Ginger, Turmeric and Other Natural Anti-Coagulants

Review of Select Natural Blood Thinners

By Kimberly Pryor

Coagulation is the process of blood cells clumping together to form a clot. Coagulation occurs when blood platelets stick together—known as platelet aggregation. This process is essential to the healing of wounds. When a small vessel is injured, platelets adhere to each other and cling to the edges of the injury, forming a plug that covers the area. This plug—otherwise known as a blood clot-forms a natural bandage that stops blood loss. After the injury has been repaired, the body releases substances designed to break down the clot.

As beneficial as this process may be to the healing of wounds, platelet aggregation can be lethal when it occurs in the circulatory system. When platelets clump together in the arteries, they can form abnormal clots that can detach from the vessel wall, blocking blood flow and causing a stroke or heart attack.

Blood-thinners (anti-coagulants) are often prescribed for those at risk of blood clots and cardiovascular disease. Anti-coagulants such as Coumadin® (Warfarin), and platelet aggregation inhibitors such as Plavix® (Clopidogrel) are often used to prevent these clots. Daily consumption of aspirin due to its anti-coagulant properties also is a common practice. Aspirin consumption, however, poses the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and peptic ulceration. For individuals who want an alternative, research indicates that a number of natural substances may safely inhibit platelet aggregation.

Ginger
A recent study indicates that ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a potent anti-coagulant. Platelet aggregation is triggered by an inflammatory substance produced in the body known as arachidonic acid. Researchers in Australia tested the ability of 20 ginger constituents to inhibit arachidonic acid induced platelet activation in human whole blood. They compared gingers anti-coagulant ability with that of aspirin. The researchers concluded that components of ginger could indeed stop platelets from sticking together, possibly by inhibiting the enzyme COX-1. They concluded, The above findings show that gingerol compounds and their derivatives are more potent anti-platelet agents than aspirin under the conditions described in this study.1

Turmeric
The spice turmeric also has exhibited powerful anti-coagulant properties due to its ability to inhibit the formation of fibrinogen, a plasma protein that plays a key final role in the cascade that results in blood clotting. Elevated fibrinogen blood levels have been identified in a number of studies to be a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (strokes), exceeding the contributions of homocysteine, cholesterol and other lipid parameters in the pathogenesis of these diseases.

Turmeric can reduce fibrinogen levels, thereby inhibiting blood clotting.2-3 In one study by scientists in Spain, researchers selected eight subjects with elevated fibrinogen levels and treated them with 20 mg of Curcuma longa (turmeric) extract per day. After only 15 days, previously elevated levels of fibrinogen plummeted in all eight subjects.4

Other research shows that turmeric-derived curcumin can directly inhibit arachidonic acid-www.ed platelet aggregation, possibly by virtue of its ability to inhibit the clotting factor known as thromboxane A2.5

Policosanol
Policosanol has inhibited platelet aggregation in both animals and human subjects. In animal studies, policosanol significantly decreased the size of experimentally induced venous thromboses (clots).6-8

Vitamin E
Vitamin E also is a key player in the inhibition of platelet aggregation.9 But research indicates that mixed tocopherols can more effectively inhibit platelet aggregation than alpha-tocopherol alone.10 Tocopherols may work as an anti-coagulant by virtue of their antioxidant abilities. Platelets aggregate because arachidonic acid is converted into pro-aggregatory thromboxanes-an oxidative process. As an antioxidant, vitamin E can quench the free radicals that cause this conversion.9-11

Other Natural Blood Thinners
The fish-oil-derived EPA and DHA, garlic, and proteolytic enzymes also have been shown to have anti-coagulant properties.12 Furthermore, an overlooked anti-coagulant is Inositol Hexaphosphate (IP6). In one study, IP6 inhibited platelet aggregation by 45 percent in an in vivo animal model. In an in vitro study by the same researchers, stickiness was induced in human whole blood taken from healthy volunteers. IP6 reduced clotting by 50 percent, or eliminated it altogether.13