Edema is an observable swelling from fluid accumulation commonly occurs in the feet and legs. The swelling is the result of the accumulation of excess fluid under the skin in the spaces within the tissues that are outside of the blood vessels. Most of the body's fluids that are found outside of the cells are normally stored in two spaces; the blood vessels (where the fluids are called the blood volume) and the interstitial spaces (where the fluids are called the interstitial fluid). In various diseases, excess fluid can accumulate in either one or both of these compartments

Overview

Slight edema of the lower legs commonly occurs at the lower extremities especially if a person has been standing or walking a lot. Generalized swelling, or massive edema, is a common sign in severely ill people. Although slight edema may be difficult to detect, especially in an overweight person, massive edema is very obvious. Edema can indicate a chronic and progressive illness usually of the heart or kidneys.

Edema is caused by either systemic diseases, that is, diseases that affect the various organ systems of the body, or by local conditions involving just the affected extremities. The most common systemic diseases that are associated with edema involve the heart, liver, and kidneys.

Edema may be generally described in one of two ways:

•  Pitting Edema -- When you press a finger against a swollen area for 5 seconds and if the pressing causes an indentation in the skin that persists for some time after the release of the pressure, the edema is referred to as pitting edema

•  Non-pitting Edema -- When you press a finger against a swollen area for 5 seconds and pressure that is applied to the skin does not result in a persistent indentation, then it is non-pitting edema.

Common Causes

•   Too much salt or sodium intake
•   Burns
•   Malnutrition
•   Pregnancy
•   Drugs
•   Androgenic and anabolic steroids
•   Antihypertensive
•   Corticosteroids such as prednisone (causes sodium retention)
•   Estrogens
•   Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
•   Calcium channel blockers
•   Chronic kidney disease
•   Heart disease
•   Liver diseases

Treatment

• Follow prescribed therapy to treat the underlying cause of the swelling. Discuss with your healthcare provider the options to prevent chronic edema such as a pressure-reducing mattress, a lamb's wool pad, or a flotation ring.

• Maintain healthy everyday activities. When lying down, keep limbs above the heart level, if possible, to facilitate drainage.

• Treatment may also include fluid and sodium restriction, diuretics, or water pills. Your fluid intake and output should be monitored, and you should be weighed daily.

• Avoid alcohol if liver disease (such as cirrhosis or hepatitis) is causing the problem.

• Herbal formulations are a much better option than other prescribed drugs available to treat edema naturally. Use herbal food to rejuvenate and restore the organs like heart and liver back to health. Our organs are living tissues. All living tissues can be restored back to health. That is why they are called living tissues.

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 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

3) 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

Panax Notoginseng:

1) Experiments and modern clinical trials have shown that Panax notoginseng is immunologically active. Panax notoginseng stimulates macrophages, promotes antibody formation, activates complement and increases T lymphocyte proliferation.  (T lymphocyte: a small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells) and protected animals from liver intoxications. 41992

2) Clinical research  by western scientists have shown that Panax Notoginseng has anti-inflammatory, analgesic (reduces pain) and immunomodulatory action. 44000

3) 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

4) 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

5) 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

6) 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

7) 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

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

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 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

4) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular has strong hepatoprotective functions and is an adaptogenic and antioxidative agent. 24122

5) Clinical research by western scientists from China confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular as a hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and antioxidative agent and the lignans from this herb is more potent then Vitamin E. The actions of lignans from 7 herbs were compared and research found the lignans, schisanhenol from Schisandra Chinensis was the most active. Clinical research proved the lignans, schisanhenol from Schisandra Chinensis   prevented the decrease of membrane fluidity of liver microsomes and inhibits superoxide anion production (superoxide anion reduce oxygen supporting cellular respiration). 32091

6) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed the validity of the historical use of Schisandra Chinensis, in particular as a hepatoprotective, adaptogenic, and antioxidative agent. It was found the lignans, schisanhenol, increased superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in rat liver cytosol. 49050

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

8) 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

9) 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

10) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed the validity of the historical use of the drug to treat liver disease without any side effects. 74427

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

12) Clinical research by western scientists confirmed that Schisandra Chinensis possessed scavenging properties. 72101

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

Cimifugin, one of the principle components of Saposhnikovia divaricata has analgesic and anti-hypertension function.