Heart, Blood & Circulation – Dara Dietz Blog

Blood Pressure

October 27, 2026 Dara Dietz

High Blood Pressure, Sudden Spikes and Low Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure the blood puts on the walls of the arteries. It depends on the force of the heartbeat, how elastic the vessel walls are, the resistance in the tiny capillaries, and how thick the blood is. When the pressure climbs, the real question is what is driving it up. Forcing the number down without clearing the cause does not heal anything.

Understanding the Condition

What the Numbers Mean

A reading has two numbers. The top number (systolic) is the pressure while the heart squeezes; the bottom number (diastolic) is the pressure while it rests between beats. Dr. Christopher taught that there is no hard and fast rule: people differ, and heavy meat eaters run higher than those who eat simply. Know your own normal. My own normal runs low, somewhere between 106/60 and 116/64, so a top number in the 130s is high for me.

As a general guide, readings that stay at 130/80 or higher are considered high, and readings of 180/120 or higher are dangerous. Take your pressure sitting quietly for five minutes first, feet flat on the floor and arm resting at heart level, and write it down with the time. One reading tells you little; the pattern over days tells you a lot.

Four Things That Drive It Up

The four causes that make the heart push harder. Diagram drawn for H.E.A.L.

Thick, sluggish blood. Excess cholesterol and sticky, mucus-like waste load the circulatory system and thicken the blood. This usually goes hand in hand with a clogged bowel, which is why cleansing the bowel is part of purifying the blood.
Clogged kidneys. The kidneys filter all of the blood; there is no bypass. Their tiny vessels are about the width of a hair, and any pus or sediment there makes the heart pump harder to push the blood through.
Hardening of the arteries. When the body needs calcium, it pulls it from the walls of the veins and arteries as well as from the bones. The vessels grow hard and lose their give, and the heart is left pushing blood through a crimped straw.
Emotional stress. Stress can kill. It tightens the vessels and drives the heart harder. It is important to find ways to unplug and relax.

The first three are brought on by a poor diet, too little rest and exercise, and a lack of vitality in the body. That is why no formula works alone. You cannot be healthy while breaking the laws of health.

What Can Suddenly Spike the Pressure

A slow climb over months is one thing; a sudden spike is another. In my own life I have had three, each from a different cause (my stories are at the end of this sheet):

Salt. A single can of butter beans I didn’t check sent mine dangerously high overnight. Read the sodium on canned and packaged foods.
Dehydration. Too little water thickens the blood and the body fights to hold its pressure. A busy day when I forgot to drink put me in the ER.
Vertigo. When the head is spinning, the whole body goes into alarm and the pressure climbs with it.
Caffeine. Coffee, black and green tea, and chocolate narrow the blood vessels.
Decongestants and licorice. Many cold and cough medicines (look for “decongestant,” pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine on the label) push the pressure up. So can licorice in larger amounts, including licorice candy and some cough drops.
Pain, fear and panic. Fear of the numbers can push the numbers higher. Stay calm.

Low Blood Pressure

Some people run low, and for many that is simply their normal. Low pressure becomes a problem when it brings dizziness, lightheadedness on standing, fatigue or fainting. Dr. Christopher taught that low pressure, like high, comes from a circulatory system that is not working as it should, and that more oxygen is needed: deep breathing helps the herbs work faster. Dehydration can drop the pressure too, as can taking blood pressure medicine and herbs together as the body heals.

The Emotional Side: the Energy Work

Healing the whole person. We are body, mind and spirit, and all three must heal together. When one part is neglected, the other two cannot find complete healing.

Pressure in the body often mirrors pressure in the life: worry carried for years, problems never resolved, a heart always braced for the next blow. Learning to unplug, rest and trust is part of bringing the numbers down.

Louise Hay, in her book Heal Your Body, describes these patterns:

High blood pressure: a longstanding emotional problem not solved. Turn it around: “I joyously release the past. I am at peace.”
Low blood pressure: lack of love as a child; defeatism, “What’s the use? It won’t work anyway.” Turn it around: “I now choose to live in the ever-joyous NOW. My life is a joy.”

Emotional patterns quoted and paraphrased from Louise Hay, Heal Your Body (Hay House). These are not faults to blame anyone for; they are a reminder of how much the heart is carrying.

When to Call 911

Blood pressure is not something to play around with. “I might have been able to support myself at home, but the IV fluids put me back together much quicker. If you don’t have a game plan and lack the experience, your spiked blood pressure is a serious issue that needs to be taken care of.” Dara

Call 911 for a high reading with any of these: chest pain or pressure; shortness of breath; a sudden, severe headache; confusion or trouble speaking; weakness, numbness or drooping on one side of the face or body; vision changes; or dizziness with trouble walking. These can be the start of a stroke or heart attack, and minutes matter.

Get seen the same day: a reading of 180/120 or higher even without symptoms; a pressure that keeps climbing or won’t come down within an hour of your cayenne; a first-ever spike; or low pressure with fainting.

While you wait for help, cayenne in warm water supports the heart. Sit down, breathe slowly and stay calm.

Herbs are support alongside medical care, not a replacement for it.

Areas Affected & Opening the Way to Healing

High blood pressure is the heart working too hard to push blood through a system that is clogged, stiff or tight. Clear each cause and the heart no longer has to push so hard.

Opening the Way to Healing

1. Clear the blockage.

2. Get the healing nutrients into the area.

3. Let sunshine and fresh air cycle over and through the affected part.

4. Bathe regularly.

5. Move the area as much as you can.

6. Know which area is truly affected. The number shows up in the arteries, but the cause may be in the bowel, the liver, the kidneys, the vessel walls or the nerves. That is what needs clearing.

My Three Blood Pressure Formulas

I keep three combinations for blood pressure. Each goes after a different cause, and they can be used together. None of them is designed to force the pressure down; they clear what is driving it up. It normally takes two to three months for the pressure to begin to come down, and when it does, the numbers stay down, because the causes have been cleared. A common amount for each is ½ to 1 teaspoon in water or juice, up to three times a day.

Blood Pressure 1 (Calming Support). Built on Dr. Shook’s Calming Herbal Food Compound (valerian, licorice, buckthorn, speedwell, linden, rue and goldenrod), for when stress, physical or emotional, is pushing the numbers up.
Blood Pressure 2 (Arterial Support). Built on Dr. Shook’s arterial formula, heavy on buckthorn and senna, with sassafras, goldenrod, buckbean, black cohosh, poke root and cassia. It goes after the vascular system itself, and because the waste it clears must be carried out by the bowels, it keeps them moving. It is helpful for constipation too.
Blood Pressure 3 (Circulation Support). Dr. Christopher’s circulation formula (his BPE), led by cayenne with parsley, ginger, goldenseal, garlic and ginseng. Cayenne equalizes the pressure, bringing high pressure down and low pressure up, so this is the formula for low blood pressure as well as the boost to Blood Pressure 1 or 2 when a program needs a bigger push.

When stress and a vascular system that needs clearing are both part of the picture, Blood Pressure 1 and 2 work well together.

Matching the Help to the Cause

Thick blood and a clogged bowel: bowel cleansing, and liver flushing (the ELF) followed by a week of kidney flushing, so the body stays on top of the healing. Blood Pressure 2 keeps the bowels moving.
The kidneys: clear the kidneys well at least once. When the pressure has been ticking up slowly over days or weeks, do the Ultimate Kidney Flush (the Stone Dissolve Routine, on my Kidney Flushing sheet), an ELF for the kidneys. Keep up with the daily Hot Lemonade and Kidney Support afterward. For a sudden spike, a cup of burdock root tea helps the kidneys filter the blood.
Hardened arteries: the Calcium formula feeds calcium back to the body so it no longer has to pull it from the vessel walls. Kelp tones the vessel walls and is believed to help clear deposits and restore their elasticity; it can help normalize low pressure too.
Stress: Blood Pressure 1, and NFX to keep calm, especially when the numbers themselves are frightening.
Circulation: Blood Pressure 3, and cayenne on its own.
Vertigo spikes: the Brain Formula. It is mostly ginkgo, a vasodilator that opens the vessels; when cayenne alone could not touch my vertigo spike, the Brain Formula cleared it in minutes.
A weak or racing heart: Heart Formula (hawthorn) feeds the heart muscle and can be used alongside the blood pressure formulas.

Cayenne: the Equalizer

Cayenne runs the whole show. It increases the power of the heart, moves the circulation, and equalizes the pressure: if it is high, cayenne helps bring it down, and if it is low, it helps bring it up. I’d like to see a drug that can do both at once. To me, that is a gift straight out of God’s pharmacy.

Daily: work up to a teaspoon three times a day. A pinch with meals helps move the blood.
Hot Lemonade: in a 16-ounce glass of hot water, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and fresh lemon juice and maple syrup to taste.
In a spike: 1 teaspoon of cayenne, or a few dropperfuls of the tincture, in warm water. Repeat about every hour while the numbers are up.

Food, Water and Daily Habits

Water, steadily. Sip all day rather than gulping a lot at once. I put lemon juice in my water and add a bit of Celtic salt once or twice a day; it goes down much better than plain water, and the salt keeps the sodium up so the water doesn’t wash it out. Distilled water is best for teas.
Garlic, regularly and generously. Dr. Christopher considered it one of the best helps for high pressure.
Wheat germ oil, a traditional source of vitamin E, long used to feed the heart and support healthy blood vessels.
Juices. For high pressure: celery, celery with garlic and parsley, dandelion, grapefruit, and pure tomato juice. For low pressure: beet, grape and pomegranate.
Cut back on salt from canned and packaged foods, caffeine, liquor, tobacco, mucus-forming foods and late hours.
Move and breathe. Daily exercise and deep breathing bring oxygen to the cells and help the herbs work faster.

Use With Care

Medication: keep taking your medication until your body shows you it no longer needs it. While you are on the herbs, check your pressure daily and work with your doctor as the numbers drop. The herbs and the drug together can push the pressure too low; dizziness or lightheadedness is the sign.

Hawthorn (Heart Formula): do not combine with any drug that slows the heart rate, such as beta blockers. Use cayenne alone instead.

Blood thinners: cayenne, garlic and ginkgo (in the Brain Formula) gently thin the blood. Keep that in mind if you take a blood thinner.

Licorice: can raise blood pressure in larger amounts. The small amount in Blood Pressure 1 is balanced by the other herbs, but don’t reach for licorice-rich formulas, such as our regular Pancreas Support, during a spike.

Blood Pressure 1: contains rue; not during pregnancy or if you may become pregnant.

Blood Pressure 2: moves the bowels strongly; start with the low end of the dose. It contains a small amount of sassafras bark and poke root: not during pregnancy or nursing, with liver problems, or in the week or two before surgery.

Level of Commitment

Gentle support. For borderline readings, an occasional spike, or low pressure: cayenne and the Hot Lemonade daily, water with lemon and a bit of Celtic salt, garlic, cutting back on salt and caffeine, daily movement and rest. Blood Pressure 3 for low pressure.
Focused cleansing. For pressure that stays high: the blood pressure formula that matches your cause for two to three months, bowel cleansing, a week of liver flushing followed by a week of kidney flushing, and the Ultimate Kidney Flush at least once. Keep checking your pressure and working with your doctor on any medication.
Incurables Program. For high blood pressure that has already damaged the heart, kidneys or vessels, after a stroke, or alongside kidney disease or heart failure: the full program, with medical care.

More Is Not Faster

These doses are set to what the body can clear. Taking more stirs up more than the bowels, liver and kidneys can carry out, and that is when cleansing starts to feel like poisoning. Healing the body requires steady, consistent nutrition and action, not a bigger dose.

People are different, and now and then someone reacts poorly to a particular herb. If that happens, stop it. What I offer here is a guideline. You are the one living in your body, so work with the Holy Spirit and the wisdom the Lord has given you to apply these supports in the best way for your life.

A Loose Healing Plan

A sudden spike (no warning signs): sit down and stay calm; cayenne in warm water or the Hot Lemonade every hour; Blood Pressure 1 if you have it; a cup of burdock root tea; NFX if you are frightened; the Brain Formula if vertigo is part of it. Recheck every 15 to 20 minutes and write the numbers down. If it won’t come down within an hour, or climbs back up, get seen.
Weeks 1 to 2: start the blood pressure formula that matches your cause; cayenne daily, working up; water with lemon and Celtic salt; cut salt, caffeine and junk food; start bowel cleansing; check your pressure daily.
Weeks 2 to 6: a week of liver flushing followed by a week of kidney flushing; do the Ultimate Kidney Flush at least once; add the Calcium formula and kelp for stiff arteries; walk daily.
Months 2 to 3: keep going. This is when the pressure normally begins to come down and stay down. Work with your doctor as the numbers drop.
Low pressure: Blood Pressure 3 and cayenne daily, steady water with a little Celtic salt, beet and grape juice, deep breathing, and stand up slowly.
All along: find ways to unplug and rest.

Stories from the Work

Dara’s Story: The Butter Bean Soup

I made a pot of scrumptious vegetable bean soup, and added a can of butter beans without checking the sodium. The afternoon and evening after, I didn’t feel well, but I wasn’t overly concerned. In the morning I woke with a headache, a little dizzy and lightheaded, and when I took my blood pressure it was in very serious condition. I won’t share how high it had gone.

Here is what I did: 1 teaspoon of cayenne in my morning drink of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar with distilled water, repeated every hour through the morning; 2 teaspoons of Blood Pressure 1 right after the first cayenne drink, then 1 teaspoon two more times before noon; my regular Echinacea; a rounded teaspoon of burdock root steeped 15 minutes, to help the kidneys filter the blood; and ½ teaspoon of NFX (then called NF) so I didn’t panic over the numbers on the monitor.

I went on with my day, except the treadmill. My head stopped pounding by midmorning. By 2 pm my pressure was 106/62, a little low for my normal. My body had removed the excess sodium and its effect.

Dara’s Story: Vertigo After a Tooth Was Pulled (2024)

After a broken tooth was pulled, I developed a severe case of vertigo, and it was affecting my blood pressure. Those spikes were serious. Cayenne had always cleared my occasional head-spinning episodes before, but this time it just was not working. My husband and I prayed, and I finally called the paramedics; the pressure had to be addressed.

One of the two paramedics understood herbs. Knowing the cayenne wasn’t working, he suggested an herb to dilate the blood vessels and asked what would be best. Ginkgo, of course. I took a full teaspoon of the Brain Formula, which is mostly ginkgo, and everything cleared in a matter of minutes. I also learned that any caffeine brings on my vertigo.

Dara’s Story: The Day I Forgot to Drink (October 2026)

I got so busy one day that I forgot to drink, and before dawn the next morning I woke dizzy, with my pressure shooting up. I held it down with cayenne, but it kept climbing back, and since my husband can’t drive in the dark, I went to the ER by ambulance.

On the way it reached 165/92. The attendant didn’t want to give me any water, but I told her I was not going to have a stroke just because she felt she had to keep me from drinking. I put four dropperfuls of cayenne in my mouth and washed it down with water. By the time we reached the hospital it was down to 136/70. She got to learn something about the power of cayenne.

While I was on the gurney, I sent my labs to Claude, and by the time the doctor came around I already knew I was fine, just dehydrated: everything was clear except low sodium. The IV fluids put me back together, and by that evening I was at 113/53, back near my normal. Now I put lemon juice and a bit of Celtic salt in my water.

A Member’s Story: An ELF for the Kidneys

So many of the great healing truths I have discovered have come from our members. One of our brightest members noticed her blood pressure ticking up without a real reason. She understood that clogged kidneys make the heart work harder to force the blood through, and she wanted an intense flush. Her idea was to use the Kidney Stone Dissolve Routine as an extreme kidney flush: an ELF for the kidneys. It brought her numbers back down. That is how the Ultimate Kidney Flush was born.

From Dr. Christopher: His Own Blood Pressure

From his middle twenties to his middle thirties, Dr. Christopher could not buy even a small life insurance policy because of hardening of the arteries and a tendency to high blood pressure. He began taking cayenne, working up to a teaspoon three times a day. At forty-five, applying for a large policy, he was examined by two doctors. One was astounded at the blood pressure of a healthy teenager; the other kept repeating the reading, sure his equipment was broken, because the chart said forty-five and the pressure was perfect. Near seventy, he let a pre-medicine student take his pressure in class, and it was still that of a healthy young man. He credited the mucusless diet and cayenne taken as a food every day.

Credited to Dr. John R. Christopher’s writings.

From Dr. Christopher: The Traveling Companion

A younger traveling companion asked about the cayenne and wheat germ oil Dr. Christopher took each morning. He had hemorrhoids, his mother had died of high blood pressure, and he had high blood pressure too. He began taking both. By spring his hemorrhoids had cleared, and at his checkup his doctor took his pressure three or four times and said, “This is supposed to be progressively worse. Your systolic and diastolic are near perfect. You don’t need to come back.”

Credited to Dr. John R. Christopher’s writings.

These stories are shared to show what the work can look like, not as a promise of results. Every body and every life is different, and the physical, spiritual and emotional life rise and fall together.

More on the Heart & Circulation

Clearing What Drives Blood Pressure Up (the three formulas, with herbs and proportions)
Kidney Flushing: From Light to Intense (the Ultimate Kidney Flush)
Food for a Strong, Steady Heart (Heart Formula)
Kidney Disease

This information is provided for educational purposes and reflects traditional herbal practice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult a qualified health practitioner regarding any health concern.

Food for a Strong, Steady Heart

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

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.

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing, Herbs & How to Use Them

Food for the Blood

October 4, 2026 Dara Dietz

Your blood carries oxygen to every cell in your body. That job depends on having enough healthy red blood cells, and enough hemoglobin inside them to carry the oxygen. Anemia is simply a shortage of red blood cells, hemoglobin or both. It shows up as paleness, tiredness or a pounding heart, because the body is working harder to move oxygen with less of it in each cell.

Rather than treat anemia as a lone symptom, a good blood formula feeds the blood. These herbs supply the iron and minerals the body uses to build new red blood cells and raise its hemoglobin. Because it works as food, it’s taken regularly, with meals, over time.

I also add it to the rebuilding program whenever bleeding has been part of what someone is recovering from. It helps the body replace what was lost.

What a Good Blood-Building Formula Contains

A good formula for building the blood might contain these four herbs:

Sarsaparilla Root, 8 parts. The lead herb. A classic blood purifier and tonic, valued for the minerals it brings to rich, healthy blood.
Yellow Dock Root, 4 parts. One of the best-known iron-rich herbs, long used to build red blood cells and hemoglobin.
Comfrey Root, 4 parts. A nourishing herb rich in the minerals that build the blood.
Sassafras Bark, 1 part. A small amount to round out the formula’s blood-cleansing action.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 8 ounces of Sarsaparilla, 4 each of Yellow Dock and Comfrey, and 1 of Sassafras.

Putting It Together

How Much and How Often

2 to 4 droppersful (½ to 1 teaspoon) in a cup of hot water after each meal. Add honey to taste and drink.

For more on rebuilding the blood, see Anemia, Herbal Support to Rebuild the Blood.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing, Herbs & How to Use Them

Clearing What Drives Blood Pressure Up

October 2, 2026October 2, 2026 Dara Dietz

Blood pressure is the pressure the blood puts on the walls of the arteries. It depends on the force of the heartbeat, how elastic the vessel walls are, the resistance in the tiny capillaries, and how thick the blood is. When the pressure climbs, the real question is what’s driving it up. Forcing the number down without clearing the cause doesn’t heal anything.

Four Things That Drive It Up

Thick, sluggish blood. Excess cholesterol and other sticky, mucus-like waste load the circulatory system and thicken the blood. This usually goes hand in hand with a clogged bowel, which is why cleansing the bowel is part of purifying the blood.
Clogged kidneys. The kidneys filter all of the blood; there’s no bypass. Their tiny vessels are about the width of a hair, and any sediment there makes the heart pump harder to push the blood through.
Hardening of the arteries. When the body needs calcium, it will pull it from the walls of the veins and arteries as well as from the bones. The vessels grow hard and lose their give, and the heart is left pushing blood through a crimped straw.
Emotional stress. Stress can kill. It’s important to find ways to unplug and relax.

The first three are brought on by a poor diet, too little rest and exercise, and a lack of vitality in the body. That’s why no formula works alone. You cannot be healthy while breaking the laws of health.

I keep three combinations for blood pressure. Each one goes after a different cause, and they can be used together.

Formula One: Calming the Stress

This one is built on Dr. Shook’s old Calming Herbal Food Compound, for when stress, physical or emotional, is pushing the numbers up.

Buckthorn Bark, 6 parts. Gently keeps the bowels moving, so the body has a way to carry off what it doesn’t need.
Speedwell Herb, 4 parts. An old European calming herb, long used to ease tension and support the blood vessels.
Valerian Root, 3 parts. Part of the calming backbone, easing an overactive nervous system without dulling you.
Licorice Root, 3 parts. Sweetens the formula and traditionally supports the adrenals, which take a real hit during chronic stress.
Linden Flowers, 3 parts. Another old European calming herb, gentle on the nerves and the blood vessels.
Rue Herb, 1 part. The other half of the calming backbone. Rue has traditionally been avoided during pregnancy, and that’s a genuine concern; leave it out if you’re pregnant or may become pregnant.
Goldenrod, 1 part. Supports the kidneys, helping clear what the body releases.

Formula Two: Clearing the Arteries

This one is built on Dr. Shook’s old arterial formula and goes after the vascular system itself, helping clear what has built up in the arteries.

Buckthorn Bark, 30 parts. By far the largest part. Because this formula clears waste out of the vascular system, waste the liver has to process and the bowels have to carry out, it needs strong bowel support.
Senna, 12 parts. Works with the Buckthorn to keep elimination moving. Together they also make this formula helpful for constipation.
Sassafras Bark, 3 parts. A traditional blood purifier with a long history in American herbalism.
Goldenrod, 3 parts. Supports the kidneys, helping clear fluid out of the vascular system.
Buckbean, 3 parts. A bitter tonic that supports digestion and the liver.
Black Cohosh, 3 parts. Traditional support for circulation.
Poke Root, 3 parts. Traditional support for lymphatic clearing.
Cassia Bark, 3 parts. Adds warmth and its own bit of circulatory support.

We make this one by the ounce: 30 ounces of Buckthorn and 12 ounces of Senna, with 3 ounces each of the other six herbs. Those big numbers are on purpose. This formula is all about clearing, and the bowels have to be kept moving for the rest of it to do its work. Those who use it find their bowels working better too.

Why Sassafras is still in it. Sassafras has centuries of traditional use behind it. In the 1960s the FDA restricted it after safrole, one of its natural compounds, was linked to cancer in laboratory animals given extremely high doses. My father was a biochemist, and he taught me to actually read studies like that one rather than just the headline. A finding from animals dosed at levels no one traditionally consumes doesn’t tell you much about generations of ordinary, moderate use. Dr. Christopher believed the same, and so do I. I’m not going to quietly drop an herb with this much tradition behind it.

Formula Three: Boosting the Circulation

This one is built on Dr. Christopher’s old circulation formula, and Cayenne runs the whole show. Cayenne equalizes blood pressure: if it’s high, Cayenne traditionally helps bring it down, and if it’s low, it helps bring it up. I’d like to see a drug that can do both at once. To me, that’s a gift straight out of God’s pharmacy.

Cayenne, 3 parts. The leader, increasing the power of the heart and moving the circulation.
Parsley Root, 3 parts. Supports fluid balance.
Ginger, 2 parts. Adds warmth and helps the circulation.
Goldenseal Root, 1 part. Supports the mucous membranes.
Garlic, 1 part. One of the oldest cardiovascular supports there is.
American Ginseng, ½ part, and Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero), ½ part. Traditional tonics for overall vitality.

How the Three Work Together

None of these formulas are designed to force blood pressure lower. They clear whatever is driving it up. When stress and a vascular system that needs clearing are both part of the picture, Formulas One and Two work well together. Formula Three adds a kick to either one when a program needs a bigger push.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one throughout a formula. I make each one as a tincture: put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka until, once settled, there’s about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake daily. The traditional timing follows the moon, from new moon to full moon, about two weeks; I prefer a full three months for a good, strong extract. Then strain and bottle.

A common amount is ½ to 1 teaspoon in water or juice, up to three times a day. This is not a quick fix. It normally takes two to three months for the pressure to begin to come down, and when it does, the numbers stay down, because the causes have been cleared. Keep taking whatever medication you’re on until your body shows you it no longer needs it.

Other Helps

Kelp is an arterial cleanser that tones the walls of the blood vessels. It is believed to help remove deposits from the artery walls and restore their elasticity, and it can help normalize low blood pressure too.
Cayenne on its own: work up to a teaspoon three times a day. A pinch with meals helps move the blood.
Garlic in the diet, regularly and generously.
Wheat Germ Oil, a traditional source of vitamin E, long used to support healthy blood vessels.
Cut back on liquor, tobacco and late hours, which all strain the circulatory system.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Understanding Lymphedema:

September 13, 2026September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

Clearing the Issue Naturally

Lymphedema: Why It’s So Hard to Clear, and What I Reach For

Lymphedema is one of the more stubborn issues I run into in this work. I want to put down here what I’ve learned reaching for it over the years, partly so I have it written out clearly, and partly so I can hand this along to anyone in HEAL who needs it.

Why It’s So Stubborn

The root of lymphedema is a blockage somewhere in the lymphatic system, keeping fluid from draining properly out of an area. That alone makes it harder to clear than ordinary fluid retention. But here’s the part that makes it worse in practice: the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump of its own the way the blood does with the heart. It depends on muscle movement to keep circulating. So when an area is swollen and uncomfortable, the natural response is to move it less — and that’s exactly the response that backs the problem up further. I’ve seen this cycle play out again and again. It’s one of the hardest issues to clear precisely because the body’s instinct to protect the area works against it.

This Isn’t the Same as Fluid Retention

I want to be really clear about this one, because it’s the mix-up I run into most with members: lymphedema is not the same thing as ordinary fluid retention — the kind tied to the kidneys, the heart, or a long day on your feet. With that kind of swelling, the fluid itself is thin and watery, and the plumbing that’s supposed to move it is basically fine — it’s just backed up, whether from a kidney that isn’t filtering as well as it should, a heart that isn’t pumping strongly enough, or veins that are struggling to send blood back up from the legs. That’s why elevation helps with that kind of swelling, and why a diuretic can bring it down — it’s working with kidneys that are still doing their job.

Lymphedema runs on a completely different mechanism. The fluid moving through the lymphatic system carries more protein in it than ordinary tissue fluid, and the problem isn’t that too much is being made or that the kidneys aren’t keeping up — it’s that the drain itself, the lymphatic vessels and nodes that are supposed to carry that fluid away, is blocked or damaged. A member’s kidneys can be working perfectly and it won’t make a bit of difference, because the fluid has nowhere to go. That’s the whole reason a diuretic is the wrong tool here, no matter how much the swelling looks like it should respond to one.

How It Progresses When It’s Left Unsupported

Early on, lymphedema is easy to write off. The swelling comes and goes — worse by the end of the day, better after a night’s rest or with the limb propped up. That back-and-forth is exactly what fools people into thinking it’s ordinary fluid retention.

Left alone, that pattern doesn’t hold. The swelling stops responding to rest and elevation and just stays. And here’s the part that matters most for how I approach it: because that trapped fluid is protein-rich, sitting in the tissue for months or years starts to change the tissue itself. It thickens. It hardens. The skin over it gets tougher and rougher instead of staying soft. In the more advanced cases I’ve seen, the whole limb can reshape around that buildup, and the skin becomes fragile enough that it’s prone to breaking down — which is a real risk, because that stagnant, protein-heavy fluid is exactly the kind of environment bacteria thrive in.

None of that is inevitable. It’s the reason I push so hard on catching this early and staying after it with the salve packs, Detox Formula, and movement — the earlier you’re working with the body’s drainage instead of letting fluid sit, the less of that hardening and tissue change there is to undo later.

What I Reach For

My go-to has been M&L Salve packs — Mullein and Lobelia made into a salve and applied directly over the blocked area — paired with Detox Formula taken internally. I get asked sometimes whether a diuretic formula would be a better fit, since lymphedema involves fluid buildup. It isn’t. Diuretics work on the kidneys, pulling fluid out through urine. Lymphedema is fluid trapped in the tissue because it isn’t draining through the lymphatic system in the first place — a different problem that calls for a different kind of support.

Detox Formula is the better internal match because it’s already built around Poke Root, along with Burdock Root, Burdock Seed, Red Clover, Chaparral, and Yellow Dock Root — traditional blood and lymph alteratives that support the whole system rather than just pulling fluid out of the blood. Paired with M&L Salve packs working locally right over the blocked area, you get both ends of it at once: systemic support and targeted local action.

Keep It Moving

If there’s one thing I’d want anyone dealing with this to hear, it’s to keep the area moving as much as they reasonably can, even gently. Since the lymphatic system relies on muscle movement rather than a pump, rest alone won’t clear a blockage — it tends to let it settle in further. The herbs and the salve do their part, but movement is doing real work here too, and it’s easy to underestimate how much it matters.

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Anemia, Herbal Support to Rebuild the Blood

November 13, 2022September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

Anemia is a deficiency in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin or both.

Causes:

When we have a good bloodstream we have a good, healthy life. It would be wise to take time to learn the principles of building good blood in the body. One of our teachers, Dr. Edward E. Shook at the Los Angeles Herbal Institute (closed at this writing), gives a fine explanation of the cause of anemia as follows:
Carbon dioxide and other waste gases are re-absorbed into the life-giving oxygen. Everyone knows that two atoms of oxygen unite with one atom of carbon to form dioxide. But when there is insufficient oxygen, only one atom unites with carbon, to produce carbon-monoxide, and that is where most of our trouble begins–anemia, low blood pressure, or where there is an abundance of calcium, high blood pressure; because calcium thickens the blood.
It requires a great deal more pressure to pump thick blood than it does to pump thin blood; and please make special note, that all this is brought about because there is not sufficient iron in the blood, to carry enough oxygen to the cells, to enable them to breathe, and throw off their waste products. New cells are not produced fast enough to replace the decaying and dead ones. Pus is formed only when cells decay. Therefore, it requires no great stretch of the imagination to see how vitally necessary it is to have enough iron in the blood stream to convey sufficient oxygen to all parts.
Nearly every food we eat, or a large percentage of it, contains iron and oxygen. Wheat and most of the grains and cereals (in their whole state) contain iron in the form of iron phosphate, as do many vegetables, such as beets, turnips, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, celery, carrots, squash, parsley, mustard greens, dandelion leaves, watercress, etc., but our principal source of organic iron and oxygen is the fruit.
The apple is loaded with these two elements, particularly the Winesap. All berries, plums, prunes, grapes, raisins, dates, figs, cherries, etc., contain organic iron in abundance, and the citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes, etc., are principally composed of citric acid, which is one third oxygen.

anemia Download

HEAL Classes, Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Heart Health Class

July 17, 2022September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

In our class this week we are going to again discuss HEART Health Issues. Knowing what to do in a heart emergency can make a huge difference for the afflicted person. We will discuss how to herbily support the heart in a crisis along with many great healing suggestions for rebuilding a damaged heart.

Our Zoom Class meets every other Tuesday at 7pm Est.

The handouts for the class are listed below. Do take the time to read the excerpt from the Book, The Amazing Liver Flush by Andrea Moritz, it is a long article but very worth reading.

disorders-of-the-circulatory-system Download

heart Download

cayenne-pepper-emergency-uses Download

Heart problems can stem from many sources, too many to go into here. The important thing is to minimize medical intervention as much as possible, because the drugs given for heart problems can often cause side-effects as bad as the heart disease itself

CAYENNE: FOOD FOR THE HEART by Dr. Christopher

Cayenne is one of the finest foods for the feeding of the heart and for keeping the veins and arteries in good youthful condition. It is best to begin using cayenne in small amounts and increase the volume gradually.

For example, start with 1/3 teaspoonful of cayenne in a little water three times a day.

Continue taking cayenne in these amounts for three or four days and then add another third of a teaspoonful to the original third each time it is taken.

Again after three or four days increase the amount of cayenne by another third of a teaspoonful until you can take at least a teaspoonful three times each day.

This herb is not a drug. It is merely an excellent food, high in calcium, Vitamin C, etc. Even though one senses heat and slight discomfort at first, this is due only to a stepping up of the circulation and can do no harm to the body.

The herb cayenne is a great food for the entire circulatory system because it feeds the necessary elements into the cell structures of arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout the body so that these structures regain the elasticity of youth again and blood pressure adjusts itself to normal. Cayenne rebuilds the tissue in the stomach and will heal stomach and intestinal ulcers. By equalizing blood circulation, cayenne produces natural warmth and by stimulating the peristaltic motion of the veins, arteries and intestines it aids in assimilation and elimination.

When the venous structure becomes loaded with sticky mucus, the heart has a harder time circulating the blood and therefore higher blood pressure is required to force the substance through the veins. Cayenne regulates and equalizes the flow of blood from the head to the feet which immediately relieves the heart and gradually extends its effects to the arteries, capillaries and nerves. The frequency of the pulse though not increased is given more power.

Heart Attack:

Prop up the patient and pour hot cayenne tea down, (use a teaspoonful of cayenne in a cup of hot water), and have the patient drink the full cup. The attack will stop immediately. We have been called in the middle of the night so many times. A teaspoon of cayenne should bring the patient out of the heart attack. In case cayenne is not around and you have a heart attack, the dosage on black pepper can be tripled and used.

Garlic & Cholesterol

Garlic has been known for centuries to function as a natural antibiotic. It destroys the unnecessary and harmful bacteria throughout the human system. It emulsifies cholesterol and loosens it from arterial walls.

Wheat Germ for Cholesterol and Heart:

Wheat germ oil is excellent for feeding the heart and helps cut the cholesterol and smoothens its removal from the area.

Heart Weakness:

Scullcap combined with cayenne and golden seal cannot be surpassed.

Motherwort Vies for the Honor of Being the Best Heart Tonic Known.

It calms and supports the heart and nerves, and may be used in large doses. Motherwort is beneficial as a healing tonic in recovery from debilitating fever where other tonics are inadmissible; it is a good diaphoretic.

Coronary Disease and Chocolate

In 1970, Dr. Lawrence A. Kohn, M.D., from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry conducted a survey correlating the incidence of coronary disease among older male patients with chocolate consumption in their lives. His results showed that 45 percent of 40 men tested who had coronary disease had used chocolate extensively in early life while only 18 percent of the men free of coronary troubles had the chocolate habit early in life. Another survey which he conducted at Strong Memorial Hospital showed that 55 percent of the males questioned who had coronary disease had been chocoholics in their youth (Kohn, 1970, pp. 2-3).

The fact that caffeine depletes the bodies calcium and places additional stress on the arteries, nerves, and endocrine system enables one to see caffeine in chocolate as one of the contributing factors to coronary disorders. We recommend the herbal calcium formula, the hawthorne berry syrup, and cayenne pepper plus the various herbal aids for the heart, nerves, circulation, in addition to a wholesome diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds, plus the elimination of chocolate and other stress-producing foods from the menu.

Alfalfa & Heart Disease

Alfalfa leaves are extremely rich in calcium…this accounts for the claims of herbalists and doctors concerning the benefits of using alfalfa for repairing tooth damage and strengthening the structure of the teeth. Calcium is also necessary for proper muscle function–That includes the heart muscle as well. Calcium regulates the heart rhythm. How much simpler to indulge in alfalfa early in life rather than a pacemaker in later life.

Hawthorn Berry to Build and Strengthen the Heart:

The heart is our life pump, and when it is not properly fed (with wholesome foods) it suffers malfunction (weakness and heart attacks) causing the heart failure condition that is one of the world’s greatest killers. The mucusless diet used over a period of time can rebuild a heart to a good strong condition, but if the heart, its valves, and other working parts are in a weakened condition and need quick help we use a great “heart food or tonic” to assist it back to health. This food is the hawthorn berry … This Berry, or Herb, or drug… is claimed to be a curative remedy for organic and functional heart disorders such as dyspnea, rapid and feeble heart action, hypertrophy, valvular insufficiency sufficiency, and heart oppression. Hawthorn berry extract is an aid and preservative. Recommended dosage is one half teaspoon three times in a day.

World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease:

By Dr. Dwight Lundell

Read the entire article at: http://preventdisease.com/news/12/030112_World-Renown-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease.shtml

We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong… As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

It Is Not Working!

These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.

Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.

Inflammation is not complicated — it is quite simply your body’s natural defense to a foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute inflammation is beneficial.

What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.

By eliminating inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food, you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body from consuming the typical American diet.

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Blood Pressure Spike

March 7, 2022September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

When the blood pressure spikes to dangerous levels the need to know what to do and also know that what you are doing will support the issue is vital. Last week after making a pot of scrumptious vegetable bean soup including a can of butter beans which I failed to check the sodium level before adding, my blood pressure spiked. I will not share how high it had gone as it will disturb many kindhearted souls who will know how dangerous the levels were.

The afternoon and evening after consuming the soup I did not feel well but was not overly concerned. In the morning after a good night of rest I woke with a headache and feeling a little off, dizzy, just a bit lightheaded. I decided to take my blood pressure and found it to be in very serious condition. Here is what I did to bring the numbers down quickly. By 2pm my blood pressure was down to 106/62. A little low for my normal 110/74.

1 tsp Cayenne in my morning drink of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar with distilled water.

This drink was repeated four times before noon.

2 tsp. High Blood pressure #1 formula right after drinking my cayenne drink

Hi BP #1 was repeated two more times before noon at 1 tsp per dose.

I also took my regular dose of Echinacea.

1 rounded teaspoon of Burdock root added to cup then boiling water poured over the herb. This was allowed to steep for 15 minutes before drinking. Burdock root supports the kidneys to better filter waste from the blood.

The NF Formula was a true gift as I did not need to have a panic attack over the very high numbers that kept showing on the BP monitor. I used ½ tsp one time early in the day to keep calm.

Complete faith and a working knowledge that what I was doing would support my blood pressure allowed me to proceeded into my day as I normally would. I did not get on the treadmill as I was feeling a bit weak but that was the only part of my day I left out. The more I moved around getting my shower and dressing I felt stronger, my head stopped pounding midmorning. Every hour or so I would take my blood pressure again to find it was still much higher than normal or safe. Understanding that the Cayenne would support my heart and prevent a stroke I took the hot lemonade with the tsp of cayenne every hour throughout the morning.

When our employees left for the day at 2pm, I went back upstairs and took my pressure once again and found it to be 106/62. My body had removed the excess sodium and its effect from my system. My pressure has continued at its normal levels. Yes, I was concerned but I knew without a doubt that what I was doing to support my body would work. This is how faith grows through time and experience. The herbs are powerful gifts form the Father, with the nutritional strength to support life and health when used in a crisis.

HEAL Classes, Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Understanding Cholesterol Class

September 20, 2021September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

Our class meets on Zoom Tuesday Sept 21st at 6:30 PM Est

HEAL Members are welcome to join us, if you would like a link for the class email or text Dara before 4pm Tuesday afternoon.

Cholesterol is usually seen as the enemy; a harmful substance we must try hard to lower in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The truth is, Cholesterol performs many vital functions in our body; the truth is we could not live with it. There are also very real negative health consequences associated with lowering our cholesterol too far, we will take a look at these.

Recent discoveries of a host of measurable substances in our blood that are proving to be much stronger predictors of our risk of heart disease than cholesterol. Substances such as Homocysteine, C-reactive protein, lipoprotein(a) and insulin all seem to be involved in the initiation and progression of heart disease, irrespective of our cholesterol level. Inflammation seems to be the major trigger for the development of atherosclerosis (fatty plaques in the arteries). Learning what causes inflammation and how we can reduce it in the body are key to better heart health.

high-cholesterol Download

moritz__andreas_-_the_amazing_liver_cleanse__1_Download

Functions of Cholesterol

Membrane Function: Cholesterol forms part of the cell membrane of each cell in our body. Due to its being a hard fat, it gives the membranes rigidity and stability.

Synthesis of steroid hormones. The sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, DHEA and testosterone are made out of cholesterol.

Synthesis of adrenal hormones. The hormone aldosterone regulates water and sodium balance in the body and is made out of cholesterol. Cortisol is a hormone that regulates metabolism suppresses inflammation and is produces as a response to stress. When we are under chronic stress our bodies manufacture a great deal more cholesterol.

Bile production. 80% of the cholesterol in our body is used by the liver to produce bile salts. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and used to help in the digestion and absorption of dietary fats and fat soluble vitamins. This is the major route of exit of cholesterol from the body. Bile is secreted into our intestines and leaves the body in the bowel movements.

Vitamin D synthesis. Sunlight hitting our skin converts cholesterol into vitamin D, which is needed to keep our bones strong. Vitamin D has other important functions in our body; it boosts the immune system and helps to keep the blood pressure normal. Getting a bit of sunlight on our skin most days of the week can help to lower your cholesterol level by facilitating it conversion to vitamin D.

Skin Protection. Cholesterol is secreted into our skin, where it covers and protects us from dehydration, cracking and the drying effects of the elements. It helps to keep your skin looking plump and wrinkle free. Cholesterol has a role in healing, we know this because there are high amounts of it found in scar tissue.

Serotonin Function. Cholesterol is necessary for the function of serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is a feel-good chemical that helps to protect us from depression. Several studies have shown that low cholesterol levels are associated with depression and violent behavior.

Myelin Sheath formation. Cholesterol is the main fat present in the myelin sheath, which coats our nerve cells and enables electrical impulses to occur in our brain and spinal cord. A healthy myelin sheath is needed for good concentration and memory

Antioxidant function. Cholesterol helps to transport fat soluble antioxidants around our body, such as vitamins E and A and several antioxidant enzymes.

Cholesterol and other fats in the bloodstream

Cholesterol is not very soluble in water; therefore it must be carried around the bloodstream in various transport molecules. Certain proteins called apolipoproteins can wrap around cholesterol and other blood fats (lipids) to form what is called lipoproteins; these are essentially a combination of protein and fat.

Class Handouts:

cholesterol Download

triglycerides-cholesterol Download

The Major fats in the bloodstream are:

Chylomicrons

These are the largest lipoproteins, and mainly transport fat from the intestines to the liver. They mainly carry triglyceride fats and cholesterol which come from the diet, and those manufactured by the liver.

Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL)

These are the lowest density lipoproteins because they are highest in fat; (the denser the lipoprotein, the more protein it contains). VLDLs are made in the liver and deliver triglycerides to various tissues, especially muscle (for energy production), and body fat (for storage).

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

This is the so called “bad cholesterol”. It is the major transporter of cholesterol and triglycerides, taking them from the liver to other parts of the body, where they can be used for various functions. You need your levels of LDL to be as low as possible.

There are other types of LDL:

Small dense LDL

This form of LDL is more likely to be taken up into the inner linings of arteries and promote atherosclerosis.

Oxidized LDL

This is what happens when free radicals cause damage to LDL molecules. This makes them more likely to promote damage to the inner lining of arteries, and for atherosclerosis to develop.

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

This is the so called “good Cholesterol”. It is high in protein which makes it denser and lower in cholesterol. This lipoprotein takes cholesterol from various parts of the body to the liver, where it can be excreted in bile. HDL carries antioxidant enzymes and vitamins to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol You want your HDL to be as high as possible.

Triglycerides

These are a storage form of fat, made up of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule. High triglyceride levels in the blood make it thick and sticky; they are a major risk factor for heart disease. Both excess carbohydrate and fat in our diet are converted into triglycerides in the liver.

Lipoprotein (a)

This particle is similar to LDL, but carries a sticky repair protein called apolipoprotein (a) which is used for tissue repair. It is a major risk factor for heart disease because it thickens the walls of the arteries.

Reasons for High Cholesterol

1) Poor Diet
- Excess Carbohydrate
- Trans Fatty Acids
- Lack of Fiber
2) Genetic factors
3) Hypothyroidism
4) Stress
5) Lack of Exercise
6) Smoking

Hazards of Low Cholesterol

Aggressive behavior, Depression and Suicide
Slower Brain Function
Weak Immune System
Hormone Deficiencies
Shorter Life Span
Greater risk of Cancer

How Low Should You Go

You should aim for a cholesterol Level of 183mg/dL to 214mg/dL.

Levels below 179mg/dl can be unhealthy. The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 178mg/dL

Heart, Blood & Circulation, Herbal Healing

Edema aka Dropsy

February 19, 2021September 29, 2026 Dara Dietz

Definition

Abnormal and excessive accumulation or infiltration of diluted lymph serum in the interfibrillar spaces of the subcutaneous connective tissue or in the serious (peritoneal or pleural) cavities of the body which do not drain.

Edema or Dropsy-info-sheetDownload

Symptoms

This condition is accompanied by swelling, scanty urine, poor appetite, sluggishness, and debility. The swelling usually begins in the feet and ankles and proceeds up the legs towards the abdomen.

Cause

Heavy salt users often have edema as do diabetics. We do not pinpoint the symptoms as to locality (hydrocephalus, hydrothorax, ascites, etc.), as does orthodox medicine, but the general problem is that fluid does not eliminate properly through the kidneys and skin.

Dr. Edward Shook had the following to say about dropsy (Edema):

“When sulfuric acid is generated within the organism, it immediately unites with water and swells up. This action produces heat, which expands the capillaries. The osmotic pressure forces the serum through the walls of the blood vessels, producing inflammation and dropsy (edema).

Hence the using of inorganic matter is always poisonous to the human organism in spite of all the apparent evidence to the contrary.”

What Can be Done for Dropsy?

This was a question put to Dr. Christopher in his newsletter. His answer: For mild or beginning forms of dropsy caused by urinary malfunction, we have the following:

For a severe case let us cite a good case of how it can be handled in most cases.

A lady came into our weekly Tuesday night lecture a little late, after we had barely started. She asked if she could interrupt and tell something that had happened to her since the last lecture, a week ago. We said we’d be happy to hear her story, so she told us the reason she was a little late was because of a long distance phone call she had just received.

Just after the last lecture, the Tuesday before, she received a call from her brother-in-law in Chicago. He told her that if she wanted to see her twin sister alive she had better fly back there immediately because the doctors had said she had only a day or two to live.

Our student took a few days off from work and arrived in Chicago on the following Friday. She went in to see her sister and would not have recognized her if she hadn’t been told who it was. Her sister was so badly swollen from edema (dropsy) that she seemed to be only a bloated, unrecognizable mass of flesh. She had been under doctors’ care for a number of months, and they had been unable to give her anything but temporary aid from the water accumulation. Now they were utterly baffled and had, at the family’s request, sent her home from the hospital to die (being given a day or two or slightly more grace).

The sick and suffering twin was in a coma, not recognizing anyone, and our student cried when she saw her favorite sister lying there helpless, with little school children needing their mother so much, so she asked the husband if he would allow her to use an herbal routine she had heard about at a lecture recently. He said the family’s doctor was just waiting for her to die anyway, so go ahead!

Our lady found a little health food store nearby and bought some parsley root and glycerine (this was animal glycerine, we now use vegetable glycerine which is superior).

When she got back she made up parsley root tea (one teaspoon of herb to a cup of water, or one ounce of herb to the pint of water), making up about one gallon of the tea. (Steam distilled water is 30% more efficient than tap water and is our choice.)

One quart of the tea was used straight to give to this patient orally, and three quarts of the parsley root tea was mixed with equal parts of glycerine (making six quarts of the mixture) for fomentations.

They would give a cup of parsley tea each one half hour to the patient to drink, and the heated combination (of parsley and glycerine) was used as a fomentation over the badly swollen legs, arms and abdomen. This was done by soaking white flannel cloths and laying them over the areas. (Use cotton or wool, never use synthetic cloth.)

As the patient lay there so helpless, her sister remembered instructions given to follow the progress of the treatment. She was to lift the corner of the cloth, after the fomentation had been on for a short time, and watch to see if the pores were starting to take the water from swollen areas. She said that as she looked it was like seeing hundreds of little springs coming from the body. She had made this trip and was walking by faith, using a formula she did not know about or had ever used before. She had just heard of it at our lecture that previous Tuesday. She had to fly back to work on Monday, so she left all the instructions with the husband to continue on with the program that had been started.

After work Tuesday she rushed home to get ready for the regular Tuesday night herb lecture and the phone rang. It was her brother-in-law from Chicago. He said, “There is someone here who would like to talk to you.” He put his wife on the phone. Even though she had laid helpless for months and part of the time in a semi-conscious condition, she was on the phone now, so happy she was crying. The swelling had gone down, and she was recovering rapidly–in fact she said she got the children’s breakfast and fixed their school lunches that day and was so grateful “to be a mother again”–not a dying patient. There were not many dry eyes in the lecture room that Tuesday night when she finished her story.