Functional Heart Disorders Herbal Remedies

Functional Heart Disorders

Clinical Considerations

➤General comments
– The diagnosis of functional heart disorder is a diagnosis of exclusion. The typical patient complains of heart palpitations.
– The most common symptoms are “loud” heartbeat, cardiac arrhythmias, subjective feeling of unrest, diffuse left precordial, non-load-dependent pressure sensation, sudden shortness of breath, nervousness, anxiety, rapid fatigability, insomnia, lack of concentration, tendency to sweat heavily, symptoms of heart “agitation.”
– The cardiac work-up usually does not reveal any abnormalities. If any changes are found, they are usually harmless extrasystoles or functional coronary spasms.

➤ Clinical value of herbal medicine: Herbal preparations can be helpful because no specific synthetic drugs or chemical remedies for functional heart disorders exist. Beta blockers are, in many cases, either contraindicated or not accepted by the patients.
Recommended Herbal Remedies (Overview)

External Remedies: See Coronary Artery Disease.

Functional Heart Disorders Internal Remedies (nonglycoside drugs)
➤ Hawthorn leaf and flower (Crataegi folium cum floribus), motherwort herb (Leonuri cardiacae herba).
– Action:
• Hawthorn.
• Motherwort has mild negative chronotropic, antihypertensive, and calming effects. Its use is recommended only as an additive to other cardiac remedies or sedatives.

Functional Heart Disorders Internal Remedies (glycoside drugs)
➤ Adonis (Adonidis herba) and lily-of-the-valley (Convallariae herba).
Note: Larger doses of any preparation containing cardiac glycosides are toxic.
– For further information, see Heart Failure.

Range of Applications

Functional Heart Disorders
➤ Tincture Rx: Extract. Adonidis Fluid., Tinct. Convallariae, Tinct. Valerianae, aa 10.0.
– Dosage and administration: 30 drops, 3 times a day.
– Clinical value: Mild cardiac sedative, useful in nervous palpitations.
➤ Tea Rx: Leonuri cardiacae herba, Convallariae herba, Melissae folium, aa 100.0.
– Dosage and administration: Steep 2 teaspoons in 1 cup of boiling water. Take
1 cup, twice daily, for several weeks.
– Clinical value: Somewhat less potent than the first formulation.

➤ Leonuri cardiacae herba (motherwort)
– Dosage and administration: Steep 2 teaspoons in 1 cup of boiling water, or add 1–2 mL of the 1 : 5 tincture to a cup of water. Take 1 cup, 3 times daily.
– Clinical value: This prescription is very mild and can be recommended for long-term use.
➤ Tea Rx: Crataegi flos, Crataegi folium, Visci albi, aa ad 100.0.
– Dosage and administration: Steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of the herbs in 1 cup of boiled water, or add 1–2 mL Tinct. Crataegi tincture and 1 mL Tinct. Visci to 1 cup of boiled water. Take 1 cup, 2 times a day.
– Clinical value: For mild antihypertensive action.

Functional Heart Disorders with Gastrocardiac Symptoms Complex (Roemheld’s Syndrome).

Functional Heart Disorders with Severe Anxiety
➤ Tincture Rx: Tinct. Convallariae 5.0, Tinct. Crataegi 10.0, Tinct. Valerianae ad 30.0.
– Dosage and administration: 15 drops, 3 times a day.
– Clinical value: The valerian component provides an additional sedative effect

Posted in: Cardiovascular Diseases Herbal Remedies