The ayurvedic medicine tradition is an ancient system of health care from India, and is based on the works of Charaka and Sushruta. It is based on nurturing one’s individual consistitution and living a life of balance with one’s season, constitution, lifestyle and food choices.
Here are my picks of some of the top herbs from this tradition:

1) Tulsi – also known as sacred Basil, tulsi is a strong antioxidant. It helps fight and neutralize free radicals which come through pollution, radiation and stress in the body. It is also an adaptogen, which helps us to combat the effects of stress, or increased demands on our daily routine.

2) Ginger – ginger is known as adarak (grated root) or sunthi (powder) in the Ayurvedic system. Ginger is also a powerful anti-oxidant, helps with nausea, and sooths digestion for those with low appetite. Topically powdered ginger can help with joint or muscle pains or headaches.

3) Turmeric – a very important anti-inflammatory herb which has been shown to switch off anti-ageing genes. It also has very powerful antioxidant qualities. It is the yellow pigment in many curries and can be purchased as a root, similar to ginger in appearance.

4) Shilajit – an important rejuvenative herb which contains fulvic and humic acids, important solvents which help neutralize toxic compounds in the body. Shilajit is also considered to be a powerful antioxidant and is helpful in a variety of disorders, including pain, nervous system problems and impotence.

5) Shatavari – also known as Indian asparagus, is another important rejuvenative herb, Shatavari is considered a tonic for most female reproductive disorders and increases breast milk production in nursing mothers as well as digestive fire in both males and females.

Recent research on cardiovascular disease has suggested that although “traditional” risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes indeed greatly increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, a number of other risk factors are also important in the process of plaque formation in the arteries. These include:

1) Inflammation – this means a low-grade response from the body causing redness, heat and swelling in the arteries, making plaques more susceptible to rupture.

2) Endothelial dysfunction – this includes high levels of homocysteine, a product of metabolism of the amino acid methionine. This can often be corrected by therapeutic doses of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid.

3) Abnormal platelet aggregation – this can be related to high levels of fibrinogen in the blood and makes the blood more thick and able to form clots.

4) LDL oxidation – this relates to a subtype of cholesterol which when oxidized, or affected by free radical compounds, becomes more likely to be able to penetrate blood vessels and start the process of plaque formation.

The top three foods for preventing or reversing the above processes appear to be:

1) Pomegranate - a low-sugar extract of pomegranate can help increase the activity of “good” HDL cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol, and prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

2) Chocolate – dark chocolate (or raw cacao beans)  appear to have a beneficial effect on endothelial dysfunction, lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

3) Green Tea – while black tea theoflavins appear to have a stronger effect on lowering LDL cholesterol, green tea extracts appear to have a significantly beneficial effect on reducing platelet aggregation and decreasing inflammation of the heart arteries.

Other important lifestyle factors include regular exercise and flossing the teeth, as periodontal disease also has a significant effect on increasing risk for cardiovascular disease.