How to Improve Circulation Naturally

| Modified on Apr 08, 2021

The most common symptom of poor circulation is feeling cold all the time, especially in the hands and feet. This is symptomatic of several diseases, including diabetes, Raynaud's disease, hypothyroidism and anorexia nervosa as well as medications such as beta-blockers. Chilblains are the body's natural defense to cold; small veins and arteries narrow. Warming causes expansion, irritation and swelling. Acrocyanosis is when the face, hands or feet appear mottled red or blue, accompanied by either sweating or coldness and swelling.

How To Improve Circulation

- A mixture of uncooked, fresh minced cayenne pepper and ginger.
- Crushed ginger in green tea.
- 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide: 5 drops in water 3x daily.
- Cayenne pepper: 1/2 tsp. 2x daily, with 2 Tbsp. ACV and 1 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses.
- Coconut Oil, 3 Tbsp. in morning. Geranium Essential Oil can be added and used as massage oil.
- Also worked for some: Cold showers, Vitamin K, one capsule daily; Anthocyanin (in red grapes); Penny Wort; Vitamin E:large doses; Arginine and Butcher's Broom, 1-2 capsules daily.
- Lugol's Iodine cures coldness in extremities caused by hypothyroidism. Start at 1 drop in a glass of water 2x a day. Slowly work up to 2 to 4 drops 2x a day. See post below: 08/28/2011: Bill from San Fernando, La Union for further details and Lugol's Iodine under Remedies.
- Fluoride in drinking water can cause hypothyroidism. Drink purchased non-fluoridated water and see there is improvement in a couple weeks. Limit exposure to tap water in cooking or bathing during test period.

Continue reading below for more tips from Earth Clinic contributors!




Apple Cider Vinegar, Molasses and Cayenne

1 User Review
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Posted by Elizabeth (USA) on 10/08/2006
★★★★★

I have been on a regimen of 2 tbls of ACV and 1 tbls of blackstrap molasses 2x's a day for about 4 months now. I've just recently in the last month added 1/2 tsp of cayenne (1 tsp/day total) to my ACV and chase it with a glass of water. I read on your site that cayenne helps circulation and that was the primary reason I started adding it to my ACV. Before that I would cook with it and added it to my food everyday as I really like hot food. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with what happen next... The puffiness around my eyes (due to some kind of allergies food or airborne I'm guessing) and face is COMPLETELY gone! No kidding! I have a healthy glow to me now and the puffiness around my eyes that would make me look tired all the time, has vanished. The next thing I noticed is that my sinus' are clear, the dull sinus headache that I lived with for so long is gone and I can breath through my nose at night. As a result I think I'm getting more oxygen to my brain and body now and I definately feel much more clear headed. I had no idea how much congestion was in my sinus' that I had just learned to live with. After ingesting a teaspon a day for about a month, although results came within a couple of days, I look and feel so much better. The only thing I can attribute to the changes to is the cayenne. Thank you so much for posting this remedy. Makes me want to kiss you guys right on the lips! SMACK!

Replied by Twi
(Saskatoon, Sk Canada)
01/29/2010

Thanks for your post. I went out the health food store today and purchased ACV, Molasses and cayenne with garlic capsules. Just wondering, does it matter what source the molasses comes from and do you need to drink this mixture on an empty stomach or at least well after or before a meal?

Thanks...I look forward to it's benefits
Be Well

Replied by Niki
(Minneapolis, Mn)
01/20/2012

In order to get the health benefits from Molasses, you just need to make sure it is BLACKSTRAP Molasses.

Replied by Jb
(Atlanta,ga)
11/19/2013

Purchase Unsulphured Molasses.

Replied by Tim
(Winnipeg, Manitoba)
09/10/2020

What brands did you use?


Blue Toe Syndrome Remedies

Posted by Soodie (Canada) on 02/01/2014

Hi All

I was wondering if anyone has heard of Blue Toe Syndrome and if they have what remedies have worked. I take prescription from my doctor but it is not working. I have googled remedies but very little to no information was found. I could not find any information on Earth Clinic regarding Blue Toe Syndrome. Thank you!!


Butcher's Broom

1 User Review
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Posted by Kerry (Port Alberni, BC, Canada) on 05/25/2009
★★★★★

Butchers Broom works very well for cold fingers and fingers that get numb from the cold. My girlfriend would get painful numbness in her fingers from the cold. When she took Butchers Broom, her fingers wouldn't bother her. One or two capsules a day works well.


Coconut Oil

3 User Reviews
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Posted by Dorie (Ft Lauderdale, Florida) on 04/08/2008
★★★★★

Coconut Oil for Hypothyroid patients: I heard that virgin coconut oil was a good supplement for people suffering with hypothyroidism. I went to a natural food market and bought a jar of it. That was 2 months ago and I have gone back to buy more several times. I am taking 3 tablespoons in the morning. It has not helped with my weight although I know a few people who used it and lost weight immediately. It has stopped my hair loss (it use to fall out by the handful) and in fact not only is my hair thicker but my eyebrows are growing back. I no longer have cold hands and feet either. It doesn't cure thyroid problems but it certainly is a great supplement to help with the effects of the disease.


Coconut Oil
Posted by Jamie (St. Petersburg, FL) on 01/31/2008
★★★★★

My boyfriend was tired of seeing me uncomfortably cold all the time. He became uncomfortable knowing that I couldn't relax from always being so cold. He did some research and discovered that my body temp. was averaging 96.8 F. He suggested I take Coconut Oil for a while to see if it would help. We honestly can't believe it! I, for the first time, am not constantly cold. Yes, I do occasionally get cold but nothing like I use to. I'm actually relaxing now. It's has made such an improvement to my life. Would definitely suggest it for anyone with a similar situation.

Replied by Cyndi
(Ga)
07/19/2017

Regarding the post from 2008 - how much Coconut Oil do you think he took daily to cure cold hands and feet?


Coconut Oil
Posted by Deloris (Covington, GA) on 07/06/2007
★★★★★

My husband suffers from cold hands and feet, but since he's using the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil(Organic) he has not had any problems since. I use it on my hair and it makes it look healthier and stronger than it has in years.

Replied by Marla
(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
01/21/2011

I was curious about the coconut oil for cold body temps. How does one take it and what quantity?? Thank you

Replied by Allykat
(Simi Valley, Ca)
08/27/2011

I'd love to know what you guys mean by "taking" coconut oil. Do you eat spoon fulls of it? If so, how much? I suffer from cold hands and feet and my feet swell a lot during the summer months. This is something that makes me really uncomfortable because it limits my activities. I always feel like I need to get home and put my feet up to manage the swelling. I'm looking forward to trying out everyone's suggestions. I just wish the suggestions were a bit more specific. Thanks everyone. I'm feeling optimistic.

Replied by Bill
(San Fernando, La Union)
08/28/2011

Hi Allykat... Your cold extremeties and swelling problems could be due to a lack of inorganic iodine in your diet and you may be hypothyroid because of this. Cold extremeties are a sign of this. To check, other hypothyroid symptoms are given here:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hypothyroidism-symptoms

The extent of hypothyroid symptoms usually is dependent on age. Here is a link that describes the body's use and essential need for iodine(not just for the thyroid): http://www.iodine4health.com/overviews/uses/panam_uses.htm

All western diets heavily lack iodine now. Dr Brownstein, from the Iodine Project, did a random research study on 500 people in the US. The outcome was that he found that 94. 7% were deficient iodine in their diets. See this link: http://www.iodine4health.com/ortho/brownstein_ortho.htm

Taking Lugol's Iodine or Kelp (larger dose Lugol's is better for the whole body's iodine needs), Vitamin C, Magnesium capsules or Magnesium Oil, Selenium, L-Tyrosine, and Zinc would also help your problem. Vitamin C is necessary to aid iodine absorbtion problems caused by bromine in the diet(from bread). Selenium aids in the conversion of T4 to the more active T3 form of thyroid hormone. Tyrosine, with magnesium, also help to convert and store iodide as iodine in the thyroid gland and zinc stimulates the thyroid gland by suppressing excess copper uptake which tends to inhibit thyroid activity. Iodine also helps to remove cadmium, aluminium, lead and mercury from the body.

Daily Dosages:

Lugol's Iodine: 2 to 4 drops in a glass of water twice a day. Work up to this dose slowly.

Vitamin C(powdered form): 1000 mgs twice a day.

Magnesium Oil(70% solution of Magnesium Chloride): 10 drops twice day. Or take capsules of Mag Citrate or Mag Gluconate -- 250 mgs twice day.

L-Tyrosine: 500 mg per day

Selenium: 200 micrograms twice a day.

Zinc: 25 - 50 mgs once a week.

Using Fulvic/Humic Acid drops would also benefit your condition by supplying all the minerals necessary for your body in regard to body enzyme processes, hormones etc. Fulvic acid solution contains 70 minerals in their most bioavailable and natural form. See this link for all the benefits: http://www.supremefulvic.com/documents/html/fulvic_acid.php

Replied by Marlane
(Geelong, Victoria, Australia)
08/31/2011

Hi Allykat, Have a look at the following on youtube; Dr D Manila - 1-8 Edema and Potassium. Edema is a sign of potassium deficiency - people with Hyperthyroidism are particularly prone to it.

Good Luck, Marlane

Replied by Bobcat
(Portland, Oregon)
10/14/2012

Hypothyroidism can be caused by Fluoride in your drinking water. The Fluoride ion will also replace Iodine in the thyroid hormone rendering it useless.

If you have thyroid issues, the easiest thing to try, if you live in a fluoridated community, is to drink distilled, or spring water for a couple weeks and see what happens. Showering and bathing are a bit harder to control, but you can shorten eposure times here. See what happens. You can watch: aninconvenienttooth.org and scroll to the second-to-last interview, for the chemistry professor who solved his thyroid problem this way.

Replied by Maria P
(Australia)
11/12/2015

My Naturopath put me onto an effective way of taking in Lugol's and it works. Paint a little on the skin. If you need it, the body absorbs it in under 24 hours. If the body does not need it, 24 hours later the stain will still be on the skin. I usually put it on the inside of my wrist.

Replied by Appadoo Priscilla
(Phoenix, Mauritius)
04/16/2016

How do we use coconut oil for cold feet?


Cold Showers

1 User Review
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Posted by Alexandra (Mesa, TX) on 06/13/2006
★★★★★

I just wanted to share with all of you that I started taking ice cold showers out of necessity. During my pregnancies I've always had problems with circulation in my legs, bloating, soreness, etc. Well, where I live at the moment I can't find any support hose and I heard that cold showers were good for improving circulation. Well, I cannot begin to explain the benefits, "good" just doesn't cut it. Before the showers, I couldn't be on my feet for long during these hot summer days and the pain was unbearable. Now, after my ice cold shower in the morning, I'm on my feet all day and have absolutely no problem. Never felt better. I do take a catnap, but that's normal when you're preggo!

Replied by Ted
(Bangkok, Thailand)
05/10/2005
391 posts

While ginger seems to restore energy in most cases, however I find capsicum powder (cayenne peppers) mixed with fresh ginger works the best as it helps with circulation. Especially works well if you are drowsy and raises oxygen level to those tiny capillaries which receives little or no blood flow.

If you can find them, fresh ginger and fresh cayenne peppers (fine chopped) work the best due to higher bioflavanoid, vitamin P content, as well as vitamin C, etc.

You would not believe that the amount of vitamins in FRESH vegetables are MUCH MORE THAN THOSE THEY GIVE YOU IN VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS!!! Cooking destroys nearly everything the vegetables have to offer and end up paying more buying vitamin supplements, and much much more going to see doctors.


General Feedback

Posted by Ruth (West Haven, Ct.) on 01/06/2013

The tips of my fingers get white in the winter and very cold... Then for whatever reason they might turn blue and still get VERY cold... Or maybe just one or 2 finger will turn color. In the summer they are pink.. Maybe meniere's disease?

Replied by Jane
(Knoxville, Tn)
01/07/2013

You may want to be tested for Raynaud's disorder. Often seen with Sjogrens: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud's_phenomenon

It is important to keep your hands and feet protected from cold.


Geranium Essential Oil

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Posted by Joan (Festus, Missouri) on 11/07/2011
★★★★★

Another thing that you can use for poor circulation is geranium essential oil (EO). The way I use it is I take geranium EO and either add drops (maybe 4-5) to a bath and soak it in and/or take many drops like maybe 20-30 and add it to a carrier oil like warmed (liquid) Coconut oil (1 tablespoon) and mix it together and massage it into the legs, feet, and arms or anywhere you want on your body. Coconut oil will get hard when it falls below 76 degrees but that is ok. Once you have made this concoction, if it gets hard, just dig some out and rub it on your feet, lets, etc. Make sure you spend some time and really massage it in so you can get some benefit.


Green Tea With Ginger

2 User Reviews
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Posted by Stan (USA) on 01/13/2008
★★★★★

The first time we tried ginger for my wife's DVT and my cold feet, we bought gingerbased pills from the Health Shop with marking"circulation". This time I bought 200g of crushed ginger from the Korean shop and diluted it to make 1.5 litres. This 1.5 l was used with about 9 or 10 litres of green tea - enough to taste the ginger but not to cause a burning sensation. Blessings on your Earth Clinic Endeavour Stan


Green Tea With Ginger
Posted by Stan (Auckland, New Zealand) on 01/06/2008
★★★★★

My wife developed post-surgery DVT. acutely clogged circulation from the foot to the thigh. After 3 months of medical attention (and advice that she would have to live with it!), I suggested that she follow my ginger advice to at least improve circulation. At the same time I tried it for my chronic cold feet. Within 10 days things improved and she can now travel by plane without swollen feet! I was on 12 m of therapy for hypertension-Norvasc when its known side -effect of oedema became acute. In less than a week off N. but drinking green tea with ginger I was back to norma l(Green tea is also proven to ameliorate hypertension).

EC: We emailed Stan for more information...


Herbal Formula, Aloe Juice

1 User Review
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Posted by Elizabeth (Chicago) on 04/08/2021
★★★★★

The best remedy supporting circulation we found, and we use since 1998 is Circu Flow combination from Kroeger Herb, along with Aloe Vera Gel or juice. My husband is 69 years old and I am 65. We have zero problems with heart and other circulation problems. It helped many of our friends with problems as: high blood pressure, weak heart, leg cramps, burning feet, tightness in the chest, and many more. Cheap and very effective treatment for circulation problems.


Horse Chestnut and Pine Bark

1 User Review
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Posted by Jillery (Rawlly, Nc) on 01/18/2016 88 posts
★★★★★

I thought I read this cure on the circulation page, but I guess not. My ankles will ache at night and my doc told me it was A.G.E ... I read taking 900 mg of horse chestnut and 350 mg of pine bark (pycnogenol) would help. It has a a great deal!! I take my dose in the morning. Easy peasy!!! Enjoy.

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile, Tn)
01/18/2016

HI U JILLERY, , , , , , , , , great post, but I take issue with you trying to out corn ball me with that "EASY PEASY" line. I'm the Redneck on this site.

Jus messin with you. If I don't mess with you then I don't love you. =====ORH======

Jillery
(Rawlly, Nc)
11/19/2018
88 posts

sorry it took me 2 years to reply to you Rob't Henry 'the red neck' lol, my x bf in VA (i know, not really redneckville, but don't tell them that) would ask if you were a light skinned redneck. He was the only red neck I loved since he could take my NYC sarcasm. ;-) Now that was easy... peasy. :-D


Hydrogen Peroxide

1 User Review
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Posted by David (Springfield, Mo) on 07/19/2010
★★★★★

Alright, so I read about H2O2 therapy and decided to get some 35% food grade HP for general detox. My wife agreed to try it as well. Not one for small starts, I gave her and myself the full 25 drops diluted in water on an empty stomach. Very unpleasant for me, but much worse for her. She threw up after about 20 minutes and said it was the worst vomiting episode she had ever experienced. She then when back to bed and slept the rest of morning and was wiped out most of the day. Next day, I get her to take 5 drops in water and that proves stable for her. Again 5 drops 2x more that day. Day three, while we are out for breakfast she tells me that her feet are so hot they are tingling and are purple. Now I must explain why this is significant. My wife has suffered from very poor circulation since early teen years. This has presented in ice cold hand and feet at rest, even in summer. Winter nights will find her under many layers of bedding, with sweats, space heater running and sometimes a sock cap. Near the point of comedy, if it were not so miserable for her. I have tried her on cayenne and L-Arginine, which helped some, but was not a cure.

So three days after taking H2O2 for the first time, she found herself with hands and feet that were burning up and purplish red from some new found circulation. This condition proved painful and she started holding her hands under cold water occasionally and only wearing flip-flops as shoes were unbearable. This overheated condtion lasted around three weeks and then subsided. Now another three weeks have passed and her circulation appears to be very normal. She is now wearing light bed clothing and will kick the covers off in the night, which is very different. She says that her circulation problems appear to be over. She is no longer taking the peroxide as it was just too upsetting on her stomach overall.

A sidenote, she has had significant constipation issues her whole life, and the weeks she was taking the HP, she became very regular, sometime having a BM 3x per day. Now that she has stopped the HP, she has started to become irregular again. Time will tell if the HP has cured her circulation issues, especially this winter. Will try to follow up this winter regarding. For me, it has been good. I have no major health issues, just overweight, which has a cure, but it is not HP unfortunately. (smile) I was extremely tired after taking HP the first few day and slept a lot. Now I am taking 25 drops once every other day. It is quite an energy booster and my allergies have been down significantly. Very impressed, and will continue to use it. Ted's comment that lecithin caps will ease the nausea has worked well for me, and I may get some benefit from the lecithin on weight loss as well.

Replied by Lee
(Brighton, Australia)
09/23/2012

This is in response to David from Springfield, Mo (07/19/2010). While I highly congratulate you for taking Hydrogen Peroxide and am very pleased that you are gaining benefits from it, I think it is highly irresponsible for you to have begun such a powerful supplement at a very high dose. It is even more irresponsible and plain stupid to give it to your wife. I do hope that anybody contemplating taking HP begins at a very sensible dose of a couple of drops before slight increases daily. Disrespecting anything is simply asking for trouble. And also for any readers, it is much better and far more beneficial to continuously take a maintenance dose rather than go off it completely.

Replied by Jeanne
(USA)
05/11/2015

Did you dilute the 35% FIRST before you counted drops. It is supposed to be diluted 1 ounce of 35% to 11 ounces of pure or distilled Water to make 3%. Then count drops. I've been drinking this for 30 plus years after Stage III Cancer and never made me sick.

Replied by Christine
(Tx)
01/15/2018

Are you still taking HP? Did your wife's coldness come back? Any adverse reactions?

Replied by Jeanne
(Florida)
09/30/2018

You should have MIXED 1 OUNCE OF 35% H202 INTO 11 OZS OF DISTILLED WATER... THEN DRINK THE DILUTED H202. THAT'S WHY IT MADE YOU SICK.

Start out with 10 drops of diluted in 8 ozs of water.


Kelp

1 User Review
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Posted by Anniemae (Hampton, Va) on 06/12/2011
★★★★★

If you have cold hands and feet, low body temp, low pulse and blood pressure you are probably also suffering from hypothyroid. Your thyroid tests will read normal, but you have all the symptoms. I found great relief by taking kelp tablets (the green ones). There is natural iodine in kelp, which is what you need. Some people take Lugol's iodine. Research hypothyroidism, good luck.



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