What do you mean by irregular heartbeat? Have you seen a medical doctor? "Skipped beats" are benign but racing and irregular beating could be atrial fibrillation which is very serious, puts you at risk of stroke and needs prompt medical attention.

Here is a link that might be useful: Atrial Fibrillation

I have to agree with Judy about seeing a medical doctor. This is a very serious condition. Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) can have many different causes, including herbal remedies. So, it's difficult to treat the arrhythmia without first pinpointing the exact cause. If you try treating it without identifying the cause, you may worsen your condition.

Please, err on the safe side, and see a medical doctor.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms)

Definitely see a doctor, deafblossom, but in the mean time, remember to keep your stress levels down. If you are approaching or going through menopause, it could be related to that.

If you do continue with the hawthorn, rest assured that it is a very safe & time-honored herb.

Good health,

~bushpoet

Vitamin E, calcium and magnesium are very benefical supplements for the heart.
Did you go to the doctor yet?

Thank you for your concering.. Two years ago, I went to the hopstail in Indianapolis, IN for my heart irregular heartbeat and then chest pain. I stayed in the hopstail for two days for tested. The nurse came in and told me that Dr. specalist said that my heart is fine and healthy. BUT I saw my dr. family for followed up. Dr. said, well.. it is okay. I was confused and not sure what is it. Due to bad communicate because I am Deaf! anyway.. I thought it was stress from helped my mother in Indy. When I came back home in Arkansas. It went away for one year and then came back again. I think it was caused from stress and worried about my mother being live in nursing home now. I am taking Hawthorn Berries, 565mg and take four times a day. Ginger Root 550mg six times a day. It seem helped my irregular heartbeat.I stopped drink caffinee too.. I will go back to Indy to visiting my mother and pick up my file to transfer to my family dr. my home in Ark. Thank you very much.. kat

Hope your follow-up with the Dr. is productive. This isn't exactly herbal but CoQ10 (co-enzyme Q10) can contribute to heart health by supporting the hard-working heart muscle. Ditto on the magnesium. And motherwort tincture (leonorus cardiaca) has been also helpful for me in time of emotional stress & anxiety.

~bushpoet

Have you had glandular fever?Correctly known as E.B.V.
This can weaken the heart but not manifest itself until a really stressful event,as it did with me.
You wouldnt believe it,but Vit B complex tabs were the only thing that stopped my heart from skipping beats,and then 2 close together.
The first time it happened it was so intense that i thought i might be having a heart attack!
But since on the B complex,no problems.
Make sure it has:aneurine hci,mag.phos,kali phos in it.
Hope things get better,when it happens its scarry stuff.

Kat, I,m really sorry about the irregular heartbeat. The most probable cause is stress.It's unbeleavable how stress can affect our bodies. From a weakend emmune
system.to ulcers,and irregular heartbeat.
Its your body,s way of telling you, your
nervous system is overworked.It,s time to give it some attention.Try the bedtime teas and calming teas from the grocery centers two or three times a day if it helps see whats in the teas that you could grow yourself. I like catnip and lemon mint. it helps. I can share some plants with you in the spring.
Vickie

How much take Magnesium (mg) a day? I do drank some catnip in the past, but mine all are dead! gee..

Vickie, I have been drinking Lemon Grass. I dont know if it will help to calm down? I doubt it.. I will need to start growing catnip and mints.

Thank you,
Kat

hey Kat,
you mention problems communicating with the doctor. if you go again, maybe consider taking an advocate or a trusted friend who can help the doctor communicate with you more effectively. if you understand best in sign language, maybe you could find someone who can sign to make sure that there are no miscommunications with the doc. hope you feel better.

Hey, I'm 14 and just got back from the pediatrician and she told me i have an irregular heartbeat. It sometimes skips beats or has an extra one inbetween beats. I had mononucleosus and wondered if i have the same thing that was mensioned. I'm seeing a cardiologist soon but anxious to know wut it is. I'm kinda worried. =(

Fish oil, Flax oil and Garick are helpful for keeping heart healthy.Consult your Dr. before using them.

Hello again..

Yes Yes.. I know that you are right.. I must go to see DOCTOR!! I went to Indy last September to have that dr. office to transfered my file to my Dr office in Arkansas. Well.. my heart is still irregular heartbeat! I will call and make an appt. with doctor this week. I have been so awfully busy in last few months when my mother was so sick and passed away on December 28th. My heart finally stopped irregular heartbeat last week for ONE WEEK! It was so nice and then it started again yesterday. BOOHOO.. I hated it. I will promise myself to have American Sign Language interpter or have my hearing husband to help me to communicate with my doctor. I will let you know what the my doctor will said about it. Thank you very much..

P.S. Hi BMFORU~ I am wondering how are you doing? Did the cardiologist found something about your heart? Kat

Hey all! I just happened apon this post and now I'm wondering how you two are doing. BMFORU and deafblossom I hope you are both well..my thoughts and prayers are with you. My brother has an irrerular heartbeat that comes and goes, probably due to stress. He's completely healthy though, and it is not affecting his life at all. I take valerian for stress...relaxes me and helps me sleep, so if ya'll are under stress that might help you too. Let us know how ya'll are doing!

Try some Yoga exercises.
Learn controlling emotions in good and bad times.Take deep breathe slowly and steadily and hold it for a while ( for a count of 5 to 10 ) and exhale slowly and wait for a count of 5 to 10 and breathe again same way.Repeat several times.
It helps closing eyes and think as if you are trying to look at at the tip of your nose (with closed eyes)and at the same time try to thank God of whatever faith you are following.This will provide some help.

Hi,

I've had an irregular heartbeat for many years now. My cardiologist has me on Metoprolol Tartrate and Coumadin and has taken me off Amiodarone. In addition, I take the following supplements recommended by Dr. Sinatra a nationally known cardiologist: CoQ10, L-carnitine, Magnesium, and Omega3 Fish Oil.

Originally, I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. Then later the doctor said I had only "flutters". My understanding is that if one has skipped or extra beats that is called Atrial Fibrillation. The blood swirls in the upper heart chamber with the potential of blood clots, and this may cause a stroke. The Coumadin thins the blood reducing the chance of stroke.

My question is has anyone taken Hawthorn in place of Coumadin, or with Coumadin? I would like to get off medication completely if there are natural remedies that work. My nephew, who is a microbiologist, says that the medication will kill me before the disease.

Good luck and take care deafblossom and all the rest who are suffering from this condition.

I'd discuss your concerns about medication with your doctor before making any changes.

The meds you're on have been well-studied and are not considered especially risky, though patients on Coumadin generally have blood tests (especially early on after starting the drug) to make sure they're not at excessive risk of hemorrhage.

Your nephew may not be fully aware of the hazards of atrial flutter, which can cause abnormally slow or fast heartbeat and put you at risk of serious complications. Experimenting with herbal drugs which have not been shown to be effective in treating this condition, would be dangerous.

Here is a link that might be useful: Atrial fibrillation and flutter

Do see your doctor. I have A-fib. I'm on medicine everyday for it. It has helped to a great extent. But, you do need to be check on a regular basis. I am on a beta-pace pill and on blood thinner. Check with your doctor!

To: Eric and persioncat

Thank you for your insight. However, neither of you have added anything to my extensive knowledge of this heart condition. I have been on these two medications for several years. In addition, I regularly have blood tests to monitor the clotting time, etc.. Further, I see the doctor several times a year on a regular basis.

My question was whether anyone had treated the condition with hawthorn in addition to the Coumadin, or substituted hawthorn in place of Coumadin. One of the most renowned cardiologists in the world, Dr. Sinatra, M.D., highly recommends the herb hawthorn for many heart conditions.

Moreover, my nephew is very knowledgeable about the condition as well.

I haven't seen any clinical evidence supporting the use of hawthorn for your condition. Even Dr. Sinatra's website does not promote it for atrial flutter/fibrillation.

Since hawthorn can interact with other drugs, it's still a good idea to discuss it with your physician.

Heart beat fluctuations are fairly common. I use selenium to control my fluctuations. A difficiency of selenium can cause heart disease and/or irregular heart beat. I believe the rule of thumb is no more than 200mg of selenium per day. One can take too much! I use tablets, and have nnot experienced irregular heart beats since I began taking selenium.

Selenium is present in broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, milk, wehat germ, bran, celery, chicken, eggs, garlic and cucumbers. Magnesium is also very important for a healthy heart. Food sources for magnesium are: avocado (highest source), oysters, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, raw almonds, spinach, potato with skin, oatmeal, broccoli, and acorn squash.

I know this is an old thread, but I feel compelled to comment about the use of ginger along with heart arrhythmia. The original poster indicates taking 550mg of ginger six times a day. That is more than three grams of ginger.

I recently started taking ginger supplements for my back pain and fibromyalgia. The bottle said to take one 550mg capsule three times a day with a meal. I thought I would start with taking the ginger supplement twice a day to see if that was sufficient for me. After just two days of taking ginger at a dosage of just a little more than 1gram a day, I experienced occasional heart arrhythmia. I stopped taking ginger and it took three days before I no longer felt any heart arrhythmia. Wanting the ginger to work for its health benefits, I tried it again, only this time, I took 550mg ONCE a day. The heart arrhythmia started again and I stopped taking the ginger again. Though I could try 250mg a day, or every other day, to see if a low dose does not prompt a heart arrhythmia, that small dose probably will not help my pain issues--still might try though!

Some reliable guidelines, like those from the University of Maryland Medical Center, say the maximum safe daily dose of ginger for an adult is four grams. As far as typical dosage for nausea or arthritis, the same website recommends just ONE gram daily.

I am not a medical professional. I am not saying that ginger was causing the heart issues mentioned by the original poster. I do want to point out that ginger can cause heart arrhythmia for some, even when not exceeding recommended dosage. I hope we all remember to research potential side effects (among other things) when choosing an herb like ginger to help ease our ills.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ginger, Univ of Maryland Medical Center

garden views comments above are wise ones.

also, am here dispelling the myth that supplemental calcium is good for the heart. supplemental calcium is actually linked to increased heart attacks in women primarily but men too. get your calcium from food instead, its found in most natural foods. dairy is actually a poor source, leafy greens much better.

if supplementing with calcium, magnesium and calcium should be supplemented in a 3:1 or higher ratio respectively.

Actually, there's increasing evidence that calcium supplements do not increase cardiovascular risk.

"FRIDAY, May 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In the wake of concerns that calcium supplements increase the risk for heart attack or stroke, a large, new U.S. study offers women and their doctors some reassurance.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found, in a study of more than 74,000 women, that these supplements are safe in terms of heart health.

Millions of women take calcium supplements in an attempt to boost bone strength, especially after menopause when the risk of fractures increases. This is so even though experts generally recommend that calcium come from diet rather than supplements.."

Other recent studies have had similar findings.

Dietary supplements in general are often promoted when there is no need for them and in some cases they may even be harmful. But if your physician has made evidence-based recommendations that you take supplemental calcium, it appears that there's no cause for alarm about associated heart risks.