Top # Natural Blood Thinners: Foods & Dietary Supplements

Overview on natural blood thinners

Blood plays a crucial role in helping the body work properly. When you get wounded or cut yourself, you bleed, but after a few seconds, the bleeding stops. This is due to the clotting factors present in the blood. While blood prefers to flow throughout the body, it prevents itself from flowing all out. If the process of clotting did not exist, people would have bled to death every second.

While clotting is vital for survival, some conditions cause blood to clot without any specific cause. In such instances, you can die from blocked arteries or even blood vessel ruptures. Opting for blood thinners home remedies on a routine basis can help prevent such instances. Read on to know how to make blood thin naturally.

How do blood thinners work?

Blood is mainly made of plasma and has about 45 percent solids comprising red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The plasma helps with the fluidity and flow, while the RBCs and WBCs perform functions like transporting food, exchanging gases, and providing immunity. Moreover, the platelets contribute to the clotting of blood.

Blood thinners help with the flow of the blood and ensure that the platelets do not clot easily. Blood thinners also do not break up clots, but they do prevent existing clots from clumping together. There are mainly two methods that natural blood thinners use to achieve this.

• One method prevents the working of vitamin K or weakens the effects of vitamin K and is known as anticoagulants.
• Another method works on preventing the platelets to stick together or to the vessel wall and causing a blockage. This are known as antiplatelets.

Natural blood-thinning foods to eat

While dense blood is a good sign, as it indicates a good platelet count, in people who have acquired genetic disorders that cause blockages of blood vessels as the platelet production is too high, keeping the platelets away from each other is crucial. When looking for how to thin blood naturally, opting for blood thinning fruits and vegetables is a must.

One can argue that blood thinners as medicines are available, so there is no need to focus on natural blood-thinning foods or blood thinner home remedies. While it is true that a plethora of blood thinners are available in the market, most of them are prescription drugs, and unless a doctor suggests using them, obtaining them will be a legal issue. Also, medications are often used as the penultimate step when the diet does not work. Incorporating natural blood thinners in daily diet can work wonders over time and they have no side effects. Some of the natural blood thinning foods are:

Turmeric 

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. But, the spice is rich in curcumin that acts as a natural anticoagulant. This makes turmeric a great blood thinner food.

Ginger

This spice is high in salicylate and is a potent natural blood thinner. Consuming ginger can help in the prevention of blood clotting as it has gingerol, which is an antiplatelet compound.

Vitamin E foods 

Adding foods rich in vitamin E can be a great way to help thin blood. Vitamin E is known to weaken the effects of vitamin K and prevent the clotting of blood within the vessels.

Cassia Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a great source of coumarin, which is also the main content of Warfarin, and acts as a great natural blood thinner. That said, the addition of too much cinnamon to the diet can cause liver damage, as it works as an anticoagulant.

Ginkgo biloba

This ancient herb is currently very popular in the US and China. Ginkgo is known for its many properties, like improving memory, countering blood disorders, and improving energy levels. Ginkgo, as per research, is also known to act as a blood thinner and help dissolve clots. While researchers are still unsure about the claims of clot-dissolving capabilities of Ginkgo, the herb is not known to have side effects.

Natural blood-thinning drinks to try

While there are no such specific drinks that act as natural blood thinners, fruits, herbs and flowers can be used as juices or teas to get the same effect. Medicinal teas have been part of the Eastern culture for millennia. Ideally, any spice that acts as a blood thinner can be used as condiment for teas or coffee.

Recently, turmeric coffee is trending for being beneficial for weight loss, counter period pain, and boosting immunity. Since turmeric is already known for its anticoagulation property, adding turmeric to coffee or simply milk can be beneficial.

Some of the drinks that act as effective blood thinners are:

Ginseng tea 

Ginseng is known to help reduce blood pressure and recent studies have shown that ginseng, especially the female ginseng Dong quai, can help in reducing clot formation in the blood. Ginseng is a good source of coumarin and it works as an anticoagulant.

Feverfew tea 

feverfew is known for its medicinal effects in treating migraine pains and also for its natural way to counter fever. Recent studies have shown that feverfew also contains antiplatelet properties. This helps prevent the platelets from sticking to each other and causing blockages in blood vessels.

Pineapple juice 

pineapple contains bromelain, which is known for its anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties. Drinking fresh pineapple juice can help in reducing the chances of clot formation in the body.

Red wine 

alcohol is a known blood thinner as it affects the platelet count in the body. Red wine has beneficial effects on the heart. Another benefit of red wine is that it helps reduce clot formation.

Supplements to take for blood thinning

Apart from medicines, supplements are also present that can provide natural blood thinning properties. Supplements are dietary additives that take care of any deficiency. People who have vitamin deficiency and cannot eat proper food are often advised to take multivitamin supplements.

Blood thinner supplements are made with natural substances. The natural blood thinner mentioned above are used to make these supplements. The vital phytonutrients that are present in these foods and are causative agents for blood thinning are extracted and made into supplements. Adding supplement intake as part of the daily diet.

Conclusion

Blood thinners help keep the flow of blood smooth, without any problems. Natural foods and drinks like turmeric or grapeseed oil help counter the coagulant platelets. But, not every food is healthy for everyone. People who suffer from kidney or liver disorders need to keep proper track of what they eat or drink. Natural blood thinners are potent and are not only rich in vitamin E or anticoagulation properties. It is always wise to consult a doctor before ingesting any medicinal food or drink.

FAQs

Can coffee act as a natural blood thinner?

Coffee is known to increase energy levels and studies have also suggested that caffeine can decrease the space available in the blood vessels. While some reports do suggest that caffeine does have anticoagulant properties, it is better to avoid overconsumption of caffeine, as it can affect heart rate.

Should one mix natural and allopathic treatment?

It is never advised to consume both allopathic and ayurvedic or homeopathic products together. Allopathy medications are very specific in terms of the chemicals that will help with blood thinning. Ayurvedic products use the whole plant, so they contain more than one phytochemical. Mixing these two can affect organs that are already diseased.

Can blood thinners interfere with surgery?

Yes, blood thinners can affect the surgical procedure. People who are getting operated on for conditions like stroke or coronary artery disease are given blood thinners to prevent the formation of additional clots.

References

• healthline
• webmed
• medicalnewstoday
• livestrong