September 29 marked World Heart Day. The heart is one of the most important organs of our body and its health is crucial for the prevention of many diseases. It’s a muscle, so it needs not only exercise, but also protection.
In this blog, we’ll talk about 5 herbs and mushrooms that can help to strengthen your heart and prevent related diseases, so you can perform optimally and maintain your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Cayenne pepper
Beyoncé was onto something! Cayenne pepper is high in antioxidants and vitamins A, B, C, and E and contains calcium, iron, and phosphorus. Vitamin E is directly linked to lowering the risk of heart disease, and cayenne is one of the richest sources of it.
While spice-averse people may want to steer away from cayenne, it is a diaphoretic, which means it induces sweating. Its heat comes from a high concentration of capsicum, which fires up our circulation. Used for centuries, capsicum gives cayenne the power to pump our blood efficiently, stimulate the body’s metabolic rate, and clean fat out of the arteries. Some of the world’s oldest cultures have cuisines with spice in them, so buckle up and don’t be afraid of the heat!
One easy way to use cayenne is to put it in your daily coffee. Used as a topical, capsicum can also help to prevent pain.
Garlic
This powerful herb doesn’t just make food taste good; it’s packed with minerals like copper, germanium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium, which is especially good for the heart. Garlic also contains amino acids, fibre, sulfur compounds, and vitamins A and C, which are all heart healthy. It’s been shown to help prevent blood clots and is linked to lowering cholesterol.
Garlic provides over 100 biologically useful chemicals, so if you haven’t been consuming it regularly, start now! Garlic also comes in powder form.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn was first used in the first century for treating cardiac diseases and strengthening the heart. Touted as the top herb for heart health, hawthorn can support this muscle in many ways, primarily by reducing inflammation. It contains powerful antioxidants in both its flowers and leaves, and helps to decrease cholesterol, inhibit plaque buildup, lower blood pressure, and dilate coronary vessels, which improves blood flow and increases blood supply to the heart.
Hawthorn is available in tea form.
Green tea
Consumed for centuries for various health benefits, the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea was studied for its ability to protect the heart. The study showed significant benefits after consumption of 5 to 6 cups of green tea daily.
If tea isn’t your thing, an extract is also available in capsule form.
Shiitake
If you’ve already been cooking with shiitake, you’re on your way to supporting your heart. Studies on mice showed that shiitake lowered LDL cholesterol. This mushroom also contains phytonutrients that aid in preventing plaque buildup, compounds that inhibit the absorption and production of cholesterol in the liver, and in another study involving rats, showed to maintain healthy blood pressure and circulation.
If you want to reap the benefits of shiitake but aren’t a fan of mushrooms, you can use it in powder form and add it to your dishes.
HAVN Life is on a mission to shift health paradigms and help people live their best and most authentic lives. With a rigorous and evidence-based approach to the natural extraction of healing compounds, we’re determined to help all human beings reach their peak potential.