Chinese Herbal Medicine and Heart Health: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Heart health is something we should be thinking about long before symptoms develop.

Cardiovascular disease can progress quietly over time, which is why understanding your risk factors and taking a preventive approach is so important.

Factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and lipoproteins, blood sugar regulation, smoking, physical activity, diet, sleep, stress, family history, and metabolic health can all influence cardiovascular risk.

Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at heart health through another lens. Rather than focusing solely on a diagnosis or individual lab value, Chinese medicine looks at the whole person and identifies patterns of imbalance that may be contributing to symptoms and overall health.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can then be incorporated into a broader, integrative approach alongside appropriate medical evaluation and cardiovascular care.

How Chinese Medicine Looks at Heart Health

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, two people with the same Western medical diagnosis may have completely different underlying patterns.

That's why Chinese herbal medicine isn't one-size-fits-all.

A Chinese medicine evaluation considers your symptoms, health history, tongue, pulse, digestion, sleep, energy, temperature, emotional health, and other characteristics to determine your individual pattern.

Patterns that may be considered when evaluating someone with cardiovascular symptoms can include:

• Blood Stasis

• Qi Stagnation

• Phlegm and Dampness

• Qi Deficiency

• Yang Deficiency

• Yin Deficiency

• Heat

• Combinations of several patterns

Treatment is then chosen based on the individual presentation, rather than simply giving everyone with the same medical diagnosis the same herbal formula.

Blood Stasis and Circulation in Chinese Medicine

One of the most important patterns associated with circulation in Chinese medicine is Blood Stasis.

Blood Stasis describes a pattern in which the normal movement of Blood has become impaired or obstructed according to TCM theory.

Depending on the individual, signs of Blood Stasis may include fixed or stabbing pain, dark or purplish coloration of the tongue, prominent sublingual veins, menstrual clotting, or certain pulse qualities.

Chinese herbal medicine has traditionally used herbs and formulas that invigorate the Blood, move Qi, and promote healthy circulation when this pattern is present.

However, Blood Stasis is a Traditional Chinese Medicine pattern diagnosis. It is not the same thing as medically diagnosing a blood clot, atherosclerosis, or coronary artery disease.

What Can Your Pulse Tell Us?

Pulse diagnosis is one of my favorite diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine.

When I take your pulse, I'm doing much more than measuring how fast your heart is beating.

I feel different positions on both wrists and evaluate characteristics such as whether the pulse feels:

• Deep or superficial

• Strong or weak

• Fast or slow

• Wiry

• Slippery

• Thin

• Choppy

These different qualities give me additional information about your overall Chinese medicine pattern.

I combine the pulse with tongue diagnosis, your symptoms, medical history, and the rest of your evaluation to determine the treatment strategy that's most appropriate for you.

Pulse diagnosis can be a valuable part of a Chinese medicine assessment, but it should not be used in place of conventional testing to diagnose coronary artery disease or predict a heart attack.

What About Ear Diagnosis?

The ear is another diagnostic and treatment microsystem used in Chinese medicine.

Different areas of the ear correspond with different regions and systems of the body.

Practitioners may look for changes in color, texture, tenderness, or other characteristics as another piece of the overall Chinese medicine evaluation.

Auricular acupuncture and ear seeds can also be incorporated into treatment.

Like pulse and tongue diagnosis, however, findings on the ear are used within the framework of Chinese medicine and aren't a substitute for cardiovascular testing or evaluation by a physician or cardiologist.

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Heart Health

Chinese herbal medicine has been used for centuries to address patterns involving the Heart, Blood, Qi, circulation, and fluid metabolism.

The treatment strategy depends entirely on the pattern.

For example, an individualized herbal treatment might focus on:

Invigorating Blood and resolving Blood Stasis when circulation is the primary concern.

Moving Qi when significant stagnation is present.

Transforming Phlegm and Dampness when those patterns are contributing to the overall presentation.

Tonifying Qi or warming Yang when weakness or deficiency predominates.

Nourishing Yin or Blood when the individual presents with signs of deficiency.

This is why I don't recommend choosing a Chinese herbal formula based solely on a diagnosis you received from your doctor.

The same cardiovascular condition can look very different from one person to another through the lens of Chinese medicine.

Chinese Herbs and Cardiovascular Medications

If you already take medication for blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rhythm, blood clot prevention, heart failure, or coronary artery disease, Chinese herbal medicine should be approached carefully and collaboratively.

Herbs can interact with medications, particularly anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications.

Don't stop or change a prescribed cardiovascular medication because you're starting acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine. Any medication changes should be discussed with the healthcare professional who prescribed them.

When appropriate, Chinese medicine can be used as part of an integrative treatment plan, rather than as a replacement for necessary cardiovascular care.

Prevention Is About the Bigger Picture

Supporting cardiovascular health involves much more than focusing on cholesterol alone.

The foundations matter:

• Eating a nutrient-dense diet

• Strength training and staying physically active

• Maintaining healthy blood pressure

• Supporting healthy blood sugar and insulin sensitivity

• Understanding your cholesterol and cardiovascular risk markers

• Avoiding smoking

• Getting adequate sleep

• Managing chronic stress

• Maintaining a healthy body composition

• Addressing risk factors early

Functional medicine can also help us look at metabolic and cardiovascular health more comprehensively instead of focusing on one isolated lab value.

Chinese medicine can complement that approach by looking at the individual's overall pattern and constitution.

💡 Dr. Stephanie's Tip: Don't wait until something feels wrong to start paying attention to your heart health.

Many cardiovascular risk factors don't cause noticeable symptoms in their early stages.

Know your numbers. Understand your family history. Stay active. Prioritize strength training, sleep, nutrition, and stress management. And keep up with appropriate medical screenings.

If you're incorporating Chinese herbal medicine, work with a qualified practitioner who understands both your Chinese medicine pattern and your complete medical history, including any medications and supplements you're taking.

An Integrative Approach to Heart Health

One of the things I value most about Chinese medicine is its individualized approach.

Pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine allow us to look at patterns that are unique to each person rather than treating everyone exactly the same way.

At the same time, cardiovascular health is an area where appropriate medical screening, diagnosis, and treatment are incredibly important.

These approaches don't have to compete with one another.

At New Direction Natural Medicine, I combine acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and functional medicine to look at the bigger picture and create an individualized approach to your health.