Most of us don’t give our hearts a second thought until something goes wrong. Dr. Christopher made this point in his article “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”: the heart is the organ we take for granted until an emergency arrives. But the heart can be fed, strengthened and cared for long before it ever cries for help.
I first came to rely on this formula during menopause, when my heart would sometimes race. Many of our members have also found it a good food formula for strengthening a weak heart.
The Heart Does the Hauling
Every cell needs a steady supply of oxygen, water and nourishment, and every cell makes waste that has to be carried away. The heart is the pump behind both jobs. When the blood is loaded with waste and sticky mucus, the artery walls slowly thicken and harden, and the heart has to push harder through narrower vessels, while its own blood supply carries those same wastes. That combination is what wears a heart out.
Dr. Christopher liked to point to Dr. Alexis Carrel’s experiment at the Rockefeller Institute, where living cells from a chicken’s heart were kept alive for 34 years, far longer than any chicken lives, simply by feeding them properly and carrying their wastes away. A heart that is fed well and kept clean is built to last.
Stress shows up in the heart too. Fear and anger make the heart beat harder and faster and actually thicken the blood. Chronic worry keeps the heart in that state, and palpitations, a fluttering, pounding or racing beat, are often felt later, lying in bed and going back over a hard day.
What a Good Heart Formula Contains
A good heart formula might contain these seven herbs:
- Hawthorn Berries, 6 parts. The cornerstone, which Dr. Christopher called “heart food deluxe.” Hawthorn nourishes and strengthens the heart muscle, supports a steady rhythm and is gently calming.
- Red Clover, 4 parts. A classic blood cleanser. Cleaner blood flows more easily and puts less strain on the heart.
- Motherwort, 2 parts. Its name, Leonurus cardiaca, means “lion-hearted.” It calms a nervous, fluttering or racing heart.
- Garlic, 2 parts. Keeps the blood flowing freely and the artery walls clean.
- Goldenseal Root, 2 parts. Tones the tissues, including the lining of the blood vessels.
- Ginger Root, 2 parts. Opens and flushes the tiny capillaries so blood can reach every cell.
- Cayenne, 2 parts. Dr. Christopher’s finest food for the heart and vessels. It doesn’t make the pulse faster; it gives it more power.
“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 6 ounces of Hawthorn, 4 of Red Clover and 2 ounces each of the other five.
Putting It Together
Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.
How Much and How Often
½ to 1 teaspoon, three to five times a day as needed, in hot water with a little honey if you like. There are two ways to use it:
- When the heart needs attention: in times of stress, or when events show the heart needs extra care.
- For long-term support: for a chronically weak heart, taken steadily over a long period.
Hawthorn lets the heart relax more completely between beats, so I don’t combine this formula with a drug meant to slow the heart rate, such as a beta blocker. Garlic and Red Clover also thin the blood a little, worth knowing if you take a blood thinner. Chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting or a heart racing out of control need help right away; call 911 first. Dr. Christopher always gave a cup of hot cayenne tea, a teaspoon in a cup of hot water, to someone in a heart attack who was awake and able to swallow. That is something to do while help is on the way, never instead of it.
Beyond the Formula
- Clean eating: fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds keep new waste from loading the blood.
- Plenty of water and clean bowels, so the body can carry waste away.
- Calcium, since the heart is a muscle and calcium helps regulate its rhythm. See Calcium You Can Actually Absorb.
- Less caffeine and chocolate, which draw on the body’s calcium and stress the arteries and nerves.
- Movement and a calm spirit. Letting go of chronic fear and anger takes a real load off the heart.
When blood pressure is the main concern, see Clearing What Drives Blood Pressure Up, and when worn-out adrenals are part of the picture, Rebuilding Tired Adrenals.
This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.
