Hibiscus and Heart Health

Hibiscus and Heart Health.

During some start of the year tidying I found a jar of the Happy Heart tea I make. As a result of being low on the tea stocks (shameful I know) I thought I would make myself a cup of tea. I remember how much I love this blend and my love for hibiscus. Hibiscus is one of 4 herbs in my Happy Heart tea blend. I love the sour taste and what it does for heart health. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and a contributor to heart disease. Hibiscus is excellent for mild or moderate hypertension.

Hibiscus and Hypertension.

Estimates are that 7 million people in Canada suffer from hypertension. Roughly 20% of these people do not know that their blood pressure is high. Over a million people unaware that their health is at risk. Without explicit signs and symptoms hypertension is called the silent killer, because frequently there are no outward signs/symptoms of high blood pressure. Damage, however, is happening in the heart, kidneys, brain, and blood vessels. You don’t know you have it until the damage is done.

Blood pressure readings are made up of 2 numbers – expressed as a ratio. 120/80 for example. The top number (systolic) measures the blood pressure as your heart contracts – outgoing force. The bottom number (diastolic) measures the pressure as your heart relaxes.

Low risk 120/80

Medium risk 121-134/80-84

High risk 135+/85+

Over time, as blood flows through the cardiovascular system at high pressure, physical changes happen. Under relentless pressure blood vessels thicken and become smaller. They lose elasticity and become rigid. This loss of elasticity leads to – higher blood pressure. Imagine it this way – you start with blood vessels the size of rigatoni and you end up with blood vessels the size of penne, as a result it is harder to get blood to the tissues. You have to pump it through a tiny tube when it should be a large tube.

Physical Damage.

In the face of these changes the heart has to work harder. The heart is a muscle. When we work a muscle harder over time? It enlarges. High blood pressure typically causes the left ventricle to enlarge – hypertrophy. Thickened heart muscle is harder to pump.

Sustained high blood pressure causes damage to the blood vessels themselves. Years ago I worked in theatre. In one show an actress repeatedly kicked the drywall in the back wall of the theatre. Over the course of the run she kicked a hole in the drywall. Repeated high blood pressure causes tiny tears in the vessel. Plaques can form in the tears as the body tries to repair the damage.

Hibiscus Help.

Hibiscus lowers blood pressure. It also lowers levels of LDL and improves HDL. It has been used as a weight loss tea. I thought this was a function of the plant’s action as a diuretic (not real weight loss imo) but reading recent studies there is another mechanism of action that leads to weight loss. Hibiscus has been used for urinary tract infections. It is a diuretic and antimicrobial. Most urinary tract infections are E. coli and hibiscus is active against E. coli. Hibiscus is potassium sparing as a diuretic.

Hibiscus

When we see that blood red colour of the hibiscus, we know we are looking at anthocyanins. These plant pigments are antioxidants. Anthocyanins help dilate arteries and prevent plaque buildup. They lower blood viscosity – making it easier for blood to flow freely in the circulatory system. Hibiscus is high in a flavonoid called rutin. Rutin is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, strengthens blood vessels and improves blood circulation. Hibiscus acts to increase nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes vascular tissue and inhibits platelet aggregation. The plant also acts as an ACE inhibitor. Angio-tension converting enzyme produces angiotensin ll which narrow blood vessels. ACE inhibitors block the activity of this enzyme – relaxing blood vessels to lower blood pressure. Many pharmaceuticals prescribed for hypertension act because they are ACE inhibitors.

Hibiscus Botany.

Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a member of the Malvaceae family – like marshmallow, okra, mallow, cotton, and linden. I think we should have wanted posters for plants and list their aliases underneath. Hibiscus is known as asam bylanda, bissap, Florida cranberry, Guinea sorrel, Indian sorrel, Jamaican sorrel, java jute, jelly okra, karkade, luo shen hua, pink lemonade, Queensland jelly plant, red sorrel, ribena plant, roselle, rose-mallow, rose of Sharon, rozelle hemp, sour-sour, sour tea, and zobo.

Hibiscus grows throughout tropical and subtropical regions. It is a tropical plant native to Africa. A perennial in zones 10-12 the plant is an annual in temperate climates. The plant grows anywhere from 6 to 8 feet tall in the tropics. In temperate climates it will be smaller. White to yellow flowers. The leaves are alternate, with lobed lower leaves. The plant can be grown as an annual in Ottawa – it needs full sun and good drainage.

Medicinal Usage.

The part of the hibiscus plant used is the calyx. Many people think that they are working with the flowers, but they aren’t. I checked online herb suppliers and almost without exception they list their hibiscus as hibiscus flowers. A calyx is a collection of the sepals of a plant. Sepals act to protect the developing flower. Harvest hibiscus after the flowers have died back. It can take 11 pounds of fresh hibiscus to make 1 pound of dried hibiscus. As much as I love hibiscus, I don’t see myself fighting with the Ottawa growing season to grow it myself. The calyces are rich in vitamin c, thiamin, beta carotene, niacin, and riboflavin. Hibiscus is photoperiodic – the plant flowers in response to the shortening or lengthening of the days. In the case of hibiscus, the plant flowers in the fall as the days shorten.

Heart Healing.

Drink Hibiscus.

I suggest making a decoction of hibiscus. 10 g of hibiscus per 500 ml water. Decoct for 10 minutes at 100 degrees, strain and drink during the day. If you didn’t want to make a decoction, I think an extended steeping period would be almost as good.

Don’t take hibiscus in conjunction with pharmaceuticals prescribed for high blood pressure. Take it at least 3 hours away from when you take acetaminophen.

If you are local to Ottawa the awesome Dominion City Brewery has a hibiscus beer that they are featuring.

Botany – Compound Leaves

When is a leaf not a leaf? When it is a compound leaf. The impulse for this post is I have been harvesting horse chestnuts.

As a professional member of the Ontario Herbalists Association I am responsible for completing annually a certain number of hours in continuing education. Each year this requirement confounds me. I feel my whole life is continuing education. Currently my focus is on improving my skills in botany.

Horse chestnut leaf (Aesculus hippocastanum)

This is a palmately compound leaf. This is a single leaf made up of several leaflets. A palmately compound leaf has all its leaflets radiating from a single point at the end of the petiole. Imagine the palm of the hand and the fingers branching from it. Botany is the common language of plants. Recognizing leaf shapes and understanding how to describe them botanically helps us identify plants we may not know. I have a soft spot for horse chestnut and love the trees majestic spires of blossoms in the spring.

Elder (Sambucus canadensis)

A compound leaf can also be pinnately compound. Elder is an example of a plant with pinnately compound leaves. The leaflets all are attached to an extension of the petiole called the rachis. There is an even number of leaflets with or without a single leaf at the tip of the petiole.

I plan on writing more about how I work with horse chestnut. Until I do here is some info from the British Herbal Medicine Association.

Holding truth.

More than one thing can be true simultaneously. We can be holding more than one truth. I think understanding this is the hallmark of mature critical thinking.

My ears are hurting for wearing a mask 8 plus hours a day. frequently my ears pop out so I look like nothing so much as Dumbo. Having reached middle age my concern for how I look has diminished. Frankly, this has been freeing.

My wearing a mask protects not only me but also protects my community from Covid-19 and from the more infectious and more transmissible Delta variant that we are currently dealing with.

I am infuriated by those who are able to get vaccinated but wilfully refuse. I’ve recently lost a few new clients because of my unwillingness to go along to get along with regards to vaccine and Covid-19 misinformation. You want to consult with an herbalist to protect your health. In the midst of a world wide pandemic when we are so fortunate that safe and effective vaccines were developed as quickly as they were the number 1 thing you can do to protect your health is to get vaccinated if you are able.

Everyone who falls ill needs to be cared for to the best of our ability. All are worthy – regardless of past choices.

When I contemplate our situation I despair.

Action is the best remedy for despair.

Have a plant photo.

Creeping Charlie

Dave Grohl is a mensch. We need as much joy as we can get. This just filled my heart with joy. May it be so for you.

Partridgeberry

What I like about this photo is that we can see this year’s flowers and also see one of last year’s berries still tucked there. A very distinctive plant with the strong midrib. The Latin name is Mitchella repens. Also called s*uawvine but this is a slur so we do not use that name. This herb is a uterine tonic without equal. The terminal 2 inches of the plant are the part we harvest; just after it flowers. A large patch is frequently all the same plant so be mindful when harvesting and pick from a selection of colonies. The plant likes moist shade. Partridgeberry contains arbutus – making it a plant that is also useful for acute conditions of the urinary tract. Combines well with raspberry in the last trimester of pregnancy. For issues with the female reproductive system partridgeberry combines well with chaste tree. I have read descriptions of the berry as tasty and I would describe them more as meh. Edible yes, tasty – more that they taste like nothing. When I see this plant I also look around for wintergreen, pipsissewa, and goldthread as they favour the same areas to grow in. Evergreen, the plant can be harvested even in the winter.

As a uterine tonic partridgeberry has been used traditionally for threatened miscarriages. Best combined with other herbs and used with the advice and guidance of an experienced herbalist.

Miscarriage formulas

Vaccination and the Social Contract

My understanding of the social contract is that we look out for each other and act for the common good. To be selfless not selfish. Vaccination protects you and it protects others.

The Ontario R# for today for Covid-19 has been calculated at 1.30 (Imgrund). If you are unfamiliar with R this is a measure of a viruses ability to reproduce. An infected person will go on to infect 1.3 other people. Any R value above 1 means exponential growth.

Get a vaccination. Do it to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. In about a month when school starts again there will be a Covid-19 surge, however, vaccination protects you and those you love. For people in Ontario if you get vaccinated your chance of getting Covid-19 is 93% lower.

Every week people buy lottery tickets where their chance of winning is 0.00000715%.

How vaccines work

I love this animation – succinct and humorous. The pandemic shows us that the social contract is in danger. It is hard for me to watch as people refuse to take even a small action to protect others.

Go get the vaccine! Reach out to me if you need help. I can give you a lift. I can provide child care. Issues of equity do need to addressed – let me help.