Grape Seed Extract
Hello, My CT cardiac calcium scoring is 224 and plaque volume at 179mm3 put me in the 96th percentile according to MESA database. The results show left anterior descending (LAD) as 220 and right Coronary (RCA) as 3. My cholesterol levels are high as well.
My doctor put me on moderate intensity statins and 81mg over the counter aspirin.
After reading through EarthClinic reviews on atherosclerosis I have started 1200mg of Grape seed extract.
My questions:
1. Can I take GSE along with aspirin since I read it is not advisable to take it with aspirin or any other blood thinners.
2. Is there a time of day that is better for taking GSE.
3. Any other supplements that would help with my conditions to get off statins and bring the numbers down naturally. Will keep my PCP in loop while trying these natural remedies.
(Tennessee)
12/02/2023
Dear VKRP,
My husband is able to keep his cholesterol down by eating oatmeal diet and following a plant based diet with some lean chicken and fish. Sugar is inflammatory and should be consumed minimally. He did lose weight on this diet, which likely helped as well.
Oatmeal is also helpful to lower cholesterol.
The author of, "Left for Dead, " wrote that cayenne pepper capsules would reduce plaque in arteries.
~Mama to Many~
(Mi)
12/02/2023
I am a 76 years young female who has been battling the statin war for years. I realized the doctors will only discuss statins and aspirin, etc. due to the only protocol they know. It makes more sense to me to deal with the atherosclerosis instead of just lowering cholesterol. My question is since I am on blood thinners is it wise to take GSE and /or nattokinase?
Hi Eliya,
Since you are already on blood thinners (More than one?), you will have to ask your doctor if you can temporarily discontinue one or more of the blood thinners in order to consider taking high dose nattokinase and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE). It may be helpful for your cause to show your doctor the studies for nattokinase and GSPE for atherosclerosis. Since doctors don't actually have a treatment for atherosclerosis, your doctor may be willing to consider the two.
To just do it on your own may cause too much blood thinning activity which would be dangerous for you.
Art
(USA)
04/23/2025
Oh dear Lord, get off of statins and live. Your dr gets paid to put you on pills and justifies this by beleiving he can't be held responsible. Statins reduce coq 10 levels, aspirin wears out your body. Stomach first. It literally eats your stomach lining but h ewill say not baby aspirin. Put an aspirin on your belly every day and you will suffer. Look what they said about nsaidss, motrin therapy. Heal your self. It sounds like you are not sick but just want to avoid problems. Your dr is a problem. Be blessed.
(Auckland, NZ)
04/24/2025
I can only agree. A friend died in the OT when surgeons were unable to stop gastric bleeding due to baby aspirin.
The film STATIN NATION is excellent. I bought several DVD's to give to older relatives, all of whom weaned themselves off the statins and are now in better health than ever. Doctors only know about sickness and how to drug it to give symptomatic relief, never healing. We learned far more about the reality of cholesterol - you NEED it, particularly for your brain - helps keep dementia at bay, among other things. The "extras" with the DVDs were exceptional. I believe there is a STATIN NATION II now.
(Washington, USA)
08/26/2025
Art, I've been reading so much on EC for a while now. Trying to reduce BP and pounding heart. I've had high BP for a long time now. Usually ranging 160-180 over 85-95.
Eat pretty clean, mostly organic and grass few meats. My wife and I do like to have a couple beers 2-3 times a week.
We take a lot of supplements, I also battle some knee osteoarthritis.
I started on Cardiotone a few days ago after reading your article on it, hasn't made any differance yet.
I have been taking about 400 mg or GSE daily but after reading this article, I will up it to 1200 a day.
You mention in this post about high dose nattokinase along with GSE but never mentioned it in the post on GSE.
I want to be sure my arteries are clear, I always thought nattokinase was so potent that it could break off chuncks and thus might clog other areas as you mentioned.
Do you feel nattokinase is safe to take? I am trying melatonin but had a lot of loose stools right after taking about 10mg.
Thanks for your time.
Hi Roger,
Your heart palpitations (heart pounding) seem concerning. What did your doctor say is the cause?
For Carditone, I would use up the bottle as a trial. Some people respond a little slower than others. For some people who have tried it, it was not strong enough by itself and they had to use it in addition to other BP meds.
For the three of us who initially tested Carditone that I wrote about, we had all failed on the BP meds prescribed by our respective doctors, so we were actively searching for an alternative and Carditone worked for all three of us albeit differently for each of us.
Prior to using Carditone I also tested beet root powder capsules (BRPC) to lower my BP and it didn't work quite as well as Carditone for me and it required multiple capsules, so Carditone was more effective and requires just one caplet per night.
Another friend who also tested Carditone said that it worked fine to lower his blood pressure into the normal range, but ran into the clogged sinus issue and had to stop the Carditone. He asked me for another option and I suggested BRPC and he found that similarly to Carditone, BRPC at 3 grams per day all in one dose lowered his BP into the normal range with no side effects and he has been on that for months. The required effective dose for BRPC varies from person to person so starting low and working your way up to find the effective dose is needed. My friend started at 2400 mg and ended up at 3000 mg for his effective dose.
There was another report of someone on EC using both Carditone and BRPC together in order to get control of their BP.
As regards nattokinase, I still take it to keep my cholesterol down and ameliorate atherosclerosis as I want to avoid statins if at all possible. I've been taking it since before I wrote the article about nattokinase. In the nattokinase study that I highlighted they used aspirin and or vitamin k2m7 for added benefit to the nattokinase effect in some of the participants. I currently use all three.
I consider the grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) to be useful for overall health as opposed to just another cholesterol aid and I still take the label recommended dose of 1200 mg. I was taking GSPE long before I started the nattokinase and by itself I did not notice much difference in my cholesterol, but it likely has some synergy with the nattokinase.
As regards oral melatonin, diarrhea is a rarer, but known side effect in some people. Currently, I use melatonin gel as well as oral melatonin, so my total intake is still high, just redistributed a bit better over the whole day.
Art
I used to take both but found GABA supplement. GABA not only lowers B/P but also calms...I've gotten off Carditone and BR.
