Quick Answer: Although there is no one “pipe cleaner” type of drink to wash away plaque from your arteries overnight, certain beverages can help scientifically contribute to the health of your endothelial cells (the cells that line the inner portions of the arteries all throughout your body). By concentrating on inflammation, generating higher levels of nitric oxide to keep your arteries relaxed and dilated, and keeping your LDL cholesterol from oxidizing — you can stop existing plaque as well as future obstruction.
Here are the individual, science-based solutions to your profile.
For the “At-Risk” Persona
(High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, 40+ years of age)
The Solution: High Nitrate Beetroot Juice Protocol
If you’re battling high blood pressure or early stages of hardening arteries, your short-term target is not “cleaning,” but vasodilation (relaxation and widening) to lower the damaging pressure on artery walls.
The Logic:
Your arteries are leaking Not Nitric Oxide (NO). It’s a gas that your body makes to communicate to the walls of its arteries, telling them to relax and widen. We produce much less NO as we age naturally. Beets are full of dietary nitrates that your body converts into Nitric Oxide. This serves as a release valve for your cardiovascular system.
The “Missing Link” Method:
Pardon the wording, but most people wash down a cup of beet juice and then run for their toothbrush — and that’s a mistake. That nitrate to nitrite conversion occurs through bacteria and organisms present in your mouth.
Preparation:Juicing raw beets is best over cooking (nitrates are degraded by heat).
The Mix: 8 oz fresh beet juice + stalk of celery (another nitrate source) to eat with a splash of lemon juice in it (Vitamin C helps to turn the nitrite into NO).
The Key Step: Avoid antibacterial mouthwash, and do not brush your teeth with fluoride paste for at least 30 minutes both before drinking and after. You want the oral bacteria to initiate the chemical reaction that helps protect your heart.
When: Have this 2-3 hours prior to when your blood pressure tends to elevate (and as I mentioned, it’s usually higher in the morning).
For the Home Remedy Guru
(Detox enthusiasts, distrustful of pharmaceuticals)
The Solution: Activated “Golden Milk” (Turmeric+Fats)
You are seeking a detox, but what you really need is anti-inflammation. Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) is a physical inflammation disease, according to the formal language of medicine. The body treats cholesterol plaque as an infection sending white blood cells to attack it, causing the plaque to grow and become unstable.
The Logic:
Curcumin, the main bioactive substance in turmeric, is a strong anti-inflammatory compound known to help reduce inflammation in your arterial walls. But consuming raw turmeric root or watery tea is virtually pointless, because curcumin has a shockingly low bioavailability — it goes straight through you.
The Formulation Protocol:
You need to pass the absorbtion barrier to “activate” the cleaning effect.
The Base Use a plant-based milk (almond or oat) or dairy milk. Water is not enough.
The Catalyst: You have to have a sprinkle of black pepper. Black pepper has piperine, which prevents the liver from metabolizing curcumin out of the body too quickly.
The Carrier: Half a teaspoon of coconut oil or ghee. Curcumin is fat-soluble; it has to hitch a ride into your bloodstream on fat.
The Recipe: Gently simmer (do not boil) 1 cup milk, Bring to a gentle boil 1 teaspoon high-quality turmeric powder A pinch of black pepper One-half teaspoon coconut oil for about 10 minutes.
For the Preventative Mindset
(Family use, Younger age group, Establishing habits)
The Fix: Cold-brewed Green Tea With Lemon
You’re betting on the long game. Your aim is to thwart your LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. LDL is relatively harmless until it “rusts” (oxidizes) and attaches to the artery walls.
The Logic:
Catechins, predominantly EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) exist in green tea. EGCG also effectively inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Think of it like putting a rust-proofing on your blood vessels.
The Counter-Intuitive Brewing Method:
Many people scald their tea with boiling water, which obliterates some of the gentle catechins; or they purchase bottled tea, which is largely sugar and preservatives.
The Temperature: About 175°F, just under boiling. Or better yet, overnight in the fridge as cold brew. Tannins =”more biter” and since cold brewing extracts less tannins, the result is going to be more antioxidants.
The Sweet Stuff: Add fresh lemon juice to the tea. The citric acid helps stabilize the catechins in your stomach so that your body can absorb even more of them, up to 5x as many by some estimates.
Frequency: The half-life of EGCG is brief. Sipping away at one giant cup is not as effective as having those 3 smaller ones throughout the day in order to keep antioxidant levels steady in your blood.
For the Senior Health Enthusiast
(Age 60+, easy going & delicious)
The Answer: Pure Pomegranate Juice (4oz Shots)
But as we grow older, arteries not only get clogged; they also become stiff (calcified). You want something that increases the compliance in your arteries.
The Logic:
Among natural products tested in clinical trials, pomegranate juice has one of the most evidence, where it has actually been proved to thin the thickness (called Intima-Media Thickness or IMT) of the wall of carotid arteries! It’s got punicalagins in it, which help to reduce inflammation and are three times more effective than those found in red wine or green tea.
The Critical “Sugar” Warning:
Which means that the elderly mistake of treating juice as if it were water is understandable. Pomegranate juice is naturally high in sugar.
The Dosage: No heavy humdinger of a glass required. Treat it like medicine. 4 oz/day is adequate to achieve the clinical benefit without skyrocketing your blood sugar into the danger zone.
The Quality: Find “Not from Concentrate” and make sure there is zero added sugar. They must say on the label “100% Pomegranate Juice.”
The Timing: Have it with a meal that has protein and fiber (such as lunch) to further slow down the sugar uptake.
The Habit: This takes time. Researches show you normally see a difference in artery thickness after about 1 year of consistent daily consumption, not 1 week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the name of a drink that is described as a “pipe cleaner” because it will dissolve arterial plaque on contact?
A: No, one drink isn’t going to wash away plaque the way a drain cleaner does. But there are certain beverages such as beetroot juice and green tea that can actually promote healthier endothelial cells, which line your arteries already help keep plaque quarters stabilized, and prevent an attack from new blockages by addressing inflammation and ramping up blood vessel dilation.
Q: Why is it that I shouldn’t use mouthwash or brush my teeth right around the time when I am consuming beetroot juice?
A: For dietary nitrates (which beets contain) to convert into heart-healthy Nitric Oxide, you need certain types of bacteria in your mouth. Antibacterial mouthwash or fluoride toothpaste eliminates these bacteria, halting the chemical reaction that allows them to reduce blood pressure and shield your arteries.
Q: I seem to be reading a lot about turmeric lately, how to prepare and use it for health purposes. How can you make sure your body really absorbs the anti-inflammatory goodness of turmeric?
A: For turmeric to work, you need to eat it with black pepper and some fat (like plant milk or coconut oil). Pepper has piperine, a compound that helps to slow down the liver process of breaking down curcumin and when you mix some fat with it, essentially all type curcumin become fat soluble and this allows your body to absorb it well.
Q: Is it true that adding lemon to green tea is good for the heart?
A: Yes. The citric acid in lemon helps to stabilize the sensitive catechins (EGCG) that green tea contains, by protecting them from being destroyed in your stomach or intestines. This one simple step allows your body to utilise up to five times more antioxidants than it would if you were just drinking regular tea.
Q: How much pomegranate juice should I be drinking to experience benefits without overdoing it on the sugar?
A: You only require a medicinal dose of 4 oz (about 120 ml) of pure 100% pomegranate juice a day. To combat the high amount of natural sugars, it is recommended that you enjoy soya milk accompanied with a meal that provides good levels of protein and fibre.
References
Beetroot and Blood Pressure:
- Author Institution: Queen Mary, University of London.
- Study: “Inorganic Nitrate and Beetroot Juice Supplementation Reduces Blood Pressure in Adults.”
- Outcome: Daily intake of dietary nitrate (beetroot juice) resulted in a lower 24-h SBP vs placebo, mediated by the conversion to Nitric Oxide.
Turmeric Absorption:
- Institution: St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru.
- Study: “Effect of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers.”
- Findings: When turmeric was consumed with a dash of black pepper, it increased bioavailability in humans by 2000% over those who took curcumin alone.
Green Tea and Mortality:
- Entity: The Ohsaki Study (Tohoku University, Japan).
- Participants: 40,530 Japanese adults aged 40 to 79.
- Result: People who drank 5 or more cups of green tea daily had a 26 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease over an 11-year period.
Pomegranate and Carotid Arteries:
- Unit: Rambam Medical Center, Haifa.
- Study: “Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis.
- Result: Common carotid IMT patients in the pomegranate group had a decrease of 30% during one year of treatment, whilst the control group saw up to 9% increase.
