Top 13 Natural Home Remedies For High Cholesterol Levels

updated: 11/13/2019

High cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia does not have a clear significant but it seriously affects the body. Too much cholesterol can lead to the accumulation of plaque in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. These plaques block blood vessels leading to heart attack and stroke. Thus, before you have to face the complications, here are a few natural home remedies for high cholesterol levels that will help deal with this condition effectively. These natural remedies may help you a lot without causing side effects. Keep reading!

 

• How to increase good cholesterol (HDL) levels naturally
• How to reduce triglyceride levels in the blood naturally
• How to maintain a healthy heart rate & prevent heart disease

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fat that is present in the cell membrane of the vast majority of tissue held in the body. Cholesterol is transported in the plasma of the human body. The source of cholesterol is mostly from foods that are synthesized from saturated fats, and a small portion of cholesterol is directly absorbed from foods such as milk, eggs, brain, red meat, and pig heart. The characteristic of cholesterol is: It cannot dissolve in the blood and when it moves to the cells, it must rely on lipoprotein (lipoprotein is a substance produced by the liver, water-soluble carries cholesterol).

In the liver, cholesterol combined with the protein that produces two types of cholesterol is LDL (low molecular weight lipoprotein) and HDL (high molecular weight lipoprotein) and is transported into the bloodstream.

HDL is low in cholesterol so it can be combined with free cholesterol in the blood and transported to the liver for treatment. Therefore, the higher the HDL content in the blood, the less risk of coronary heart disease. People with HDL levels higher than 60mg / dl are a safe threshold for cardiovascular disease and less than 40mg / dl are at high risk.

In contrast, LDL is high in cholesterol and promotes the formation of plaque on the walls of the arteries in general and coronary arteries in particular (this condition is called atherosclerosis). These plaque blocks or narrows the blood vessels feeding the heart muscle, causing heart attacks. The higher the LDL level, the higher the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

What Is High Cholesterol Level?

Cholesterol is produced by the body itself, so any amount of cholesterol we eat is redundant. When the excess cholesterol in the blood is too high, it becomes fatty in the arteries and obstructs blood flow in the arteries. Then the amount of oxygen in the blood will not provide enough for the heart and so the risk of heart attack will increase. When blood runs to the brain, it can cause a stroke. Hypercholesterolemia (hypercholesterolemia) does not show any signs of disease. It is only detected by blood tests.

What Are Common Causes Of High Cholesterol?

Hypercholesterolemia is often caused because of a combination of environmental along with genetic factors. Environmental factors include stress, weight, and diet. There are many main causes of high cholesterol, including the following:

• Due To Age And Gender

Estrogen affects the metabolism of fats and indirectly affects the blood vessels. Women between the ages of 15 and 45 tend to have lower triglyceride levels than men. However, by the time of menopause, the amount of triglyceride and bad cholesterol is increasing and hence, it increases the risk of atherosclerosis in women. When you are older, you need to take low-fat foods and try to exercise more.

• Alcohol

Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can increase the levels of one type of fat in the blood, called triglycerides, which increases bad cholesterol levels in your body^[1]. But a glass of red wine has been proven to help you raise your cholesterol levels and reduce your bad cholesterol^[2].

• Unhealthy Diet

Consumption of saturated fat can cause high cholesterol. Saturated fats are found in foods such as red meat, butter, cheese, and cakes. If you eat a lot of fried foods, chocolates, cakes, pies, and biscuits, then bad cholesterol levels in your body can increase quite high. You must avoid or limit the consumption of these foods. Nutrition researchers recommend eating no more than 500 grams of red meat a week and choose burgers, sausages, and low-fat convenience foods.

• Overweight

Obesity or even simply excess weight is also a cause of high blood cholesterol levels. Obesity also causes obstruction of the blood vessels, which affects your daily activities.

• Do Not Exercise

People who sit or lie all day are at a high risk of high cholesterol levels. An active lifestyle can lower triglycerides (the culprit of raising blood cholesterol) and also help you maintain weight.

• Drugs

Some drugs can increase the level of triglycerides. So, before drinking drugs, you should consult your doctor.

• Smoking

Smoking plays an important role in increasing cholesterol levels. It lowers your cholesterol and decreases your lifespan^[3]. So quit smoking to maintain a stable cholesterol level.

• Stress

Stress seems to be the cause of many diseases today including high cholesterol. When stressed, many people relieve it by smoking, drinking, or eating fatty foods. Hence, prolonged stress can cause elevated cholesterol levels.

• Other Diseases

Some diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid can increase the level of cholesterol in the body. For this reason, you should do regular health checks to control your cholesterol and keep your body healthy. A number of other diseases can also increase your cholesterol levels including dialysis therapy, nephrotic syndrome, monoclonal gammopathy, Cushing’s syndrome, and anorexia nervosa.

What Are Common Symptoms Of High Cholesterol?

People with high cholesterol have no obvious symptoms. High cholesterol is appeared not only at fat people but also skinny people. However, the risk of high cholesterol of obese people, overweight is higher. The detection of the disease is mainly due to medical examinations, hospitalization for other diseases, laboratory tests of blood dysfunction, or cardiovascular complications, diabetes, acute pancreatitis, and new blood tests. The disease progresses silently. The signs and symptoms of high cholesterol are only showed when it is the time of complications, then there are usually some signs such as:

• There is chest pain that occurs sporadically and in a short time. These pain will disappear without treatment but may recur at any time. This situation can last from a few minutes to a few dozen minutes. The pain usually appears during exertion and decreases during rest. Shortness of breath may or may not be accompanied by chest tightness. Patients may have pain on one or both sides of the arm, behind the back, neck, jaw, and even in the stomach.
• There are signs of abnormalities such as sweating, nausea, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, nervousness, body fat, but labor decreased, and frequently feeling tired.
• The skin has small nodules. They are yellow and have a glossy surface. They appear on the skin of the eyes, elbows, thighs, heels, back, and chest. They do not cause pain and itching.

Who Is At Risk Of High Cholesterol?

Here are some people who are at risk of high cholesterol:

• People are overweight and obese.
• People with an unhealthy diet.
• People often drink alcohol, beer, and smoking.
• People with diabetes, chronic liver or kidney failure.

When To See A Doctor?

If you have the signs and symptoms mentioned above, you should see a doctor to be tested directly. In addition, if you suddenly experience intense chest pain, accompanied by difficulty breathing, you need to see a doctor for immediate examination. It is very likely that your high cholesterol status has been quite severe and has led to some illnesses.

Top 13 Natural Home Remedies For High Cholesterol Levels

1. Coriander Seeds

Many people know the effect of coriander seeds is to help lower blood sugar and overcome the symptoms of diabetes^[4] [5]. However, according to experts, in addition to the above effects, coriander seeds help reduce LDL and triglyceride, thereby reducing the symptoms of high cholesterol.

To apply coriander seeds as one of the best home remedies for high cholesterol, follow the steps below:

• Prepare about 2-3 teaspoons of coriander seed powder (you can grind the coriander seeds to make coriander seed powder) and 1 cup of water.
• Mix them together and bring it to a boil.
• After the water has boiled, wait for the water slightly cooled and then drink
• Frequent application of this remedy will help your cholesterol condition to improve significantly.

2. Onions

Among home remedies for high cholesterol level, using onions is one of the most effective. As mentioned earlier,  the higher the HDL content in the blood, the less the risk of coronary heart disease, the higher the LDL level, the higher the risk of coronary artery disease. According to research by scientists, onions help increase HDL and decrease LDL^[6]. Onions also are enriched with polyphenolic compounds known as flavonoids. Flavonoids may contain antioxidants, antiproliferative abilities, anticancer abilities, and anti-inflammatory activities. In one study, flavonoids present in onions decreased the “bad” cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in obese people^[7].

To apply this remedy, take the methods below:

• Regularly add onions to your daily dish. Note that if you apply this remedy, you should clean your mouth thoroughly after each meal, because onions can cause bad breath.
• Or you can grate the onion and mix it with 1/3 teaspoon pepper and 1 cup of buttermilk. Regular application of this method is also very effective.
• You can also grate onions and mix 1 teaspoon of onion with 1 teaspoon of honey for daily consumption, once a day.

3. Garlic

Some research recommended that garlic may help reduce your blood cholesterol levels, slow down the progress of atherosclerosis, and lower your blood pressure reports NCCIH^[8].

Garlic contains an active ingredient of sulfur called allicin. Studies show that allicin can inhibit the formation of cholesterol in the liver. This compound is also known to decrease your cholesterol naturally^[9] [10].

All you need to do is add the garlic to the food as a spice. This not only creates a delicious taste for dishes but also helps reduce bad cholesterol in the body.

4. Nuts, Beans And Bean Sprouts

Nuts like peanuts, walnuts, and almonds are rich in sterols and fiber. That’s why they help improve high cholesterol^[11]. Experts also say that walnuts may decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels^[12] [13].

In peanuts, high levels of plant sterols (a common active ingredient in hard-shell foods such as walnuts, sesame, and almonds) may inhibit the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines into the bloodstream^[14]. In addition, choline and lecithin in the peanut cause your body’s cholesterol to dissolve into another substance and then excrete it.

Beans such as green beans, soybeans, and red beans are good cholesterol-lowering foods because they contain a lot of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber not only supports better digestion but also prevents the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine^[15].

In addition, green bean sprouts are also a great cholesterol-lowering food, as vitamin C in sprouts are up to 67 times more than the original bean. Besides, rich content of fiber in them can promote cholesterol excretion and prevent build up in the artery walls.

For this purpose, regularly eat nuts, beans, and bean sprouts to improve the symptoms of high cholesterol.

5. Apple

Using apple is one of little – known home remedies for high cholesterol, but it works. Apples contain high levels of soluble fiber. Along with that, pectin housed in apples is also a type of fiber soluble. Along with vitamin C, pectin can also be combined with cholesterol in the liver and then excreted through the bile and thereby enhancing the effect of high cholesterol treatment^[16]. Eating apples on a regular basis not only reduces cholesterol level but also makes your skin look beautiful.

6. Mushrooms

Using mushrooms is one of the most effective natural solutions for high cholesterol levels. Many groups of substances in mushrooms can contribute to lowering blood cholesterol levels such as^[17] [18]:

• Beta-glucan: A type of soluble fiber that prevents the absorption of cholesterol into the blood
• Eritadenine: An active substance that can alter the metabolism of phospholipids in the liver.
• Mevinolin: It helps inhibit the metabolism of cholesterol in the liver

These substances may vary in composition depending on the different mushroom types. It’s best to add mushrooms to meals to improve high cholesterol problem.

7. Lettuce

Lettuce is a vegetable that has a lot of cellulose to help lower blood fats. Cellulose is not absorbed into the body. It works to fill the belly and reduce the ability to absorb food into the body. At the same time, lettuce is good for reducing LDL (bad cholesterol)^[19]. Scientists have also discovered that the lethal effect of lettuce is due to its presence of substances that promote lipid peroxidation.

8. Tea (Green Tea, Black Tea, And Squash Tea)

Tea has long been a popular drink known for its antioxidant effects. Today, scientists also found that tea is also good at reducing LDL cholesterol. Black tea may reduce lipid levels by up to 10% in just 3 weeks ^[20] [21]. Research has shown that squash has no fat content, very low sodium content, and has a lowbeneficial effect. It also contains malonic acid that can lower blood fat and remove excess fat in the body. The powerful antioxidant potential housed in green tea is because of the presence of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) in it, which may help reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels^[22].

Follow the remedy below:

Add one teaspoon of green tea to one cup of water. Boil the mixture in a saucepan, simmer for five minutes and then strain. Add a little honey to the tea when it cools down. Consume this tea while it’s warm. Drink it three times every day for best results. 

9. Indian Gooseberry

According to research by experts, Indian Gooseberry has the potential to promote lipid lowering^[23] [24]. Indian Gooseberry strengthens the heart muscle. Therefore, the heart pumps blood throughout the body. By reducing the accumulation of excess cholesterol, chromium can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis or plaque that build up in the arteries. This can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Iron content promotes the creation of new red blood cells, increased circulation and oxidation of organs and cells to maximize the development, regeneration of bronchial cells, keeping blood vessels and arteries clear.

For this treatment, you mix 1 teaspoon of Indian Gooseberry with 1 cup of warm water and drink this mixture before having breakfast.

10. Apple Cider Vinegar

Using apple is considered one of the best natural home remedies for high cholesterol levels. One of the best benefits of apple cider vinegar is to improve high cholesterol by lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Apple cider vinegar possesses pectin and acetic acid. The pectin helps reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) while the acetic acid helps you lose unwanted body weight related to high cholesterol^[25] [26].

• Mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water and drink this mixture 2-3 times a day. Follow his method for at least one month to see results. You can add some fruit juices such as grapes, oranges or apples to add flavor to this mixture.
• You can also mix 3 teaspoons of honey with 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 cups of hot water. Take this mixture twice a day.

11. Orange

Orange contains aromatic oils and is also abundant in vitamin C, which is very refreshing and nutritious for the body. In addition to nutritious, orange juice also has a very effective healing effect.

Orange also contains other compounds that can help reduce cholesterol production in the liver. Studies have shown that orange works to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL), so it protects the liver and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary heart disease^[27]. A study published in Lipids in Health and Disease showed that long-term and regular consumption of orange juice might decrease the cholesterol levels^[28]. 

Drink about one cup of freshly squeezed orange juice twice or three every day for best results.

12. Coconut Oil

This is reckoned one of the most effective home remedies for high cholesterol. Coconut oil has saturated fat called lauric acid, a type of MCT (Medium chain triglycerides). This fatty acid is easier to digest than other fats. It has been shown that lauric acid may increase the amount of HDL in the blood which improves the rate of cholesterol^[29] [30]. The oil lowers cholesterol by promoting its conversion of fat into pregnenolone (a molecule that is the precursor to many of the hormones the body needs). It can also help restore normal thyroid function.

For this purpose, you can add coconut oil to your salads or dishes in moderate amounts or replace your cooking oil with it. You can also consume one tablespoon of coconut oil daily.

13. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a great gift that nature offers for life. Oats are not only used for health care but are also used in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Especially oats have a good effect in the treatment of high cholesterol. It is abundant in soluble fiber that helps reduce the “bad” cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) that can increase your risk of developing a heart attack and stroke. It also works to reduce the body’s absorption of cholesterol. So eat oatmeal regularly to improve your high cholesterol condition^[31] [32].

Extra Tips

In addition to using the above home remedies, you should also refer to the following tips for controlling the blood fat in your daily diet:

• Eat a diet with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables (less than 500g per day), and dietary fibre^[33]. You should eat fruits rather than juice.
• Each week, you should eat fish at least 3 times and eat beans (tofu, bean paste, green beans, etc.) at least once per week^[34].
• If you eat meat, choose lean meats without fat, skin, and tendons.
• Only use 2 eggs per week.
• Drink plenty of water during the day (including green tea).
• Do not eat fried foods since they are high in fat and oil.
• Do not eat foods high in cholesterol (such as pig brain, fat, chicken or duck skin, and egg yolks).
• Do not eat too many sweets (such as jam, candy, and ice cream).
• Do not drink alcohol or beer. Do not smoke.
• Avoid a diet high in fructose because it can increase LDL cholesterol levels in your blood.
• Lifestyle changes recommended for people with high cholesterol levels include smoking cessation, increasing physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol consumption.

The above mentioned home remedies for high cholesterol are claimed to be effective for soothing the symptoms of this problem. For optimum results, you should use them regularly without fail. Take care!

• Cardiovascular Health