Natural Remedies to Atherosclerosis

Clinical Considerations
➤ General comments
– Half of all mortality in Germany is attributed to atherosclerosis, a disease in which the walls of the arteries degenerate progressively over the course of several decades. Free radicals of oxidized lipoproteins have been implicated as cofactors in the etiology of atherosclerosis.
– Individuals with high serum cholesterol levels and LDL : HDL ratios of more than 4.0 have a particularly high risk of developing atherosclerosis. This constellation is most prevalent in men of all ages and in postmenopausal women.

➤ General treatment measures: Dietary measures are the first and foremost treatment measures. The patient should be placed on a reduced fat diet and use dietary fats high in polyunsaturated or monosaturated fatty acids (e. g., olive oil, flaxseed oil), as well as fatty fish with DHA and EPA (salmon, halibut). Foods with both added refined sugar and saturated fatty acids should be strictly avoided. Therapy should be combined with regular aerobic exercise for best results, according to recent research.

➤ Clinical value of herbal medicine
– About herbs preparations play an especially important role in prevention. Their therapeutic action is directed against important mechanisms involved in the development of atherosclerosis.
– Synthetic antilipemic drugs clearly reduce cardiovascular mortality, but are expensive and sometimes highly prone to side effects. Moreover, they are not covered by most health care insurers when used primarily for prophylactic purposes.
– The herbal alternatives have a very low incidence of side effects and can be recommended for medically supervised self-treatment.

Recommended Herbal Remedies (Overview)
Antilipemic Herbs
➤ Artichoke leaf (Cynarae folium).
– Action: Standardized artichoke leaf extract inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis on various levels and increases the biliary elimination of cholesterol, resulting in an overall antilipemic effect. Antioxidant effects have also been observed in pharmacological experiments.
– Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to artichoke or other composite plants; biliary tract obstruction; cholelithiasis.
– Dosage and administration: 320–640 mg extract, 3 times a day, equivalent to 960–1920 mg per day. Antiatherosclerotic Herbs
➤ Garlic bulb (Allii sativi bulbus).

Posted in: Cardiovascular Diseases Herbal Remedies