Heart, Blood & Circulation
Arrhythmia
An abnormally fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat — usually caused by caffeine, nicotine, or anxiety, but potentially indicating an underlying heart disorder — responsive to herbal heart tonics and lifestyle changes.
📝 Summary
In short: An abnormally fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat — usually caused by caffeine, nicotine, or anxiety, but potentially indicating an underlying heart disorder — responsive to herbal heart tonics and lifestyle changes.
Common causes: Stimulants: caffeine (coffee, tea, cola), nicotine — most common causes; Anxiety, panic, and emotional stress; Medicinal drug side effects.
First thing to try: Wild cherry bark teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → or wild cherry syrupA sweet, thick herbal liquid that soothes the throat. How to make a syrup → as tea: helps nervous palpitations
See a doctor if: For any irregular heartbeat with accompanying chest pain, breathlessness, or fainting.
🌿 Overview
Heart palpitations are most often caused by stimulants (caffeine in coffee, teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea →, and cola), nicotine, and anxiety rather than a serious heart disorder. Drug side effects, hyperthyroidism, or a heart disorder may be responsible in some cases. High cholesterol and dense mucus can cause sluggishness of blood flow, contributing to irregular beats. Weak heart valves from malnutrition and poor tone are another cause. Jethro Kloss cured himself of a weak heart using the herbal remedies below.
Common signs
- Abnormally fast or irregular heartbeat
- Fluttering or pounding sensation in the chest
- Palpitations — awareness of own heartbeat
- Possibly lightheadedness or brief dizziness
- In severe cases: fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath
🔎 Why it happens
Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.
- Stimulants: caffeine (coffee, tea, cola), nicotine — most common causes
- Anxiety, panic, and emotional stress
- Medicinal drug side effects
- Hyperthyroidism or overdose of hypothyroidism medication
- Weak heart valves from malnutrition or poor muscle tone
- High cholesterol and mucoid congestion in the bloodstream
- Low potassium or magnesium (often from diuretics in heart disease patients)
✅ What to do
Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.
- Wild cherry bark teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → or wild cherry syrupA sweet, thick herbal liquid that soothes the throat. How to make a syrup → as tea: helps nervous palpitations
- Lemon juice in water: sedative action; calms nervous palpitations
- Jethro Kloss's formula for irregular beat: mix 1 tsp. each black cohosh, valerian, skullcap, lobelia, and a pinch of cayenne; steep 1 heaping tsp. in 1 cup boiling water for ½ hour; drink 4 cups daily or a swallow every 2 hours
- Tansy teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → for heart palpitations: 1 heaping tsp. to 1 cup boiling water; 3–4 cups daily
- Lily of the valley: specific remedy for heart palpitation
- Herbal formula for nervous heart: mix equal parts valerian root, lavender flowers, chamomile, and fennel; steep 2 tsp. in ½ cup hot water; take 1–1½ cups daily in mouthful doses
- Other good herbs: angelica, blue cohosh, borage, cayenne, goldenseal, wood betony, valerian, vervain, motherwort, hawthorn, wheat germ oil
- Eliminate all caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol completely
- Magnesium (300–500 mg daily): magnesium deficiency is a primary cause of arrhythmia
- CoQ10 (30 mg, 3 times daily): supports heart muscle energy production
- Hawthorn extract: primary herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More → for normalizing heart function
⭐ Community-ranked natural supports
Vote ▲ on everything that helped you, and ▼ on anything you tried that didn't — the ranking updates live. Tap 💬 to share what worked, so others can find it faster.
Crowd feedback, not medical advice — in this preview your vote is saved on your device. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit).
📊 Compare these remedies side by side
Our editor score weighs sources, safety, simplicity, cost, and lifestyle fit. Source endorsements tally how many books and studies reference each remedy. A higher number isn't a promise — it's just a starting point.
| Remedy | Type | Editor score | Source endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium-Rich Foods | Food | 86 | 132 |
| Cayenne Pepper | Herb | 68 | 109 |
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Magnesium-rich foods: leafy greens, nuts, seeds, whole grains
- Potassium-rich foods: potato skins, bananas, leafy greens, legumes
- Wild cherry bark tea
- Lemon water
- Valerian and chamomile tea
Go easy on
- Caffeine in all forms (coffee, black tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate)
- Nicotine in all forms
- Alcohol
- Large meals (especially in the evening)
- MSG, food additives, artificial sweeteners
Most palpitations are benign and caused by stimulants. Eliminating caffeine and nicotine often resolves them completely within days. However, palpitations with chest pain, fainting, or severe breathlessness require urgent evaluation.
⚖️ Good to know
- Palpitations with chest pain, fainting, or severe shortness of breath = cardiac emergency — call 911
- Lily of the valley (Convallaria) contains cardiac glycosides — use only in therapeutic doses
- If taking heart medications, do NOT add herbal heart remedies without medical supervision
- Tansy (in large doses) is toxic — use only in the small quantities above
🩺 When to see a doctor
- For any irregular heartbeat with accompanying chest pain, breathlessness, or fainting.
- For recurrent palpitations that do not resolve when stimulants are eliminated.
- For EKG evaluation.
💚 Was this page helpful?
A quick tap helps us improve these guides. Saved on your device in this preview.