Blood building and cardio-protective tonic
My family history includes a slew of cardiovascular diseases. There’s nothing more I want for my father than good health in his elder years. When he came to visit earlier this month, I prepared a tonic just for him. It contained a blend of beets, ginger, nettles, and molasses.
If you are an herbalist, you are probably wondering what happened to the hawthorn berry. Well, I saved the hawthorns for a different infusion. The beets, ginger, and nettle all bring wonderful for the heart in their own way. Beets are high in natural nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide production improves blood flow and vascular function. Ginger helps suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines and has a mild anti-coagulant effect, which can help prevent blood clots.
Nettle has mild diuretic effects supporting healthy blood pressure, and its rich flavonoid content helps combat oxidative stress. The molasses is high in iron (nettles, too) and helps combat anemia. So I was very happy to send my father back home with a liter of this tonic. He’s not one to remember to take prescription meds daily or keep up with refills.
However, he will remember to take a tasty, nutritive tonic made by his one and only daughter. It puts my mind and heart at ease knowing that with herbalism, I can help my family win the fight against heart disease.
