Update 3-17-24 I just received this article on regenerative blood vessel health:
https://greenmedinfo.com/content/kitchen-staple-holds-regenerative-key-blood-vessels-onions-vascular-healing-ca

I have been asked, by 3-4 people, to share some information on supporting healthy blood circulation. So here we go…

Circulation of bodily fluids, blood being a primary one, is how nourishment gets carried to our body cells. Circulation is also how the waste products of cellular metabolism get carried away from our body cells. Cells receive nutrients and cells remove their “garbage” through the pathways of circulation. Circulation is a primary and important function of our bodies.

Basic lifestyle medicine for promotion of vibrant blood circulation:

• A body that moves and maintains a decent level of fitness. When our body is physically fit; our cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems function optimally. Our bodies were meant for motion. Motion creates contraction of tissue and supports moving fluids. With that said…
• Rest: our bodies also function best with optimal daily rest. This means both optimal sleep at night and relaxing rest periods throughout the day. When our body is deeply relaxed, sleeping or otherwise, our tissues relax. Relaxation promotes flow of bodily fluids.  We thrive with a healthy balance of motion (contraction) and rest (relaxation).
• Real food intake. Our blood maintains its viscosity and vital components best when we eat a whole food diet. Junk food, fast food, and refined food (anything not natural) interferes with blood composition and bloods state of fluidity. When we eat substances that are not natural, our blood can be affected by becoming thicker or sticky impeding flow.
• Healthy body weight. Maintaining a body weight and composition that is fitting for one’s frame and constitution supports healthy blood flow. In order for nutrients to get to body cells, there has to be blood vessels. Excess weight contains extra blood vessels that the heart has to service by pumping blood through to the cells. The more miles of blood vessel, the harder the heart has to work.
• Stress: understanding our reaction to trying events, creating awareness of when and how we react with frustration and stress, and working to change our reactions to instead taking calm and thoughtful action does support healthy blood flow. When we are triggered into stress responses, our whole body tenses. Tense bodies equal tense blood vessels. If we contract our hands into tight fists, we can experience this feeling of tenseness. Blood flow is impeded when our blood vessels are tense.
• Lifestyle habits such as alcohol and smoking impact the flow of blood by contributing to hardening of blood vessels. Blood flows best through pliable vessels. See above.

There are many options to enhance blood flow. Optimizing circulation involves looking at one’s lifestyle medicine (one’s habits of living) and thoughtfully considering where changes can be made. The list above is an excellent starting point to gently evaluate, with a neutral and non-judgmental awareness, where improvements can be made in one’s health and healing habits.

Other health and healing habits to enhance blood flow:

• Replace refined table salt with unrefined salt. This includes watching the salt intake from packaged foods. Does the packaged food product use an unrefined salt in the making of the product?
• Drink enough water daily to stay hydrated. This is a personal habit that varies with each person based upon an individual’s constitution, daily habits, the weather of the day, and the season we are currently in. To recommend that every person needs to drink eight 8-oz glasses of water daily is as ridiculous as saying every adult needs to eat 2,350 calories daily. We all have unique needs that vary from day to day and season to season.
• Massage and dry brush your body. Create massage and/or brushing motions that focus on movement towards the heart. Move upwards from the feet, up your legs to your torso and from move from the hands upwards towards the shoulders and your heart. Massage your head and neck downwards towards heart and your pelvis and torso upwards towards the heart.
• Healing therapies such as acupuncture are supportive of blood vessel and blood flow health.
• Use herbs and spices in your cooking and eating that support blood flow. I will list several here and if you are so interested, I invite you to look up information and learn more about Nature’s Plant Medicines.

1. Pepper: black, red, and gourmet peppercorns as well as hot peppers like cayenne and jalapeno.
2. Garlic: it is just good for everything.
3. Onions
4. Warming spices such as Ginger, Turmeric, and Cinnamon.
5. Spices traditionally viewed as Italian: Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme.
6. There are medicinal herbs that are wonderful for supporting circulation of blood: strengthening blood vessel walls, reducing bodily inflammation, and improving blood flow.

• Ginkgo leaf,
• Gotu kola,
• Hawthorne,
• Bilberry,
• Bacopa,
• Motherwort, and
• Butcher’s broom are just some of the medicinal herbs for circulation that pop into my head.

When choosing medicinal herbs, it is a good idea to consider your constitution (hot, dry, damp, cold) and choose herbs that work with your constitution and your specific healing needs. Perhaps you might seek support from an Herbalist to choose the best herbal options for you.

When our blood flows well, our body cells are nourished, and we can experience optimal health. Vital blood flow prevents blood pressure issues and plays a large role in the prevention of many diseases, both acute and chronic disease. The health of the body relies on the transportation of *nutrients to the cells and the transportation of cellular wastes away from the cells.

If circulation is working well, our cells are healthy.

Healthy cells = healthy humans.

*Nutrients: the nourishment from food and I also mean all of the bodily chemicals we produce that make our bodily functions happen: hormones, digestive chemicals, enzymes, etc. All of these substances work together to nourish our body cells and our whole being.

I keep information quite simple instead of going into the metabolic / physiological processes impacted by each lifestyle choice or herb. Writing a book is not my intention. However, inspiring you to ask question, explore, and learn bout your own health and choices is an intention.

And, as always, information is my thoughts – education – experience woven together into my lived wisdom and not the Potsdam Food Co-op’s information.