The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Beets, Dietary Changes
Posted by Libraloveshealth (Los Angeles, California) on 02/27/2017
★★★★★
I have dealt with anemia over the years due to heavy periods and I also was doing dieting and wasn't taking any supplements. I recently had an anemia crisis, almost fainted one day, ice cravings, severe chest pain! I had to get myself back up together and finally got my iron levels right. I am taking a supplement 18mg iron gluconate a day. I also loaded up on beet juice which always helps and is a great remedy, I love to juice beets with carrots, orange and lemon. I didn't like doing this, but I had to go back to eating meat more often.
Beets, clams, liver and steak are the best for anemia. I tried the liver the first time the beef liver wasn't bad and it quickly helped me. Good vegetable sources are fennel(amazing for anemia, leeks, artichoke, mangoes(very good), pears and apricots. Oatmeal is a good source too. I hear spinach is good, but then I hear some things about it reducing iron.
I now am finally better, no more headaches, no more scary chest and leg pains, and I can now workout without feeling like I'm going to pass out after a few minutes. It will take time to get the levels back up but it is worth it. I started to feel better within a week. I usually know when my iron is low cause I start to crave these foods the clams, steak, liver, etc. so listen to your body it will let you know. Rubbing lemongrass oil on the soles of the feet and wrists is also helpful for anemia it is energizing. The tea is good for anemia too. Be careful with too much garlic it can cause anemia to worsen.
Beetroot
Posted by Linda (Fairview, Oklahoma, Usa) on 02/05/2011
★★★★★
Yeah! Molasses, molasses, molasses. I have a digestive problem with BSM; have celiac disease and the malt seems to be a real problem. I am also anemic. I have found spinach, peaches, beetroot, cinnamon and chickory all to be helpful. Of course, energy begats energy and exercise (moderate when tired) is great for an energy boost.
Sarsaparilla and Beetroot
Posted by Shooting Star (Atlanta, Ga) on 01/24/2023
★★★★★
Sarsaparilla has been a game changer for managing my anemia. Taking the supplement alone, boosted my iron numbers back to the normal range. I randomly chanced upon the treatment from a YouTuber casually mentioning it… now I feel secure in no longer needing iron pills.
I also came across beetroot this year. It's really improved my cognition and energy levels with this condition. I did not even know that my brain could function this well because I've been chronically anemic pretty much all my life. Anemia symptoms were my “normal, ” so I perceived my lethargy as laziness, difficulty with memory as a fault in my effort to memorize, and awkward speech and stutters as a speech impediment. Truly, I was just unwell.
When I have used these modalities to treat my anemia, all the symptoms are significantly minimized.
I am so blessed to feel empowered against this beast of a condition that oppressed me physically and emotionally for so long. My body, brain especially, has not been oxygenated like this in such a long time. —it feels so good to have more control over this condition. It literally felt like my life was enslaved by it and perpetually overcast with its symptoms.
Cheers to our journeys to better health. Wishing wellness to all.
Pomegranate Juice
Posted by txmommy (TX) on 09/06/2021
★★★★★
When I was pregnant, my midwife said my iron was really low and wanted to put me on an iron supplement. I said give me a chance to research. So, I researched and found pomegranate juice would raise iron levels. I began drinking 4 oz fresh raw pomegranate juice once a day for the next 3 weeks and that is all I changed in my diet. When the midwife checked my iron levels, they were so high, she asked me what supplement I had taken! It works! I do not know if pasteurized works or not. You could always try.
Cautionary Note
Posted by Michael (Virginia) on 01/21/2018
Why give it just one star? BSM obviously works, judging by the great number of five stars. Anemia can have other causes, although iron deficiency is the main cause. It is highly unlikely that taking a tablespoon of BSM is going to do anyone harm, even if a deficiency of iron isn't the problem, unless they have a rare disease that causes them to absorb too much iron.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 01/14/2016
Liquid Chlorophyll is also a help in building up the blood. Midwives often have mothers take it if they bleed too much after birth. Even a Tablespoon several times a day. (It will turn the stool dark, though.)
~Mama to Many~
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Lee (Belleville, Arkansas) on 07/11/2011
★★★★★
I love BSM. I had 5 tumors and had to have a hysterectomy. My blood count was down to 8. (The normal being 12-15) my doctor told me I almost had to have a blood transfusion after surgery, but she decided to put me on Ferrus sulfate iron pills. I hated that, so at my 2 week check up we quit the iron and went to BSM. I can tell a real difference!!! I also take folic acid b/c that builds your blood too. I went back to work 4 weeks after my surgery. I would advise anyone to take BSM.
Foods High in Nitrilosides for Sickle Cell Anemia
Posted by G. Michael (Reading, PA) on 12/05/2007
★★★★★
About 3 years ago I was at work when I noticed that a co-worker was very upset, so I asked her why she was so distressed. She responded that a co-worker's son was in the hospital in terrible condition with sickle-cell anemia. I told her that the Lord had given me a ministry in helping people overcome their illnesses(this was before I realized that He wanted me to write a book about the matter.) The next day I went to Albright College where I ususally did my health research. While driving to the college I started to say to the Lord "Why I am going to research a disease for which there is no cure?" Of course, the Lord ignored my ridiculous objection and I continued to the college. I went to the library, got on the computer and googled "Sickle-cell Anemia, Natural Cures" Within a couple of minutes the "de-facto" cure was on the screen. Praise The Lord! The treatment is eating foods that are high in nitrilosides. These nitrilosides are transformed in your body to thiocyanate which prevents your blood from sickling. Some are these foods are millet, african yams, sorghum, and apricot seeds. Of course, it is always important when you're adding to your diet what is going to help you, to stop unhealthy food, especially fast food. The combination is devastating to illnesses. By the way, the National Institute of Health knew about what I just told you and said that thiocyanate is a wonderful anti-sickler. Unfortunately, they did nothing with this wonderful information. After the Lord revealed to me this wonderful treatment for sickle-cell anemia I drove to work, talking to myself all the way. When I got to work I saw the father of the child whose son had the sickle-cell anemia and I told him what the Lord had just revealed to me. Within a short time his son was doing wonderfully and has been in great health ever since. And for a long time whenever I would have contact with the son's father there was such gratitude on his face. Praise The Lord
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Lynde (Pretoria, Sa) on 12/18/2017
I was wondering why no one has mentioned Spirulina and vit B12 for anaemia? Has anyone had experience using these?
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Carol (Pocatello, Idaho) on 11/07/2006
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I work as a Nurse Practitioner in a hematology clinic. Please remember that not all patients with anemia have it because of low iron stores. Too much iron can have significant medical side effects. Therefore, I would recommend having your iron blood levels checked prior to starting any replacement iron, molasses, or other herbal products.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 07/22/2014
Heme iron, and non heme are not the same. Meat is heme, and can eventually result in iron toxicity which is difficult to do. Also certain iron supplements usually chelated, or a heme version can result in the same way. Non heme ( plant sources ) is only used by your body when needed. Your body reduces it, and absorbs what is needed. Just like ALA is converted only when you need it. The body can regulated non heme. Lastly, the main reason not to worry is the body is only capable of absorbing 4 mg per day of iron as stated by the red cross. " iron toxicity " is usually inflammation somewhere in the body falsey raising ferritin. This will show up on a blood test as iron toxicity when it is not. True iron toxicity is very rare. It's usually just inflammation.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Tessa (Okanagan) on 07/31/2020
Hi Susannah -
Dr. Josh Axe mentioned blackstrap molasses (1 teaspoon per day) among other things in his article about anemia - "5 Natural Treatments for Anemia Symptoms":
https://draxe.com/health/anemia-symptoms/
He does mention the various types of anemia that affects people (including aplastic anemia). His recommendations are based on diet, B12, Vitamin C, folate [not folic acid], ginseng, probiotics, etc.
He also added how important a healthy spleen is when dealing with anemia.
I hope you and your husband find something that helps soon.
Take care.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Katy (Astoria, Oregon) on 06/04/2007
★★★★★
Molasses (Remedy): Molasses is packed with iron and other nutrients. I have a large fibroid and have been losing lots of blood during period, this caused my iron deficiency! I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and was not craving ice like many of the other writers, but was eating tons of MINTS. Ice craving, I have read many times, is associated with iron deficiency! It's actually called "Pica," or a craving for unusual substances without nutritional value. People often eat dirt as well. I noticed that when I ate molasses as well as started an iron supplement along with my usual multivitamin, my mint craving went away. I see that people say their ice craving went away after taking molasses and that made me want to mention the link with iron deficiency and this strange craving! Thanks.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Misty (Harrisonville, Missouri) on 04/27/2007
★★★★★
Hello, I have written before about the blackstrap molasses offering an idea on how to drink it. I have been fighting a fibroid tumor for a long time now and began several months ago with the molasses. I just had a sono yesterday and there was no change with my tumor. I did however notice some great changes when I began the molasses. It did get rid of my anemic symptoms, it will keep you regular and I think if you include this in your daily diet it may help to prevent fibroid tumors from forming, or help shrink small tumors when caught early enough. I think over all my health has improved greatly since I began eating at home and avoid eating out as much as possible. Coconut oil is great for the skin I can't live without it. I like the A.C.V. it does work great external and can help you loose weight, but I don't think it is the miracle cure for weight loss. I still have to eat healthier and get active or the weight will remain the same or I will gain. Pretty much everything I have tried so far on this site I have had great results with. Be healthy and God Bless.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Krystal (Memphis, TN) on 12/13/2006
★★★★★
I have been anemic all my life. When I decided to change my eating habits and study herbalism, I came across a book that talked about how black strap molasses could shrink tumors and how high it was in iron. I use to have the ice cravings but no more. For the first time in my life I am not anemic. My mother was very surprised and has started using the product for herself. It works! I am living proof; if you're anemic, take 1 tablespoon each morning in a half cup of warm water and it will do the trick! Nature is a wonderful thing!
Iron
Posted by Beverly (Riverside, California United States) on 06/01/2013
★★★★★
Does anyone know if taking over the counter IRON Tablets 65 mil. is safe?
3 days ago I was so weak that I could hardly get out of bed. A friend told me to try IRON Tablets so my husband went out and bought me a bottle. Within the first day I felt better! 3 days later I am outside doing decent yard work! I had not been able to work in my yard due to weakness.
I am wondering if taking a pill a day is safe? Anyone know? I wonder if I should cut the tablet in half to be safe? How long can I take Iron?
(I am the Beverly that wrote about having a cold head. Even my head is not bothering me as much now.)
Pekmezi
Posted by Demina (Athens, Greece) on 12/08/2010
★★★★★
It is very weird that no one here has never or so I think- mentioned the traditional grape molasses named pekmezi in Turkish or petimezi in Greek Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petimezi I guess that it is a local product and not widespread in other places in the world otherwise the page blackstrap molasses would have been a tiny sub page of this grapes molasses pages product.
Pekmezi is made by boiling down slowly for hours the first juice you get after crushing the grapes (the very first step for producing wine before any kind of fermentation) until this juice becomes a mild-thick black-brown sweet syrup. Actually in Greece we can do it in our own kitchen provided we find tons of fresh crushed grape juice. It is a difficult home procedure as we need "gallons" of this fresh juice to produce a bottle of pekmezi. There are a lot of wine producing countries in the world but I don't know if any others than the two above have also this product -well, lazy housewives ? :-)
Even wikipedia doesn't mention pekmezi in its "grapes" page as a grapes product (although there is a petimezi page, mentioned above)
If you just consider the raw material grapes- the grape molasses is far better than any other molasses. There are a lot of "grape" diets but non "sugar cane" ones, and there are a lot of health claims for grapes.
Anyway the grape molasses is so rich in iron too, that you can taste it. One spoon per day is the best home remedy for iron deficiency anemia. In Greece this was a must have remedy for young girls with heavy menstruation, actually not a remedy in a sense of healing the heavy menstruation, but in a sense of rebuilding the body the blood and the stamina. Pregnant women used to take it also. It was a material difficult to produce and every home had bottle as a medicine in its kitchen. I said was because the big pharma came and now the population has been brainwashed to take iron pills for anemia and millions of synthetic vitamins. Also as it is a have it all super food- when a small child was very ill and refused to eat we gave him a spoon of petimezi and we were sure that its body had all the necessary nutrients to combat illness and we didn't mind that the child refused to eat. I remember when I was 7 with chicken pox and 40Celsius for a week and I was saying "I'm dying" my mother gave me pekmezi and water as my sole food. I do not know in other countries what kind of food they feed (before the mass products appear) the very ill children when they refuse to eat but I suppose those exact foods would be the richest in nutrients foods available locally. Check on them in your country!
Cream of Wheat
Posted by Crstline99 (Crestline, CA) on 06/12/2009
★★★★★
You can try cream of wheat to bring up iron. I used it before surgery, because I had to give blood to myself two weeks in a row before surgery. My iron went up a lot. enough that the nurse taking my blood made a comment on how unusual it was for someone's counts to go UP after giving blood the week before.
Cream of Wheat Cereal, Molasses, Raisins and Flax Seeds
Posted by Tanya (Olympia, Wa) on 01/21/2008
★★★★★
I wrote back in November about my anemia and would like to report that I just got a blood test and my iron is 38 percent, way into the normal range. I have eaten cream of wheat with 2 tbls of unsulphered black strap molasses and raisins with flax seed every morning since September when I was diagnosed with fibroids. I have also been drinking 1 tbls of Mothers Apple Cider Vinegar with Apple Juice every day. During my cycle I drink it first thing in the morning because I read it helps to clot blood. My cycles have been very light and I just saw my Natropath Friday and she was amazed at how high I got my iron and how well I was doing. She also has me taking some liquid herbs to shrink the fibroid. My cycles have been great only thing is the last two were only 15 days apart. When I told my Dr. about this she said perhaps it is my body getting back on track? She wants me to go back in May to get an follow-up ultrasound. I will report back when I have that done.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Connie (Rochester, NY) on 03/10/2007
★★★★★
I have always had heavy periods, and had a fibroid tumor removed several years ago. I was anemic often as a teenager, but couldn't stomach any iron pills. Now as a 40-year-old woman, I'm starting to become "normal" in terms of menstrual flow, but often feel weak and fatigued. I had my thyroid checked, but that turned out to be okay. I then figured I was probably lacking iron. I remembered reading somewhere that blackstrap molasses was high in iron. I bought an inexpensive bottle ($2.79) of House of Herbs blackstrap molasses and was quite impressed to see that one tablespoon contains 70% of the RDA for iron. For the past two months, I've been adding a tablespoon to my coffee every morning in place of sugar. It tastes great, and I haven't felt tired or drained. I see here from others' comments that molasses is also a good remedy for constipation (which had also frequently plagued me, despite my high-fiber diet and increased intake of water), and thinking back over the past several weeks, I realize that I haven't been constipated. Great to know that it works that way, too!
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Janet (Hot springs, AR) on 07/04/2006
★★★★★
I take a tblsp of blackstrap in the morning and "chase it" with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, with the mother in it, with 3 tablespoons of warm water. In 1994, I was diagnosed with metatastic breast cancer at the age of 53. I had my femur replaced, took 10 radiation treatments and 6months of chemo. I have been on this regimen and KNOW that these things are from GOD made ingredients and, therefore, have kept me well. I have always been a borderline anemic. My blood counts are better than they have EVER been in my entire life. I believe if I had been doing these things for myself BEFORE I got cancer that I would NOT have had cancer in the first place.
