Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas and Dietary Therapy for Hypercholesterolemia
**1.6//What are the traditional Chinese medicine formulas for treating hypercholesterolemia?**
>
Lu Minsheng's prescription:
>
(Prescription 1) 15g of Taxillus chinensis, 30g of Cassia tora, 30g of Crataegus pinnatifida, and 15g of Pueraria lobata.
>
Usage: Decoction of the above-mentioned herbs, taken 3 times a day, for 1 month as one course of treatment.
>
(Prescription 2) Artemisia capillaris 15g.
>
Usage: Decoction of the above-mentioned herbs, taken as tea, one dose per day.
>
One month constitutes one course of treatment.
>
> (Prescription 3) 15g of raw Polygonum multiflorum, 9g of chrysanthemum, 15g of prepared Rehmannia glutinosa, 15g of Ophiopogon japonicus, 15g of Polygonum multiflorum, 9g of Celosia cristata, 15g of Adenophora stricta, 15g of Scrophularia ningpoensis, 15g of Albizia julibrissin bark, and 9g of Paeonia lactiflora.
>
Usage: Decoction of the above-mentioned herbs.
>
Take one dose daily, divided into two administrations.
>
A follow-up serum cholesterol test was conducted more than 10 days after taking the medication.
>
**1.7//How to treat hypercholesterolemia through diet?**
>
There are many foods that can lower cholesterol; here are a few examples for your consideration.
>
Part One
>
> ① Citrus fruits.
>
Studies have shown that if a person supplements their diet with 15 grams of fruit acids daily, their blood cholesterol levels will significantly decrease within three weeks.
>
Regularly consuming fresh citrus fruits or other fruits and vegetables containing pectin can reduce blood cholesterol by 15-18%.
>
Bitter melon: Stir-fry or make a cold salad with about 100g of bitter melon every day for breakfast as a side dish, along with milk. Do this every day.
>
Stir-frying involves slicing the bitter melon and cooking it with vegetable oil, fermented black beans, scallions, garlic, and seasonings. Cold salad involves slicing the bitter melon, blanching it in water, and then mixing it with seasonings.
>
②Gourd tea.
>
Grind 15 grams of dried gourd shell and 3 grams of tea leaves together into powder, steep in boiling water and drink. Continue for 3 to 6 months. Both gourd shell and tea leaves have significant weight loss and fat reduction effects. Regular consumption can gradually lower blood lipids.
>
③ Seaweed and mung bean porridge.
>
Cook 50g of soaked kelp, 30g of mung beans, and 50g of japonica rice together into porridge.
>
④ Mussel porridge.
>
Soak 50g of dried mussels in warm water for 3 hours, then boil them to remove the core. Cook them with 50g of rice into porridge and consume it warm every morning and evening.
>
> ⑤ Ganoderma lucidum.
>
Take 10g of dried Ganoderma lucidum, add 400mL of water, simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, take 300ml of the decoction, drink it as tea, one dose per day, take it for 1-2 months, it has a good effect on lowering lipids and has no side effects.
>
> ⑥Typha pollen.
>
Take 3 to 5g of cattail pollen daily, grind it into powder, and take it with boiling water. One course of treatment is 21 days.
>
> ⑦ Raw hawthorn.
>
Take an appropriate amount of raw hawthorn, grind it into a fine powder, and take 15g three times a day for one month as one course of treatment.
>
> ⑧ Hawthorn and Chrysanthemum Drink.
>
Take 10g each of hawthorn and chrysanthemum, and 15g of cassia seed, decoct them together and drink the decoction as a tea substitute.
>
> 9. Cassia Seed Tea.
>
Remove impurities from the cassia seeds and stir-fry them over low heat until they turn a light yellow color. To brew tea, take 15g of cassia seeds and steep them in boiling water for 20 minutes. The water will gradually deepen in color from a light yellow, becoming as strong as coffee and with a coffee flavor. The aroma will be very pleasant when you drink it.
>
Add water after drinking one-third of the liquid. You can rinse it multiple times until the color gradually fades, then replace it with a fresh one.
>
> ⑩ Banana stem.
>
Medical research has found that the stem of a banana can lower cholesterol.
>
The method is to take 15 to 20g of fresh banana stems, wash and slice them, put them in a cup, and brew them with boiling water as tea. Drink it once a day for 15 to 20 days, which can significantly reduce blood cholesterol.
>
Part Two
>
> ①Winter melon soup.
>
Take 30-60 grams of unpeeled winter melon daily, decoct it into a soup, and drink it as tea in several portions. Continue for 1-3 months.
>
Winter melon is the only vegetable that does not contain fat. The malonic acid it contains can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, thus preventing the accumulation of fat in the body and the increase of blood lipids. Regular consumption can reduce weight and lower blood lipids.
>
② Hawthorn lipid-lowering soup.
>
Take 15-30 grams of raw hawthorn, decoct it twice in water, and take it in two divided doses, two doses per day, for six consecutive weeks.
>
Hawthorn is a food that helps with indigestion and has a significant effect on lowering blood lipids, but it is sour and should be avoided by those with excessive stomach acid.
>
③ Kelp powder.
>
Wash and dry the kelp, grind it into powder, take 5 grams each time, 3 times a day, for 1 to 3 months.
>
It can also be decocted and drunk, or cooked into porridge with mung beans.
>
Kelp contains a large amount of fiber and trace elements, which can reduce the accumulation of fat in the body, lower blood cholesterol levels, and has a certain anti-cancer effect.
>
> ④ Ginseng and walnut soup.
>
Take 2 grams of sun-dried ginseng (or ginseng stems, leaves, buds, pulp, or other parts), 50 grams of walnut kernels, and 200 ml of fresh milk.
>
First, rinse the ginseng and walnuts with clean water, then chop them, mash them together, and stir well. Put them in a porcelain bowl, add an appropriate amount of water, steam them in a pot of boiling water until cooked, then add cooked milk and stir to make a soup.
>
Taken twice daily, morning and evening, regular use can nourish the five internal organs, replenish qi and lower lipids. It is mainly used to treat various types of hyperlipidemia and fatty liver, and is especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly patients with spleen deficiency, liver and kidney yin deficiency type hyperlipidemia and fatty liver.
>
> ⑤ Lotus leaf porridge.
>
Take 2 grams of lotus leaves, wash them, add water and decoct them to make a soup. Remove the dregs and keep the soup. Add 50 grams of japonica rice and cook into porridge. Take once a day.
>
Alternatively, lotus leaves can be dried, ground into powder, and taken as 6 grams twice a day for 3 to 6 weeks.
>
Lotus leaves have the effect of slimming and reducing fat; regular consumption can lower blood lipids.