that you have enough vitamin E. Avoid eating sweet pastries, cakes,
savory snacks, and any other foods of this kind.- Eat plenty of lightly steamed green vegetables, green salads, and su-
perfood, as you need higher levels of vitamin C, potassium, and
magnesium to maintain the vascular system in general. - Increase fresh garlic intake (also onions, leeks, and chives).
- Take black currant seed oil or evening primrose oil capsules (GLA),
as they help the metabolism to rid the body of cholesterol. Gamma
linoleic acid (GLA) capsules are rich in omega-6, which is an essential
fatty acid for this job. - Eat oats and oat-based foods.
- Eat pineapple and papaw ( Asimina triloba), which will cool and calm
the liver and gallbladder while also addressing the problem of plate let
stickiness. - Make sure you have good vital stomach and bowel fl ora, as acidophilus
and other benefi cial bacteria lower cholesterol levels. - Check your thyroid function through a blood and temperature test
(see the section on the thyroid, above in this chapter). - Refer to “Heart Disease” in chapter 10 for extra dietary advice.
herbs
Apart from garlic and cayenne, hawthorn is perhaps the most important
single herb to use in healing the circulatory system. It is a “heart” food
capable of protecting, buffering, and repairing the heart muscle. You can
make hawthorn teas and hawthorn syrup. Collect your own hawthorn
leaves and blossoms in the spring and berries in the autumn when they
are bright red. Research has shown that compounds in hawthorn adhere
to the heart cells, making them absorb oxygen more effi ciently thus
preventing a heart attack. It can equally well restore those who have
sustained a heart attack and miraculously remove palpitations and
murmurs. It does so particularly by buffering beta cell receptors and is a
more sophisticated version of the class of drugs called beta-blockers, as it
is also able to “unblock” as required. Hawthorn is also an antioxidant,
being rich in chemicals called fl avonoids, which are useful for removing
plaque from the circulatory system. If you are taking hawthorn leaves,
fl owers, and berries and you do have a heart attack, your body will repair
itself three times more quickly than usual.
Dandelion root, made as coffee, aids the dispersal of water retention,
which can be a problem with heart and vascular blockages; swollen ankles
are often a sign of water retention. Repairing and cleansing the vascular
174 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition