Hawthron ot Motherwort?

Funny.... I feel like by just saying the words hawthron or motherwort, I should be in a Harry Potter movie for sure Seriously though, I am curios to see if anyone has any feedback about either of these two herbals and their effects. I technically am a paroxsmyl afib person. Not sure of a cause, still digging on that. Used to question if it was vagal, but now thinking more adrenal? Again not sure though as my most recent episodes put me back on meds as our whole house had some kind of infection, prob'ly flu and the fatigue and cough were horrible. Woke two mornings in a row going into afib just sitting on the couch or getting the guys lunch ready. Started meds to correct the rythm again and just stayed on them till the flu subsided. With that. I am weaning off meds again, hoping to stay med free for a while at least. Looking at either of these herbals in regards to trying to stay in better rythm, simlar to fleccainide. Does anyone have expereince using these for good or bad? Thanks so much!

Ooo.. also, if anyone else out there is the occasional afib person who has found the "magic elixer" that helps keep them in rythm, please post and tell me or connect that like to that post or article For instance some of my go too suppliments are magnesium glycinate or taurate, D3, things like that.

Its funny you say that about Harry Potter because I have taken supplements and herbs into my doctor and said, "I know you may not agree with me that they might work but will they harm me?" And my card says.. "It looks like a Harry Potter lab in there but you're fine." I was making hibiscus hawthorn tea this summer (iced.. yummy-licious). And then I read something on one of the two. I will try and dig in my the recesses of my mind to think why I stopped. I still have bags of both (I buy the whole thing).. maybe it was a blood thinner thing. Anyway you could always do what I did.. ask doc if there is any harm.

edit- to be fair with the cardiologist did he really know? I have a cardiology pharmacist that I met when I was in the hosptial getting on dofetilide a couple years ago. She has been very very helpful. If you can find yourself one of those.. she has different databases and is well read on many things.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2022 12:49PM by bettylou4488.

Hawthorn berries and leaves tea i drank for 6 months to a year or a bit longer (began end of 2015) after ~3/4 month of permanent AF and a huge nocebo from the cardiologist. It was actually the second CV that got me out of permanent. Have been paroxysmal since - sometimes in NSR for months. These days i take Flec pip when i go into AF. Perhaps i should go back to drinking that tea

[www.mayoclinic.org]
“ Hawthorn

Hawthorn might interact with:

Beta blockers, such as atenolol (Tenormin), nadolol (Corgard) or propranolol (Inderal LA, Innopran XL)
Calcium channel blockers, such as diltiazem, nifedipine (Procardia) and verapamil (Calan SR, Verelan)
Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin (Nitrostat, Nitro-Dur, others) and isosorbide (Isordil, Bidil)
Digoxin”

[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[www.todaysgeriatricmedicine.com]

[www.verywellhealth.com]

“Since so few studies have tested motherwort's health effects in humans, it's unknown whether this herb is safe for long-term or regular use or how it might interact with medication or other supplements.
Contraindications
As motherwort affects heart rate and rhythm, it should not be taken with other medication without discussing it first with your healthcare provider.

Among those who should not take motherwort:

People with bleeding disorders or those taking blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin), due to motherwort's anti-platelet activity
Those taking sedative medications
People planning to undergo surgery (avoid taking it within two weeks of your procedure)
Those with low blood pressure
Pregnant or breastfeeding women, due to the herb's effects on the uterus

It's also important to note that using motherwort in place of standard care in the treatment of a heart condition (or any other health condition) may be harmful to your health.

Keep in mind, too, that dietary supplements haven't been tested for safety and are largely unregulated. In some cases, the product may deliver doses that differ from the specified amount for each herb. In other cases, the product may be contaminated with other substances, such as metals. Also, the safety of supplements in pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and those with medical conditions or who are taking medications has not been established.“

Interesting heads up Susan . Question is - should we be more wary of pharma drugs or herbs that have been used for centuries

Herbs are still meds and some interact.

Thanks for the feedback so far folks. Always interesting to see the expereince of others and learn from each other. I guess at the end of the day, we are all just looking for answers to help our bodies the best that we can. I am weaning off of meds right now under the supervision of my doctor btw. But I am always looking for ways to help my body to help itself if at all possible as I face more challenges as I get older. I take magnesium pretty regularly, D3, and then for anxiety or a stressful day/week, L-Theanine to take the edge off, its amazing. Ashwagandha has been good for stress as well, but I would like to see if there are other natural ways to help my heart stay away from the occasional tachycardia (170+). My doctor sayd its ok to do PIP for my occasional episode, but Id like to support things better to try to avoid all of the "fun". Anyone who has tachacardia that has found a system or supplements that works to help them? Blessings

Quote
susan.d
Herbs are still meds and some interact.

Bingo.

LaDonna—Are you taking flecainide pip? If you weigh less than 154 pounds don’t exceed 200mg in a 24 hour period. If you weigh more than 154 pounds then the recommended dosage is not to exceed 300mg in a 24 hour period.

I recommend you investigate your herbal supplements to make sure they don’t interact. Flecainide is a black box label for a reason. I had a flecainide overdose because I don’t weigh much and was told to try 300mg pip.

More on this topic:

[www.afibbers.org]

[www.afibbers.org]

Hey Susan, thank you for that information. Right now I fluctuate right around 154 and will keep that in mind. My last experience was very interesting. We had the flu Sooooo bad, and I think because my body was just so challened at the time my heart went into afib 2 monrings in a row which is unusal for me. The first mornig it corrected pretty quickly with pip, the second morng... not so much but it did convert after abt 9 hours. They have me on a very low dose of flecc so far, will see what the fute holds? But that is why I am trying the little bit of research on the natural stuffs when good and beneficial with doctors agreement etc... Need to ask her about the hawthorn. Not sure if it is more for the slower afib people that need a bit more strength? or the tachy afib where your going like a race horse? I am one of the tachy kind. Tried looking once for anything that might work similar to a natural metoprolol type thing and I forget what was in that list, may have to search again if there even is such a thing. I am perimneopause, so it is just not a fun season for the body, challenging for sure.

Instead of your supplements, some of us on this forum had occasional self conversion from drinking two 5.5 ounce cans of low sodium V-8.

I found a cold shower, then with dripping hair going outside barefoot and shiver from our mild 45 degree nights actually converted me three times quickly. I happen to be hoarse this past week because before yesterday’s ablation I had 16 days of 130-150 tachycardia and shocking myself with cold outdoors breezes gave me a welcome nsr break. If you live where the winters are cold I don’t recommend this. Splash your face and stick your head out of a window for a few minutes may help. Everyone is different and this antidote may not work for you. It maybe worth a try before you are considering going to the er.

Hi Susan, oh my goodness, did you say you had an ablation? I hope and pray that it was succesful for you. I have tried vagal manovers in the past, and they dont seem to work for me? It is interesting (to give it a poilte term) all of this stuff and how our bodies work/dont work. So last night I went downstairs and got a glass of cold almond milk, not the first glass of the day btw, but sat on the couch to finish a movie, drank some and boom there goes the ticker. Checked it on my small ekg and confirmed 170 afib. Well, the first thing I ask is "How did I get here"? Looking at what I ate for dinner and how much I ate, then i snacked on a little popcorn at the start of the movie? the first time I had afib, I was drinking a glass of ice water and had a lot of body aches/pain at the time, although it was my first episode (early 40's) and not enough to determine whether it was vagal in nature. Other than the afib, my heart looked to be in good working order. My next episodes were when I was in treatment for cancer, so chalked it off to that as chemo and stress are so toxic and its just a hard time. That is when I took the meds the most, until I was finished with radiation and the chemical stuff. Weaned off and was afib free for about 2 years, now, just to clarify, not palp free, but espisode free. But to me palps come with age, cycle, this is so difficult and tiring. Also considering weight loss. I actually have lost weight over the past year, and exercise quite a bit (not high impact) regularly. I was around 165 at one point and am now, as I said, fluctuating around 154, but at 5'4, 154 is still considered overwight so..? Gosh, today, I am just sick of it all. Thanks for letting me rant. Wishing all of you/us all the best in the days ahead.