I’m dyin’ over here. Since Kenley Janson left the team, the Dodgers have really been taking on water. Yes, I’m talking baseball, a most magnificent game.
In case you didn’t hear, Kenley Janson went down about six games ago and we haven’t won since. Kenley Janson is only the greatest reliever since Mariano Rivera. He’s even greater than Ganier.
Anyway, Janson has some type of heart problem. It has to do with his heartbeat. It isn’t anything structural, but something functional. Most all medications regardless of being herbs or pharmaceuticals, they all affect body function.
Of course, I’m thinking about haw, i.e., hawthorn, i.e., Crataegus pinnatifida. In Iowa, we knew them as crab apples, just a certain kind. The help/harm ratio of haw for heart issue is high. Here are some of my thoughts regarding administration of haw for Kenley Janson speedy recovery.
- Haw has a long history in traditional Western herbalism for regulating heart functional pathologies. By “regulating” we mean bringing heart function back into balance. This may sound vague, but in the case of heart beat irregularities, then it isn’t.
- Haw has a scouring effect which enhances vascular flow. In short, it improves circulation by cleaning the veins and arteries.
- Haw improves heart and lung efficiency. An irregular heart beat can be characterized by being either rapid or marked by periodic stoppages. If the cause of such activity is not caused by infection, then haw is the most effective tool in my bag.
- Haw has properties that metabolize fat, which makes it good for digestive and gallbladder-related complaints. This translates into helping cholesterol issues. Cholesterol overall is a complicated issue. Haw’s ability to metabolize fat is not. Fat is considered a type of phlegm in Chinese medicine. Some phlegm arises from the body’s inability to metabolize fat. The gallbladder breaks down fat, when functioning well. When functionally deficient, the gallbladder can’t breakdown fats, which can be deposited in other parts of the body including the vasculature.
- Haw is safe when taken correctly. Chinese medicine rarely prescribes a single herb. From its perspective, correct administration of any herb requires blending the effects of the herb with other herbs. This means combining additional herbs to produce an overall effect.
Haw combinations vary. Some tend toward addressing digestion, others heart. I’ve adapted a formula from a now-discontinued production from a famous Chinese factory that was aimed toward excess cholesterol. The adaptations are two or three herbs that have good research or reputation behind them.