Tag: manage cholesterol levels

Cholesterol is an organic molecule that is naturally biosynthesized by all animal cells. It is an essential structural component of the cell membranes of all animals’ cells and it plays an important role in maintaining the structural integrity and fluidity of the membranes. In the human body, cholesterol helps in production of of hormones, vitamins and several mother substances that are important for digestion. Besides being a natural substances produced by the body’s cell, cholesterol can also be derived from foods like meat, eggs, cheese etc. As much as cholesterol is important in normal physiology, if excess in the body it would lead to a number of life threatening conditions like atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. This therefore means that it is important to keep you cholesterol levels at an optimum amounts. With the following Jamaican herbs, you can easily hit a home run at keeping your cholesterol levels at optimum amounts.

1. Pepper elder piper amalago

The pepper elder piper amalago is a shallow rooted herb found in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is also common in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and America. It thrives well in dumb habitats with humid soils, tropical and subtropical climate. It flowers all-round the year and it is easily identified by its succulent stems. For several years the pepper elder has been used in treating several conditions like indigestion, fever, headache, abdominal pain, boils, acne and rheumatic arthritis. Lately, research has proved that the pepper elder helps in lowering the blood cholesterol levels and this makes it an important herb in preventing hypertension and coronary artery disease.

2. Moringa

The Moringa herb is a rapidly growing and a drought resistant plant that is native in North West India. It is commonly cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of Bengal, Odisha, Thailand and southern India. Over the past years it has widely gained popularity due to its outstanding medicinal properties.  It grows up to a height of 10-12 meters and it has a whitish grey bark that is surrounded by a thick layer of cork. If you have been looking for an ultimate solution in reducing the cholesterol levels in your body then the Moringa would help you achieve this. This plant contains Beta-sitosterol that helps in blocking low density lipoproteins. The beta-sitosterol structurally resembles cholesterol and it competes with it during absorption from the intestines thereby reducing the amounts of cholesterol absorbed in to the bloodstream. This helps in protecting the blood vessels from occlusion and damage by plaques.

3. Sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Sorrel is a bushy herb from the buckwheat family. It is an annual plant that grows in a wide variety of temperatures. Since it has a sharp taste, Sorrel is widely used as a food additive. Besides this it asl has numerous help and medicinal uses. The anthocyanins present in sorrel are active on ALT,AST and cholesterol. It increases lipid metabolism thereby reducing the cholesterol levels in the body. It is important in preventing diabetes, hypertension and obesity too.