Natural Remedies for High Cholesterol

In 2019 our family doctor was concerned about my husband's cholesterol. He is not quick to recommend statins and suggested he try fish oil and COQ10.

My husband was very faithful in taking these supplements for a year. He made no other changes to diet, supplements, exercise, etc.

A year later (January 2020) his cholesterol was higher and his LDL was worse! Hmmphh.

So we dropped those supplements. No use taking them or wasting money on them anymore.

I suggested oatmeal. Like, oatmeal for breakfast EVERY day. I eat a lot of oatmeal and my cholesterol has always been on the lower side. And some studies seem to show that oat lowers cholesterol. He was game.

So every morning for the last six months, (at least 13 out of 14 mornings), he and I have had a bowl of oatmeal together. He made no other dietary changes or changes in exercise or supplements.

Sometimes I make steel cut oats in the instant pot with dried cranberries and coconut flakes. Sometimes I made quick oats on the stovetop and add fresh fruit like oatmeal or peaches. I add a little salt and maple syrup. I put a little butter in his and a little plant butter in mine.

Six months and about 175 bowls of oatmeal later, he had labs done again.

His total cholesterol dropped from 198 to 182. (An 8% drop! )

His LDL went from 140 to 121. (Still higher than desired but a 13% drop! )

His LDL/HDL ratio is back in the "normal" range.

We will continue our breakfast for oatmeal routine. Perhaps over time there will be more improvement. I will let you know!

~Mama to Many~

Cholesterol: I have been eating oatmeal/porridge for breakfast with honey and Brazil nuts for three months. My total cholesterol has droppped from 251 to 199, my triglycerides from 305 to 72. My HDL is 58 and my LDL is 127. I also take a cove of garlic every day and ACV and honey from time to time. However, the cholesterol drop was as a result of the oatmeal. I'm a 46 year old man, quite thin and do almost no exercise. Hope this helps.

morning - oatmeal w. "Smart Balance" spread & baked apple or cut up fresh apple, include skin & cinnamon (no sugar) plus 1 tablespoon psyllium in water at night. Lowered cholesterol 22 points.

My cholesterol was above normal my Dr put me on Lipitor causing memory issues. So I decided to to stop taking it and eat oatmeal and cinnamon because I had researched natural remedies and this is what I found could lower it. It worked. My cholesterol is still borderline but my HDL and triglecirides are good so my Dr is happy with my results. I have add apple cider vinegar to regimen. Hope everyone has my success. Thank you for your website.

I had a cholesterol level of 301. Was told I would have to go on medication if I did not get it down. I ate oatmeal for breakfast for 2 months & got it down to 250. Will keep on going until my next exam in 6 months.

I started OP first thing in the morning with Sunflower Oil for 12 to 15 minutes about 6 weeks ago because of a recurring gum infection from a gum flap that catches food though I did miss two days a week when away from home. It did the trick, nipping another infection in the bud that started during one of those 2 day lapses before it became inflamed and painful.

Ironically I started OP a couple of weeks before my quarterly blood cholesterol profile which was shockingly lower than it has been in spite of being on Lipitor for years! For the first time in my adult life, total cholesterol dropped below 190 (down 30 points) and LDL below 100 (down 25 points), making me a huge believer in OP. I don't intend to change the Sunflower oil to another unless those numbers go back upwards in a future profile.

Additionally, my teeth are whiter without wearing away enamel, postmenopausal hot flushes have decreased in frequency and intensity, and my morning coffee afterward OP is delicious LOL

EC: More about oil pulling here: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/oil_pulling.html

My triglcerides are high so my doctor put me on omega-3-acid perscription not over the counter. a friend told me about evening primrose oil for thyroid. tell me will the omega help the thyroid and will it hurt to take these two items together? thanks.

I take regularly a teaspoon of omeg3 fatty acid in oil form , the version with the highest amount of lignin, plus 81 mg aspirin. Though my total cholesterol is still v high , but my trigricrides, has dramatically declined from above 200 to only 107, at the same time my HDL has increased from 32 three yrs ago to 51 in most current check up.

I have read Teds comments on raising HDL- where can one purchase the proper orange oil to injest, a few places I called and asked said it cannot be injested. I recently bought this product, Orange Citri-Chol contains the essential oil Sweet Orange Zest that is high in coumarins which is know to be a blood thinner. Orange Zest is an oral grade essential oil that cuts lipids, or cholesterol in your blood stream. 4 oz. But the price is quite high. Any help would be appreciated.

I am happy to report that 6 months on a plant-based diet has done wonders for my husband's cholesterol.

In July, my husband's doctor was concerned because his cholesterol (specifically, the "bad cholesterol") was elevated AND his calcium cardiac test revealed significant blockages in all of the main arteries in his heart. My husband has a bad heart history in his family.

His doctor said, "I can write you a prescription for statins or you can go vegan, gluten free, sugar free." The doctor said that would be the diet that could potentially reduce the plaque in his arteries.

So, my meat and potatoes husband went gf, sf, vegan. (He didn't have to give up potatoes! ) This is about how I eat anyway, due to Alpha Gal Syndrome. It was more motivating to make interesting meals for more than just myself.

Anyway, labs this week were the proof in the pudding!

In six months, his total cholesterol went from 182 to 122!

In six months, his LDL went from 121 to 65!

I am very proud of him.

We did not repeat the calcium cardiac score yet due to the significant amount of radiation exposure with that, but these numbers plus the other health benefits are motivating him to stay on this diet.

Some other things to note, which may have helped to improve his numbers -

He eats oatmeal every day for breakfast. Oatmeal is supposed to be good for cholesterol.

He eats raw baby carrots with guacamole or hummus with his lunch 5 days a week. Carrots are supposed to be good for cholesterol.

He uses a monkfruit sweetener in his coffee. He also uses oatmilk as a cream alternative.

My primary oil to use is olive oil. We also use some plant butter.

I make so many lentil recipes, his potassium is actually a tad elevated. (Lentils are a good source of potassium! )

I have made many, many recipes from a food blog - minimalist baker. They have been a lifesaver - fast recipes with not a ton of ingredients - and delicious. She even has a df, gf biscuit recipe that is amazing.

My husband's blood pressure is doing much better on this diet and he has been able to cut his blood pressure med in half and still has better readings than he did 6 months ago on the full dose! He may be able to get off this med completely.

He does eat fish and chicken and bread once in a while, mostly when we go out and he does partake in celebratory meals like weddings and holidays - he just tries to be moderate with portion sizes.

Oh, and he lost 50 pounds total without any effort beyond the effort of staying on the diet!

I am thankful for his perseverance. I want him to be around a long time. :)

~Mama to Many~

My total cholesterol is 110, my progesterone levels are really low and my vitamin D is 30 even though I have been supplementing 10,000 iu every day. I know that progesterone and vitamin d are derived from cholesterol but I can't seem to keep the levels up. I do fish oil and eat meat. I don't eat dairy or eggs. Any suggestions to boost these levels? Or is there a problem with my liver or intestinal system?

My cholesterol was 226. I started taking psyllium husk powder - 3 teaspoons a day with fruit juice. After 4 months I had my cholesterol re-checked and it was 155. I also started eating healthier and added flax seed to my diet.

Red yeast rice antidote needed

Have always had good numbers on almost all health related things. Played 4 sports and when I couldn't anymore due to an injury, I took up walking some years ago. Now at 69, still walking 4-5 miles every day, I find myself with high cholesterol and triglycerides. Most of that is genetic, but I didn't expect it as I thought I could get around it by walking.

Tried red yeast rice about 2 weeks ago and developed extreme pain in my left thigh. Of course I have stopped taking it, but in the meantime I am almost unable to sleep because of the pain, going on about 5 days now.

Once I get moving the pain fades into the background and it seems to occur when I am laying down. I guess I'll go back to ACV which fixed my acid reflux a few years ago. Does anyone have an antidote to Red Yeast Rice?

Red yeast rice stained the bottoms of my feet within 3 days of taking to reduce cholesterol. Luckily I stopped and the stains went away within a week and a half. No thanks.

All of my adult life I have always had high cholesterol. I've been eating a vegan diet for many years and didn't understand why my cholesterol was so high. I found something online where it said that coffee raises cholesterol. I love coffee and was a regular at the local coffee shop. In the last six months I also started drinking it at home.

When my cholesterol was checked 08/26/2015 it was higher than it's ever been. My total cholesterol was 353 LDL 263 Triglycerides 163. This report did not even show my HDL.

The first month I didn't do anything and continued drinking coffee.

The second month I started taking Red Yeast Rice Complex that also had CoQ10, Policosanol, Pantethine and Plant Sterols. I took 600 mg twice a day. My cholesterol was checked again on 10/24/2015. My total cholesterol was 276 HDL 73 LDL 183 and Triglycerides 87.

The third month I quit drinking coffee and continued taking this dosage for about another two weeks and then took 600 mg once a day until the bottle was gone.The beginning of the third month I also started a Terrain Modification program where I am only drinking nutrient dense liquids through out the day and eating one meal per day that is mostly raw. I just had my cholesterol checked again on 12/04/2015 and the total cholesterol was 239 HDL 87 Triglycerides 128 and LDL was 126.

My cholesterol ratio went from 6.2 down to 2.7 in just a little over three months.