Shortness of breath has many different causes. Obstruction of the air passages of the nose, mouth, or throat may lead to difficulty in breathing. Heart disease can cause breathlessness if the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply oxygen to the body. If the brain, muscles, or other body organs do not receive enough oxygen, a sense of breathlessness may occur. Sometimes emotional distress, such as anxiety, can lead to difficulty in breathing

Breathlessness is the inability of the lungs and the heart to get sufficient oxygen to the rest of the body.

Common causes of Breathlessness are:

• anemia

• side effects of treatment

• heart problems like arrhythmias, heart valve disease, heart failure, congenital heart disease

• chest infection

• lungs problems like asthma

• tumor blocking the superior vena cava

• blood vessels blockage

• obesity

• cancer because the normal treatment method tends to destroy bone marrow, red and white blood cells and as a result the patient develops breathlessness

Heart problems and blood vessels blockage are signs that the person is suffering from disease of the circulatory system. Arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, angina and edema are signs of the same disease.

The Heart, Blood Vessels and Circulation

The heart is a hollow, muscular organ that is located in the center of the ribcage. It is divided into two halves: a right half and a left half. Both halves are again divided into two parts, an atrium and a ventricle.

The right atrium connects to the right ventricle via a valve and the left atrium connects to the left ventricle in the same way. The heart is essentially a pump. By contracting, it forces the blood via the arteries around the body or to the lungs. The main functions of the heart are supplying the body with oxygen and removing waste products (carbon dioxide). To put it briefly, the heart does this by collecting the low-oxygen blood from the body via the veins and pumping it to the lungs, where oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide is released. This oxygen rich blood then comes back from the lungs to the heart, which then pumps it to all the tissues via the arteries in the body.

How Does Disease of the Circulatory System Cause Breathlessness?

Any disruption in the flow of blood either in quantity or quality would cause breathlessness to take place. Sometime disease of the circulatory system runs in the family. Those who come from this type of families should take extra care.

Defective heart or diseased heart disrupts the heart from working at its optimum efficiency. Reduced blood circulation would reduce the supply of oxygen to the body. When blood vessels narrow due to plaque, this would also reduce the amount of blood and hence oxygen to the body.

Treatment

• If the heart is defective then at times corrective surgery may help to restore the heart.

• If the heart is over worked and is weak then herbs can be taken to protect the cardiac muscle from ischemic injury (strengthening the heart).

• If the blood vessels are narrowed then restorative herbs can be taken to expand the blood vessels as well as to remove the accumulated plaque (cholesterol busting herbs)

• If the blood is damaged and reduced due to the side effects of allopathic treatment then herbs can be taken to cause the body to increase the supply of blood. These are usually blood nourishing herbs.

• Herbal formulations are a much better option than other prescribed drugs available to treat breathlessness naturally.

Herbal formulation containing the herb Panax Notoginseng can do the following to treat breathlessness:

• It expands coronary arteries
• It prevents angina pectoris
• It promotes blood circulation
• It increases and protects blood platelets
• It can reduce cardiac load, lower arterial pressure and improve micro-circulation in and around damaged heart tissue
• It relieves chest pain associated with angina
• It improves heart function
• It increases blood circulation in the heart and brain while lowering elevated heart pressure
• It prevents arteriosclerosis and inhibits the progression of arteriosclerosis lesions
• It prevent arrhythmias due to lack of oxygen in the heart (improves heart function)
• It lowers elevated blood lipids

Traditional practise has used herbs like Polygonum Multiflorum, Panax Notoginseng, Schisandra Chinensis and Saposhnikovia Divaricata for treating heart and liver problems and disease of the circulatory system i.e. cardiovascular diseases.

 Scientific research has showed and proven beyond a shadow of doubt the validity of these beliefs that herbs like Polygonum Multiflorum, Panax Notoginseng, Schisandra Chinensis and Saposhnikovia Divaricata are truly effective for improving liver and heart functions and they are truly longevity herbs. Scientists have proven that these herbs can increase red blood cell productions as well as improving the functions of these cells (erythrocytes).  They have been proven to have the following functions: anti-aging, improve immune system through its antioxidant effect, treat cholesterol problem, retard and treat arteriosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels) protect liver, regulate and nourish blood and improve its circulation, anti-tumor effect, treat breathlessness, treat cardiac insufficiency, treat edema and hypertension.

Herbs can be used to improve the microcirculation within the body to vitalize blood circulation to treat cardiovascular problems as well as liver problems. Below are pictures (from a herbal article written by Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon) of such wonderful scientific proof that traditional herbs used to treat such diseases are truly scientific in approach.

Therefore these herbs have traditionally been used for treating the following cardiovascular disease problems holistically and they have been scientifically proven correct:

• For treating high blood pressure

• For treating high cholesterol 

• For rejuvenating blood vessels (arteriosclerosis) 

• For improving blood circulation 

• For cold hands and feet

• For protecting cardiac muscle from ischemic injury (strengthen heart)

• For increasing red blood cells 

• For cancer inhibitive functions (anti-tumor effect)

• For breathlessness

• For anti-fatigue

• For angina

• For cardiac insufficiency

• For improving immunity

Polygonum Multiflorum:

1) Clinical research by western scientists have  proved the anti-arteriosclerosis, hypoglycemic properties, anti-tumor activities and anti-hypertension functions of Polygonum Multiflorum (He Shou Wu). These research were published in scientific papers below.

• Chen F.C. 1987. “Recent Status on Chemical and Pharmacological research on Natural Hypoglycemic Drugs” Chinese Traditional Herbal Drugs 8: 39 – 44.

• Deng W. C. and S.R. Gong 1987 “Progress in research on He Shou Wu” (Polygonum Multiflorum Thumb). Chinese Traditional Herbal Drugs 3:42 – 46 .

• Jiang J.W. 1984 “Achievements in new drugs development from Chinese Herbal Drugs during a 35 year period since the establishment of the Peoples’ Republic”. Chinese Traditional Herbal Drugs 10:1 – 10, 19.

• Li  C.L., 1982 “Research Status on anti-tumor drugs of Plant Origin”. Chinese Pharma Bulletin 2: 19 – 23.

• Song X.P.,  P.P Chen and X. S. Chai 1988. “Effects of puerarin on blood pressure and plasma renin activity in spontaneous hypertensive rating”. Acta  Pharmacol. Sin. 1:55 – 58 (English abstract)

• Wang W and H. D Jin 1984. “Effect of alcoholic extract of prepared Radix Polygonum Multiflorum on preventing arteriosclerosis in Japanese quail”

2) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that the extract of the root of Polygonum multiflorum exhibited a significant antioxidant activity. Research have shown a stilbene glucoside, (E)-2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (1) as the active constituent responsible for the antioxidant property 33196

3) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Polygonum Multiflorum increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, reduce total cholesterol, free cholesterol, triglycerides, retard atherosclerosis, protect the heart, strengthen the membranes of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and has powerful natural antioxidant and free radical scavenger and these have powerful anti-aging benefits in humans. Foster

Panax Notoginseng:

1) Clinical research  by western scientists has shown that Panax Notoginseng  increasing the resistance to anoxia (a region of the body where there is complete deprivation of oxygen supply), increase blood circulation in the heart and brain while lowering elevated blood pressure. 18584

2) Clinical research  by western scientists have shown that Panax Notoginseng reduces thrombogenicity (blood clot) and arrhythmias (improves blood and heart function), increases erythrocyte deformability (causes the ability erythrocytes cells to change shape as they pass through narrow spaces, such as the microvasculature i.e. improves blood flow), is an antioxidant, which can counteract free radical damage associated with atherogenesis and myocardial damage seen with ischemia (reduce blood supply) and reperfusion (damage to tissue caused when blood supply returns to the tissue after a period of ischemia).  66054

3) Several studies have shown that notoginsenoides lower elevated blood lipids (cholesterol). Studies have shown that notoginsenoides improve diastolic function in hypertensive subjects, induce the fibrinolytic system in in vitro models and act as antiproliferative agents on vessel leiomyocytes.  01683

4) Clinical research by western scientists has shown that Panax Notoginseng may prevent atherosclerosis and inhibit progression of the atherosclerotic lesions by interfering with the proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cell. 49623

5) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that ginsenosides Rg1 from Panax Notoginseng has estrogen-like activity and should be classified as a novel class of potent phytoestrogen. Ginsenosides have demonstrated pharmacological effects in the central nervous, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems. 61497

6) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Panax Notoginseng has anti-inflammatory effect. 78152

7) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Panax Notoginseng reduce cell damage after heart attack and protect nerve and brain cells from the damage of stroke. Panax Notoginseng improves energy metabolism and preserves the structural integrity of neurons (restore and prevent nerves damage). 01752

Schisandra Chinensis:

1) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular the lignans gomisin A and gomisin N, are hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and antioxidative agents. 75889

2) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis protects the heart against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (damage to the heart tissue caused by reduced blood supply) injury. 48914

3) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular as a hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and antioxidative agent by maintaining plasma membrane stability of hepatocytes under oxidative stress. 42110

4) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis have protective effect against oxygen radical induced mitochondrial toxicity on rat heart and liver and is a potent antioxidant activities. It was found that Schisanhenol from Schisandra Chinensis strengthen the heart. 86468

5) Clinical research by western scientists from Japan confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular as a hepatoprotective agent against hepatocarcinogenesis, adaptogenic, and antioxidative agent. 87124

6) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis protects the heart mitochondrial toxicity. 57000

7) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis possessed scavenging properties and reduces lipid peroxidation. 60352

8) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis possessed scavenging properties and it is more potent than that of vitamin E. 66655