notes as well. And until next time, thank you so much for tuning into this episode. I hope the rest of your days are magnificent and filled with lots of heart and cardiovascular system love. Take care. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the Herbalist Path. If you're loving this journey into herbal medicine, please follow and review the show. It helps more people find their own path with the plants. And if you know someone who could use this kind of support, please share this episode with them. So that way we can keep making herbalism spread like wildflowers. Also, a gentle reminder: nothing shared on this podcast is intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. This is all for educational purposes, and yeah, a little entertainment too. But it is not a substitute for personalized care from a qualified health practitioner. Always do your own research, listen to your body, and when needed, partner with a trusted professional who honors both your intuition and your unique health journey. Until next time, take care, stay curious, and keep walking the herbalist path.