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Herbal Remedy for High Blood Pressure
Grapes - Grape seed:
The grape seeds used to produce this
extract are generally obtained from wine manufacturers.
- What Grape seed extract Is Used For
- Grape seed extract is used as an herbal remedy for
conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis
(hardening of the arteries), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poor
circulation.
- Other reasons for the use of grape seed extract include
complications related to diabetes, such as nerve and eye damage; vision
problems, such as macular degeneration (which can cause blindness); and
swelling after an injury or surgery.
- Grape seed extract is also used for cancer prevention and
wound healing.
- Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
- How Grape seed extract
Is Used
- Grape seed extract is prepared from the seed of grapes.
It is available in capsule and tablet forms.
- What the Science Says about
Grape seed extract
- Laboratory studies have shown that grape seed contains
antioxidants-substances that prevent cell damage caused by free radicals,
which are highly reactive molecules that can damage cell function. However,
it is still unclear how grape seed might affect human health.
- Grape seed extracts have shown some beneficial
antioxidant effects in preliminary clinical trials. However, few trials have
looked at specific diseases or conditions, and little scientific evidence is
available.
- A study funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
found that grape seed extract did not reduce the hardening of breast tissue
that can occur after radiation therapy for breast cancer.
- NCI is also funding studies evaluating whether grape seed
extract is effective in preventing breast and prostate cancers.
- NCCAM is studying whether the action of grape seed
extract and its components may benefit the heart or have protective effects
in the brain.
- Side Effects and Cautions of
Grape seed extract
- Grape seed extract is generally well tolerated when taken
by mouth. It has been used safely for up to 8 weeks in clinical trials.
- Side effects that have been reported most often include
headache; a dry, itchy scalp; dizziness; and nausea.
- The interactions between grape seed extract and medicines
or other supplements have not been carefully studied.
- Tell your health care providers about any complementary
and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do
to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
-
Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
-
Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
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