Natural Blood Thinning

Compounds and Supplements in

Plants (Herbs and Spices)

Leonardo Platon
Blood thinners
• part of class of medicines called anticoagulants

• although they are called blood thinners, they do

not necessarily thin the blood. Instead, they
decrease the ability of the blood to clot

• prevent tiny particles in the blood (protetins)

interact with platelets in the blood to form clots

• food-containing certain compounds and a number

of supplements that are known to thin the blood
 How does blood thicken?
•single layer of cells than line a blood vessel 
is called the endothelium. 

• a break in the
endothelium allows • platelets begin
platelets to contact
 if the break is small, this 
adhering to one
collagen and the other
factors that activate platelet plug may be 
another and the
platelets. adequate to seal the break. 
subendothelial tissue
via fibrinogen and VWF
receptors.
Why is hypercoagulation dangerous?
• when abnormal clots occur, they usually form inside veins.  a clot 
inside a blood vessel is called a "thrombus."
• sometimes the thrombus can travel in the bloodstream and get 
stuck in your lungs. This kind of clot, called a "pulmonary 
embolus," keeps blood from getting to your lungs. 

• a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain can cause a stroke. 

• a clot in a blood vessel in the heart can cause a heart attack. 

• blood clots can cause some women to miscarriage.
 Natural Blood Thinning
Compounds Supplements in
Plants
Salicylates
• substances in herbs which are natural
blood thinners.

• in Ayurvedic or traditional Indian medicine,

many spices and herbs containing
salicylates are called “warming spices”.

• Chinese foods are often prepared with

many warming spices such as ginger and
garlic.
• mechanism by which they thin blood
is by simply blocking vitamin K which
is essential for the production of
clotting proteins.
Good Sources of Salicylates
 Vitamin E
• specific uses in the body and members of the
vitamin E family have similar chemical structures.

• α-tocopherol in the form of vitamin E is most

common in supplements and its side chain is
essential for full biological activity of vitamin E,
while γ-tocopherol is the form most common in the
diet.

• Vitamin E is a known antagonist to vitamin K

• there are data which show that vitamin E reduces

the synthesis of thromboxane.
α-tocopherol

γ-tocopherol
Rich Sources of Vitamin E
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
• involved with more than 100 enzymatic reactions,
its function in the body is diverse and far-reaching.

• established through several medicals studies that

vitamin B6 lowers estrogen levels.

• increased estrogen levels are linked to blood clots.

As such, if vitamin B6 does lower estrogen levels,
then it may make sense that it may also thin the
blood.
 World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of:
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
World's
Healthiest
Serving Amount DV Nutrient Foods
Food Size Cals (mg) (%) Density Rating
Spinach,
1 cup 41.4 0.44 22.0 9.6 excellent
boiled
Bell
peppers,
1 cup 24.8 0.23 11.5 8.3 excellent
red, raw,
slices
Turnip
greens, 1 cup 28.8 0.26 13.0 8.1 excellent
cooked
Garlic 1 oz-wt 42.2 0.35 17.5 7.5 very good
Tuna,
yellowfin,

Excellent Sources of Vitamin B6

baked/broile
d
4 oz-wt 157.6 1.18 59.0 6.7 very good

Cauliflower,
1 cup 28.5 0.21 10.5 6.6 very good
boiled
Cayenne
pepper, 2 tsp 11.2 0.08 4.0 6.4 good
dried
Mustard
greens, 1 cup 21.0 0.14 7.0 6.0 very good
boiled
Banana 1 each 108.6 0.68 34.0 5.6 very good
Celery, raw 1 cup 19.2 0.10 5.0 4.7 very good
Cabbage,
shredded, 1 cup 33.0 0.17 8.5 4.6 very good
boiled
Crimini
mushrooms, 5 oz-wt 31.2 0.16 8.0 4.6 very good
raw
S-allyl cysteine
• natural antibiotic compound in garlic that
can kill intestinal bacteria that manufacture
vitamin K.

• mechanism of the antibacterial action

involved a combination of its oxygen atom
with cysteine to avert the formation of
cystine, thus interrupting essential
oxidation and reduction reactions in the
bacteria
• Allicin was once thought to be the
major compound in garlic with
antimicrobial activities.

• before reaching the blood, stomach

acid destroys alliinase, preventing
allicin production

• intestinal fluids further diminish the

amount of allicin that can be
produced.
 Allicin is completely degraded
even before reaching the blood.
Amagase et al. (2001) Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. 131:955S-962S
 Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• EPA and DHA omega-3s are found mostly in
fishes while alpha-linolenic acid or ALA is
found in plant and seeds.

• strong immune enhancing effect and also controls

blood pressure

• keep thromboxane in check

• decrease the production of fibrinogen. High levels

of fibrinogen is associated with greater risk of
occurence of a heart attack due to clots.
Excellent Sources of Omega-3
Fatty Acids
Lignans
• chemical found in the cell walls of plants

• natural substance which are compounds

having weak estrogenic or anti-estrogenic
activity in humans.

• metabolized by intestinal bacteria into

mammalian lignans called enterodiol and
enterolactone.
• exert biological effects through
nonestrogenic mechanisms

• increased estrogen levels are linked

to blood clots

• similar in mechanism to vitamin B6, it

decreases blood clot formation by
lowering estrogen levels
 Excellent Sources of Lignans
Total Lignan Content of Selected Foods
Food Serving Total Lignans (mg)
Flaxseeds 1 oz 85.5
Sesame seeds 1 oz 11.2
Curly kale ½ cup, chopped 0.8
Broccoli ½ cup, chopped 0.6
Apricots ½ cup, sliced 0.4
Cabbage ½ cup, chopped 0.3
Brussels sprouts ½ cup, chopped 0.3
Strawberries ½ cup 0.2
Tofu ¼ block (4 oz) 0.2

Dark rye bread 1 slice

TH
AN
K
YO
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