Natural blood thinners reduce the Blood's ability to form clots. Blood clotting is necessary, but sometimes Blood can clot too much, leading to potentially dangerous complications.
People with certain medical conditions, such as congenital heart defects, may need blood-thinning medications to reduce their heart attack or stroke risk.
Blood thinners work in two ways. Antiplatelets prevent blood cells from adhering together and forming clots. Clotting is slowed down by anticoagulants.
See also: Herbal Medicine Recipes
It's important to talk to your doctor before trying natural remedies, as they may not work as well as medications and can interfere with some prescription medications.
Some foods and other substances that can act as natural blood thinners and help reduce the risk of blood clots are as follows:
Turmeric
Turmeric, a golden spice, has long been used in culinary and medicinal applications. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which appears to have anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning or anticoagulant properties.
A 2019 review in the EPMA Journal suggests that turmeric may help block blood clots and advises caution when combining turmeric with blood-thinning medications.
To make a soothing tea, people can add turmeric to curries and soups or mix it with hot water.
Ginger
Ginger is another anti-inflammatory spice that can stop blood clotting. It contains a naturally occurring acid called salicylic. Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a synthetic derivative of salicylates and a potent blood thinner.
To obtain the anticoagulant effects of natural salicylates, people may wish to use fresh or dried ginger regularly in baking, cooking, and juicing.
However, it is unlikely that natural salicylates are as effective as blood-thinning medications.
A 2015 literature review of 10 studies also showed that ginger's effect on blood clotting is unclear. This means more research is needed to understand ginger's potential blood-thinning properties fully.
Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is also high in salicylate and can act as a strong blood-thinning agent.
A 2019 study in the Ascendents Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research found that cayenne pepper extract slowed blood clotting in type O+ blood samples.
Cayenne pepper, on the other hand, is quite spicy, and many people can only tolerate it in small quantities.
Capsules containing cayenne pepper are available at health food stores and online. Other advantages of this spice include:
- lower blood pressure
- improve circulation
- reduce pain sensation
Vitamin E
Vitamin E decrease blood clotting in a variety of ways. This effect depends on the amount of vitamin E a person consumes.
The National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements advises that people taking blood-thinning medications should avoid taking large doses of vitamin E.
It's not clear how much vitamin E thins the Blood, although it's possible people need to take more than 400 international units (IU) per day.
Taking high doses of vitamin E supplements, for example, above 1,500 IU daily, may have negative effects in the long term.
It may be safer to get vitamin E from food rather than supplements. Foods that contain vitamin E include:
- almond nut
- safflower oil
- sunflower oil
- sunflower seed
- spinach
- peanut butter
- whole grains
Garlic
Garlic has natural antibiotic and antimicrobial properties, in addition to its often desirable taste in food and cooking.
A 2018 Food, Science and Biotechnology study reported that garlic powder exhibited antithrombotic activity in mice. Antithrombotic agents are substances that reduce the formation of blood clots.
A 2020 review of studies found that garlic supplements help reduce blood pressure and have a mild antithrombotic effect.
Read: Recipe Garlic Herbal Tea for people with blood clots
Research from 2015 in Medicines notes that because dietary supplements, including garlic, can affect platelet function and coagulation, it's best to avoid them before surgery.
Cassia cinnamon
Cinnamon contains coumarin, a powerful blood-thinning agent. Warfarin, a commonly used blood-thinning medication, is derived from coumarin.
According to a 2012 study published in Pharmacognosy Research, Chinese cassia cinnamon contains significantly more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon. Long-term consumption of coumarin-rich cinnamon, on the other hand, can cause liver damage.
It's best to stick to small amounts of cinnamon in your diet and use other natural blood thinners.
Ginkgo biloba
For thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine professionals have used the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree. Ginkgo biloba is a well-known herbal supplement in the United States and Europe. It is used to treat memory problems and blood disorders.
According to a 2019 study in Bioorganic Chemistry, some of the compounds in Ginkgo biloba can block thrombin, an enzyme that causes blood clotting.
However, researchers conduct research in the laboratory, not on humans or animals. More research is needed to see if ginkgo has the same effect on the human body.
Grape seed extract
Some evidence suggests that grape seed extract may have potential benefits for some heart and blood conditions.
It may also help prevent high blood pressure, although research is mixed.
Grape seed extract has the potential to act as a natural blood thinner. Because of these effects, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises that certain groups of people should not take grape seed extract, including people:
- with blood disorders
- who take blood thinners
- who will have surgery
Dong Quai
Another traditional Chinese herb that can reduce blood clotting is Dong Quai, also known as "female ginseng."
This effect may be due to the coumarin in dong Quai, the same substance that makes cinnamon a strong anticoagulant.
However, a small 2015 study on Blood found that consuming 1,000 milligrams (mg) of dong Quai daily did not significantly affect blood clotting. The authors suggest that more research is required.
Dong Quai is taken orally and can be found in herbal teas or soups.
Feverfew
Feverfew is a medicinal herb that belongs to the same family as daisies or the Asteraceae family. People may use feverfew for:
- migraine
- rheumatoid arthritis
- fever
After stopping feverfew, the person's blood clotting returns to normal. According to one case report in the Journal of Medical Cases, taking feverfew was followed by vaginal bleeding and longer menstrual cycles. The report's authors caution against taking feverfew before surgery or with blood-thinning medications.
However, studies are needed in large groups of people to confirm these effects.
Feverfew is available as a capsule or a liquid.
Bromelain
Bromelain is an enzyme extracted from pineapple. It may have anti-inflammatory properties and is an effective remedy for cardiovascular disease.
One 2016 study from Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis found that bromelain added to in vitro blood samples increased the time it takes blood to clot or its prothrombin time. However, injecting bromelain into small numbers of mice did not show this effect, and more research needs to be done.
Bromelain is available in supplement form from health and drug stores.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera has been used topically and as a dietary supplement for hundreds of years. People take it to help with conditions including:
- constipation
- inflammation
- diabetes
Like ginger and cayenne pepper, aloe vera contains salicylates which may have a blood-thinning effect.
One 2020 study in The Professional Medical Journal found that aloe vera gel exhibited an antiplatelet effect similar to aspirin when added to Blood in the laboratory. However, more research is needed on aloe vera as a dietary supplement in humans.
People can take aloe vera as a capsule or as a soft gel. Because of its potential effect on bleeding, people should stop taking aloe vera at least two weeks before having surgery.
Evening primrose
Evening primrose oil, also known as Oenothera biennis oil, may be beneficial:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- menopausal symptoms
- cardiovascular problems
- many other conditions
In fact, in the 1600s, evening primrose was known as the "King of all things medicine" in Europe.
Evening primrose oil can also reduce blood clotting. A 2020 case study in Cureus reports that a woman's thrombocytopenia, a condition in which the number of platelets in the Blood is low, was likely exacerbated by her taking black cumin oil and evening primrose oil.
Research from 2017 on mice also showed that taking evening primrose oil could help prevent drug-induced thrombosis, a dangerous condition in which blood clots form inside blood vessels.
However, more research on large groups of people is needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of supplements for health conditions.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body to regulate circadian rhythms. Melatonin is also used as a supplement to help with sleep and sleep disorders.
Studies show that melatonin may affect blood clotting. One 2020 review of research from Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research suggests that melatonin can block the clumping of platelets to form clots.
A study from 2017 in the Journal of Pineal Research also found that melatonin inhibits platelet activation, a process that causes clotting.
Melatonin may increase the risk of bleeding if combined with warfarin (Coumadin). It can also interact with other medications. As with any supplement, it's important to talk to your doctor before taking melatonin.
Take away
Many natural substances can reduce clotting to some degree. But natural remedies are unlikely to be as effective as blood-thinning medications, and people at risk of developing blood clots should not use them as a substitute for prescription medications.
Government authorities do not monitor herbs and supplements as closely as food and medicine. One should research different brands carefully before buying to ensure the products are of high quality.
People taking prescription blood thinners should only use natural remedies after talking to their doctor first.
Although natural, some substances and foods can thin the Blood too much, especially if combined with medications. It can raise the risk of bleeding.
People can usually safely consume foods with potential blood-thinning properties in reasonable amounts. However, talking to a doctor before trying herbal remedies such as Dong Quai and grape seed extract is important.
Note that people should not use some of these products together with Blood thinning medications.
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00210-017-1342-y
http://www.theprofesional.com/index.php/tpmj/article/view/4007
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6966103/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10068-018-0469-z
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
https://ojs.aaresearchindex.com/index.php/AAJMRA/article/view/4190
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4619316/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6459456/