Foods & Herbs That Thin The Blood

[Michelle KochStudent]

Hello, Fellow Students!  I’ve seen a few posts asking what herbs/foods can do this or that to our blood, and thought I would share what I’ve learned so far.  Background:  my mother is taking warfarin.  Some of you might know she has to have her blood values tested regularly.  Lately, she has been told her blood is now “too thin.”  They have reduced her warfarin in preparation for an upcoming surgery, but it is still too thin.  Well, it turns out, she is eating things that promote this!  For example, turmeric and pomegranates will help thin your blood! (Mom LOVES pomegranates, and eats 2 or 3 per day)  So she can’t eat them any more.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, she is now allowed to eat lots of dark leafy greens (vitamin K) to help reverse this problem, whereas before, when she was diagnosed, she had to limit her intake of salads and green vegetables, which she also loves.  There are some other foods Mom isn’t supposed to eat, but I can’t remember them all right now.

So if you’re having clotting issues, one way or the other, there are a lot of foods that can influence your blood’s manufacturing practices.  If you or someone you love is currently under medical care/advisement for blood clotting problems, particularly the kind needing blood thinners, please ask your physician for a comprehensive list of foods/plants that may interfere or be “too helpful.”  Mom really thought she was doing a good thing for herself- pomegranates are a super food, after all- but instead was causing more harm.

Hopefully this will help someone.  🙂

[Rebecca LivermoreStudent]

Thanks for sharing this, Michelle. My mom is 92, and on quite a few medications. She was taking a bunch of supplements, and I researched them one by one to determine which ones she should stop taking.

I’m starting to give her herbs here and there, and always research before I give them to her. It is tough when someone is on blood thinners (Eliquis), blood pressure medication, cholesterol meds, etc. Thankfully, I’ve been able to help her quite a bit and she’s been impressed and happy. But caution is definitely needed.

I’m learning a lot as a result of looking all of this stuff up, because obviously, the last thing I want to do it harm her in any way. I haven’t thought as much about food, so I appreciate you sharing your experience. Time for me to do more research!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Michelle Koch

[SharonStudent]

The “funny” thing about your comment was “ask a doctor” – they know nothing about nutrition or natural cures.  If my recollection is correct, they might take 1 hour of that type of education in med school.  But nothing further.  Big Pharma is where their money comes from, so that’s where they will send us.  Sorry to sound jaded, but after seeing MANY doctors for the “stump the doctor” oddity of the year, and getting no where with ANY of them, yes, I guess I am jaded.  I am however, thrilled with the information and education I can get here to be able to figure many things out on my own or with the help of the student forum!

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