The herbs that are specific to the heart are amongst my favorites. There are many beautiful plants that provide healing and strength to the circulatory system. The lovely thing about heart herbal remedies is that they not only help heal the physical body, they can heal heartbreak as well.

Hawthorn is my favorite and has been a go-to for centuries. It was used during the Civil War to heal women of a broken heart after their good men were lost to the violence of war. People still to this day die from broken hearts. The reason is because stress weakens the outer muscle of the heart, causing heart attacks and heart failure. Our emotional state directly affects the physiological. Hawthorn berries and leaves help strengthen the outer muscle of the heart.

Yarrow is a great helper to hawthorn. Its main job is to strengthen veins and improve blood flow. Herbs are magnificent in that they balance. If you were to cut your hand open, you could apply yarrow flowers to it and it would clot the blood. If you were to have very thin blood or if you had a blood clot, yarrow regulates the blood flow and thickness. Herbs are nothing short of a miracle.

Herbs are the original medicine. Plants have been used to heal forever. That is their great ability. They did not stop working at the advent of pharmaceutical companies.

We often think of roses as love. Roses are indeed heart medicine. They are what I call a “supporting actor” in a heart remedy. They are the emotional, stress reducing aspect of a remedy. Rose tea is good for the spirit. Just smelling a rose can ease tension and help regulate heartbeat. Lavender is another good support.

Violets are a wonderful flower for heart health. The leaves are even shaped like hearts!

The sweet and sour hibiscus is a powerful plant in that it regulates blood pressure. Notice that I don’t say, lower blood pressure. Herbs balance. So if one has too low blood pressure, it regulates it, too high, regulates it. Same with mistletoe berries.

If you have questions about any of this, feel free to contact me or another qualified herbalist!

Heartbreak Tea

1 Teaspoon each: Hawthorn berries, roses, holy basil, and lavender

Place in a tea strainer (I like to add a teabag of black tea) and pour boiling water over the herbs. Let steep in a coffee cup for 5 minutes. Add honey or agave. Top with a plant based milk, like oat milk. Enjoy in the sunshine.