High cholesterol and triglycerides on your bloodwork: what diet and natural remedies can help?

The essentials. Cholesterol and triglycerides are two very closely related lipid disorders, and the Institute's lessons attribute the same causes to both: diet, diabetes, obesity, age, menopause, smoking, and certain medications. The first lever is therefore the plate: less sugar, refined flour and refined oil, less fatty meat, and more olive oil, garlic, onion, fish, fiber, and oats. The lessons then cite fenugreek, green tea, garlic, plantain, cod liver oil, red yeast rice and Monascus, as well as black seed, whose research on cholesterol remains contradictory. None of this replaces a prescribed treatment: a medication should never be stopped without the advice of the doctor who prescribed it.

What your bloodwork says, and what it doesn't say

A lipid panel can't be summed up in a single number. LDL carries cholesterol from the liver to the tissues, HDL brings it back to the liver where it is eliminated, and triglycerides represent the fats circulating in the blood, very sensitive to what was eaten and drunk in the preceding days. High LDL combined with low HDL should not be read the same way as high LDL with comfortable HDL: the ratio between the two often says more than the isolated value.

A lab result remains a snapshot at a given moment. The doctor who ordered it is the only one who can place it within your history — blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, family history — and decide whether a treatment is needed, and which one. What you undertake on your own side stands alongside that decision, never in its place.

Why fat levels rise

The Institute's lesson on elevated fat levels notes that triglycerides are very close to cholesterol: both are lipid disorders, with the same symptoms, more pronounced on the triglyceride side. It lists the causes:

• diet;
• diabetes;
• obesity;
• age;
• menopause;
• smoking;
• certain medications.

This list has a very practical consequence: of these seven causes, several can be worked on in the kitchen and in the organization of the day. That is where one begins, and it is also what the lesson identifies as the lifestyle habit to adopt: diet.

What to remove from the plate

Triglycerides react strongly to fast-acting sugars. White sugar, sodas, store-bought juices, pastries, and everyday cookies are therefore the first things to cut back on — not out of deprivation, but because they are the easiest portion to remove without losing anything nourishing.

Next come highly refined flours — white bread, pastries, soft pasta — which behave in the body like sugar, and the refined oils found in ready-made meals and fried foods. The Institute's lesson on vascular diseases is clear on this general point of hygiene: avoid alcohol, coffee, and fast food, and reduce salt gradually rather than all at once.

Finally, excess fatty meat. This doesn't mean eliminating meat, but reviewing how often and how much is eaten, and making more room for fish and legumes during the week.

What to add: olive oil, garlic, onion, fish, and fiber

Olive oil is the fat to favor, raw on dishes as well as for gentle cooking. The Institute's lessons regularly mention it alongside garlic and onion, whose combination has a positive effect on blood sugar — which matters here, since sugars feed triglycerides. The lesson on elevated fat levels also notes the sulfur in garlic, which helps burn fat and supports blood circulation.

On the fish side, the lessons point toward fatty fish prepared simply: grilled or baked sardines, salmon. Cod liver oil belongs to the same family of recommendations, and the lesson credits it with numerous benefits, including lowering blood pressure and fat levels.

On the fiber side, oats are among the grains recommended by the lessons, as rolled oats in the morning or in soup. The lessons also recall the simple rule of five servings of fruits and vegetables a day: it is this plant fiber, repeated at every meal, that holds everything together.

Black seed goes along with all of this. According to Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about it: "In the black seed there is a remedy for every illness except death" (al-Bukhari no. 5688), death being the meaning of "as-sâm." On cholesterol specifically, the Institute's lesson is honest: the research is contradictory. Some studies found a decrease in triglycerides and LDL with 1 g of black seed twice a day combined with honey, or one capsule morning and evening before meals for four weeks; others found no improvement at all. Black seed oil, for its part, is described as reducing cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

The plants cited by the Institute's lessons

The lesson on elevated fat levels names a specific set of plants, along with how to use them:

• Fenugreek, which fights fatigue and gives the heart a tonic action: in capsules, better suited to this disorder, one capsule after meals three times a day; or as a mother tincture, thirty drops in a glass of water three times a day.
• Green tea, an antioxidant thanks to its polyphenols, which burns fat and promotes kidney elimination: after each meal, not exceeding three cups a day.
• Plantain, a powerful laxative that helps release fat thanks to its iridoids: one to three tea bags as an herbal tea per day, between meals, or thirty drops of liquid extract three times a day.
• Cod liver oil, in liquid form, one small spoonful once a day on an empty stomach; as a syrup, one teaspoon in the morning.
• Red yeast rice, in capsules.
• Monascus, a Chinese fungus described as lowering cholesterol and triglycerides: one teaspoon of powder in a barley or oat soup, or in a juice of orange, cucumber, and lemon to which one teaspoon of black seed is added.

These plants are not meant to be stacked together. One is introduced, kept up for a few weeks, and then observed — the next lab result will show how things stand.

In practice

Movement. The Institute reminds us that food leaves surpluses that build up, weigh down the body, and clog it, and that movement is the best way to prevent them from developing. Walking is the most accessible movement: standing up straight, at a moderate pace, at least thirty minutes a day. It aids digestion, tones the body, and can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

The plate, every day. Olive oil instead of refined oils, garlic and onion in meals, fatty fish two to three times a week, oatmeal in the morning, five servings of fruits and vegetables, and white sugar kept to the exception.

One plant at a time, at the doses given in the lessons, and your doctor's advice before starting if a treatment is already underway. It is also the doctor who sets the date for the follow-up bloodwork.

Precautions

A treatment is never stopped on one's own. The Institute's lessons are explicit on this point: never stop your medication without medical advice, and move toward natural remedies with caution. If your doctor has prescribed a treatment, it continues; diet and plants accompany it, and it is up to the doctor to note an improvement and draw conclusions from it.

Black seed (Nigella sativa) is forbidden during pregnancy, and it is recommended to avoid it during breastfeeding, as the information available is insufficient. It can lower blood sugar—something to watch for in diabetes—and blood pressure, which calls for caution in cases of low blood pressure. Applied topically, it can cause skin eruptions: test first on a small area. The oil can cause digestive upset. In the presence of a medical condition, follow-up is needed to avoid drug interactions.

Fenugreek is not recommended for pregnant women. Green tea should not exceed three cups a day. Plantain is a powerful laxative: start low and space out the doses if the bowels move too quickly. Red yeast rice and Monascus act on the same pathways as certain cholesterol medications: they are not to be used casually when a treatment is already underway, and should only be considered with the doctor's approval.

Finally, chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, or a feeling of being unwell are not treated with a plant: they call for medical advice without delay.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace my doctor's treatment with these remedies?

No. The Institute's lessons instruct never to stop your medication without medical advice and to move toward natural remedies with caution. Diet, plants, and walking are meant to accompany treatment, and it is up to the doctor who prescribed it to note any progress and draw conclusions from it.

Does black seed lower cholesterol?

The Institute's lesson reports conflicting findings: some studies note a decrease in triglycerides and LDL with 1 g of seed twice a day taken with honey, or one capsule morning and evening before meals for four weeks, while others found no improvement. Black seed oil is described as reducing cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It is forbidden during pregnancy and requires follow-up if a treatment is already underway.

What is the difference between cholesterol and triglycerides?

The Institute's lessons present them as two very similar lipid disorders, with the same symptoms, more pronounced on the triglyceride side. Triglycerides respond mainly to the sugars and fats from recent meals, which explains why they often change faster than cholesterol when you change your diet.

Is walking enough to lower my bloodwork results?

It contributes without doing the work alone. The Institute recommends walking at least thirty minutes a day, standing up straight and at a moderate pace, which aids digestion and can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Combined with a change in diet, it acts on two of the causes cited in the lessons: diet and obesity.

Which plant should I start with?

Just one at a time, kept up for a few weeks, rather than stacking several together. The lessons mention fenugreek, green tea, garlic, plantain, cod liver oil, red yeast rice, and Monascus, each with its own directions for use. If a cholesterol treatment is already in place, ask your doctor's advice before starting, especially for red yeast rice and Monascus.