Natural, effective, and safe cholesterol-lowering herbal medicines.
Shanzha (crataegus pinnatifida), Danshen (salvia mitiorrhiza), Green Tea “liu cha” (camellia sinensis), and other well-known cholesterol lowering herbs are commonly used in China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, but these options remain underused in the West. Physician’s options here are limited to prescribing conventional medications. This behavior could be the result from the lack of reliable information on herbal medicine and culture differences.
The Western conventional approach is using statins and other synthetic cholesterol-lowering drugs. Four classes of lipid-lowering drugs are available: the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins), the fibrates (gemfibrozil, clofibrate, and fenofibrate), niacin/nicotinic acid, and the bile acid binding resins (colestipol and cholestyramine).
The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors work by inhibiting a key step in hepatic cholesterol synthesis, leading to decreased levels of total cholesterol. Decreased total cholesterol may lead to an increased number of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, increasing catabolism of LDL and clearing LDL from the circulation. The statins are effective in lowering LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and sometimes elevate high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels as well. They are more likely to lower triglycerides when the levels are markedly elevated.
The statins require periodic monitorings of liver function, as elevation in liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) may occur and may require dose adjustment or cessation of these medications.
The American FDA recommends dose adjustment or cessation when these liver enzymes reach three times the upper limit of normal levels. Because statins are usually effective at a low doses once-a-day and assumed to have minimal side effects, statins-based drugs are considered a first-line therapy for lowering bad cholesterol.
These cholesterol-lowering drugs are widely used in the West. However, in China, physicians prefer to use shanzha (crataegus pinnatifida) extract to reduce bad cholesterol in the blood. Shanzha (crataegus pinnatifida) is also used in combination with Danshen (salvia mitiorrhiza) extract to reduce low-density lipoprotein and improve cardiac functions after myocardial infarction (MI), arterial occlusions, cardiac arritmias, and angina pectoralis.
Statins are labeled safe prescription medications, however those are very dangerous drugs indeed. It is well understood that statins can harm the muscles, but what makes it more dangerous is the fact that in most people the damage occurs slowly and undetectable. By the time it is noticeable it may be too late. Statins can cause damage to the myocardial, the very heart muscle physicians are trying to save when they prescribe statins.
Then, why not using a healthier approach? In my opinion, the Chinese way of using shanzha extract and other well-known cholesterol-lowering herbal remedies, at least, should be tried first before recurring to statins. And when as a last resort, statins is to be used, the patient should also be placed on coenzyme Q-10 supplements to reduce possible heart damaging and other muscles detrimental side effects. Health care practitioners and people in general should be informed on the availability of these natural options.
Shanzha 5:1 Concentrated Extract Powder is the product commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).
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More Information on Shanzha:
Shanzha (crategeous pinnatifida) is also known as “Hawthorn” in some regions. In China, shanzha has been eaten for improving digestive ailments and cardiovascular disorders. Shanzha is utilized together with other herbs in prescription formulas to dissolve food and resolve stagnant digestion caused by accumulations of poor digested foods, characterized by abdominal distention and pain, or diarrhea; it is also used alone or in combination with other herbs for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. Shanzha preparations are also commonly prescribed by physicians in Germany and elsewhere for the treatment of diminished heart performance at the early stages of congestive heart failure (CHF), for angina pectoris, and to help in long-term recovery from heart attacks. It is also used to reduce a sensation of pressure or anxiety in the heart area, age-related heart problems, mild forms of arrhythmias, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
Studies in China and other countries show that shanzha extract lowers serum cholesterol levels and improves cardiac oxygenation and contractility; is useful in the prevention and treatment of arteriosclerosis; and improves circulation to the extremities by helping to reduce resistance in the arteries.
Shanzha apparently lowers serum cholesterol through inhibition of LDL receptor down-regulation. Typically, in a hypercholesterolemic subject, the LDL receptor is down regulated, and the further removal of intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) and LDL from the plasma is prevented. By inhibiting this down-regulation, shanzha enables hepatocytes to take up more LDL from the blood. Cholesterol in the hepatocytes is then cleared through excretion as bile acids or free cholesterol into the biliary system, which drains into the small intestine. This mode of action in reducing serum LDL complements that of the HMGCoA reductase inhibitors, since shanzha can act in combination with these drugs to produce an even more powerful method of treatment of hypercholesterolemia.
This discovery allows shanzha to be used as a therapeutic agent to treat hyperlipidemia, hyperlipoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, and diseases associated with each of these, such as atherosclerosis and pancreatitis.
Shanzha can be used for the treatment of hyperlipidemias, including hypercholesterolemia; hyperlipoproteinemia, including high serum levels of LDL and IDL; and disease states associated with each, such as atherosclerosis and pancreatitis. Shanzha can also be used in normal subjects as a preventative measure to prevent the occurrence of these disorders. People suffering from any of these disorders or wishing to prevent any of these disorders can be treated with shanzha 5:1 extract powder, in an amount effective to decrease blood lipids.
Typical dosages of shanzha 5:1 concentrated extract powder:
Adult dosage range: 1-2 teaspoonfuls b.i.d. or t.i.d. (equivalent to 40-50 gm of crude extract per day for a 60 kg of body weight). Preferably, 3 times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and at night.
Patients can be maintained on shanzha during a short time or long time period to achieve and maintain low serum cholesterol levels of between 160 and 200 mg/dl. Patients undergoing treatment with conventional blood thinner medications should not take shanzha without consulting his/her doctor.
Shanzha 5:1 concentrated extract powder (pharmaceutical graded) is available from our clinic in Miami.
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