Quick Take
A social media post asserts that bottle gourd is a natural blood thinner for arterial blockages. After fact-checking the claim, we discovered that it is mostly false.
The Claim
An Instagram post with the caption “The Magic of Lauki” claims that bottle gourd is a natural blood thinner and that consuming it daily may help get rid of arterial blockages. It also suggests that the bottle gourd may help remove stomach ulcers caused by blood thinners.
Fact Check
What causes arterial blockages?
Arteries are a vital part of the human circulatory system. Usually, these blood vessels carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the organs and tissues of the body. Damage to the arterial wall sets off an inflammatory response that encourages the accumulation of fatty substances such as cholesterol.
Eventually, this results in the formation of a rigid plaque composed of calcium, fat, cholesterol, and other cell waste products. This excessive accumulation results in atherosclerosis, a condition that limits blood flow by constricting arteries.
Risk factors for the medical condition are usually both reversible and non-modifiable. Some of them include:
- Elevated LDL cholesterol levels
- Unmanaged hyperglycemia and hypertension
- An inability to regulate weight
- A sedentary way of living
- People who have a medical history of cardiovascular illnesses
Dr. Amit Bhushan Sharma, Associate Director and Unit Head of Cardiology at Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, advises that while arterial blockages are initially silent or asymptomatic, if risk factors are not controlled, these hardened areas, or plaques, may rupture.
This rupture may lead to the formation of clots, which could result in peripheral artery disease, angina, heart attacks, and strokes.
Therefore, a healthy lifestyle, early detection, and timely medical intervention may be crucial in preventing major cardiovascular events caused by arterial blockage.
Can arterial blockages go away naturally with bottle gourd?
Bottle gourd, scientifically known as Lagenaria siceraria, is a dietary option that has been reported to have cardioprotective characteristics. This may be explained by the fact that it is high in potassium, vitamin C, and dietary fibre and low in saturated fat. The high fibre content helps reduce LDL, or bad cholesterol, and antioxidants could potentially lessen oxidative stress and inflammation, which are the primary contributing factors of atherosclerosis.
Dr. P. Rammanohar, Research Director of the Amrita School of Ayurveda, lends more credence to this by stating that home remedies cannot clear heart blockages. Any progress, even in Ayurveda, requires months or even years of strict dietary and lifestyle adjustments. So far, no medication—conventional or traditional—has been able to completely eliminate cardiac blockages. It could be detrimental to depend on such assertions and delay receiving the necessary heart-related therapeutic intervention.
Dr. Anusha Dewan, General Practitioner at Jeevan Anmol Hospital in New Delhi, cautions against substituting scientifically proven treatments with unverified home cures. Even though some at-home remedies may have health benefits, they shouldn’t be the only treatment for illnesses such as arterial blockages or hypertension. Most significantly, home remedies are not as rigorously tested or regulated as medicines, raising concerns about their reliability and efficacy.
In spite of the aforementioned heart-protective benefits, there is no scientific evidence to back the claim that consumption of bottle gourd can solely reverse or unclog the blocked arteries. Arterial blockages are brought on by complex processes such as plaque build-up and endothelial dysfunction, which call for pharmacological therapeutics, lifestyle alterations, and surgical procedures.
Should bottle gourd be used for managing blood thinner-induced stomach ulcers?
Blood thinners are prescribed medications that prevent the development or enlargement of blood clots. Contrary to what their name suggests, they slow down the body’s natural clotting process, which gives the body more time to disintegrate existing clots and stop new ones from developing. They are usually given to manage coronary artery disease, following procedures like stent implantation, or even to prevent more severe conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, and strokes.
Common blood thinners include Warfarin and Aspirin. Even though they have been established to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, their persistent consumption may irritate the stomach lining and raise the risk of ulcers or bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
While bottle gourd is hydrating and may have gut-soothing characteristics, there isn’t sufficient scientific backing to support its use for managing stomach ulcers brought on by blood thinners. Any digestive discomfort for individuals on blood thinners should be evaluated and managed by a medical expert.
How should high-risk individuals consume bottle gourd?
Like all foods, bottle gourds are best consumed in moderation. Overdependence or careless consumption—especially of bitter bottle gourd—has also been linked to serious toxicity, including vomiting, diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Furthermore, in vulnerable people, excessive consumption may result in hypotension or hypoglycemia.
Alternate foods that help improve lipid profiles and lower cardiovascular risk include berries, flaxseeds, garlic, and oats. Even though bottle gourds can be included in a healthy diet, they shouldn’t be used as primary therapy for clogged arteries. Obtaining professional medical treatment is still essential in such circumstances.
What is the most acceptable approach to address clogged arteries?
Clogged arteries usually show up gradually and without any obvious symptoms. Nonetheless, one should be aware of certain clinical manifestations of fatigue, dyspnoea, and severe chest pain. Doctors manage the critical condition by confirming the diagnosis through stress tests, coronary angiography, or CT angiograms.
Following confirmation of the diagnosis, treatment tends to be stage-based. For early stages, it is usually recommended to adopt a healthy lifestyle, abstaining from tobacco-based products, along with the handling of comorbidities of hypertension and diabetes.
Moderate blockages necessitate prescribed medications such as statins, antiplatelet agents, and antihypertensives along with lifestyle alterations. The prescribed medications usually help stabilise plaques and enhance blood flow.
Dr. Mohit Bhagwati, MBBS, DNB in General Medicine and Cardiology, Holy Family Hospital, Delhi, further emphasised the vital role of lifestyle changes and prescribed medication for heart blockages, recommending that “even though no single food can remove these plaques, a well-nourished diet plays a key role in preventing and managing cardiovascular conditions.” He also underlined the pleiotropic effect of statins, which means that in addition to reducing cholesterol, they can also reduce the risk of stroke by stabilising plaques and causing their caps to thicken, which reduces the chance that they will rupture.
Above all, more complex situations might need surgery. Procedures like coronary artery bypass grafting or angioplasty with stent implantation may be employed.
It is important to remember that, even though arterial blockage is asymptomatic, if timely intervention is not received, it might result in potentially fatal outcomes like heart attacks or strokes. As a result, depending only on one food item, such as bottle gourd, can be quite risky. Cardiovascular illnesses necessitate meticulous, evidence-based care that is closely supervised by a specialist in the field.
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