he term angina generally refers to the tightening sensation, which for some is painful, experienced in the body. Angina is a form of heart disease where the blood flow to the heart is restricted by a blockage in one or more of the arteries that carry blood into the heart. Usually, the first sign Angina is a pain in the chest, not unlike a squeezing or pressing sensation. There are several sub classes of angina and it depends on the location of the tightening or discomfort.

There are three types of angina:

Unstable Angina :Unstable angina symptoms occur when angina is not well controlled or undiagnosed. The keys to be able to avoid unstable angina symptoms are to seek medical consultation to identify the exact cause of your problem.

Variant (Prinzmetal's) Angina: A variant angina attack is not common and usually occurs while you're resting. The pain of such an attack can be severe. It usually happens between midnight and early morning.

Stable Angina.:Stable angina describes the health condition in which, most of the time, oxygen is carried to the heart despite very narrow arteries created by hardened plaque.

Most of the times, angina is triggered by the following events:

Walking fast
Carrying a heavy weight
Psychological stress
Very cold weather
Heavy meals

Other symptoms include sweating, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, shortness of breath, ringing in the ears, loss of speech, dizziness, fainting. Regardless of the level of discomfort, angina is a gravely dangerous situation because it is often the warning bell of a full heart attack, when blood supply to heart is fully stopped.

The best way to prevent angina, also known as chest pain, is to prevent or to reduce atherosclerosis, the main responsible for angina pain.

Some vitamins and herbs are considered helpful in preventing or treating angina. Herbs thought to be beneficial include: hawthorn, angelica, bilberry, berries, cocoa, evening primrose, fish, flax, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, kudzu, lovage, mullein, oats, onion, purslane, sage, and willow. Vitamins, or vitamin rich foods, thought to be useful include: C, E, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, and selenium.

Understanding this, the most common cure used is aspirin. Aspirin is a blood thinner which makes blood flow easier to different parts of the body. This also helps dissolve small blood clots causing angina pains.

Other treatments include administration of magnesium. For mild angina oral magnesium with B vitamins provide relief of this symptom. For more severe cases magnesium injections are recommended.

One herb that has received a lot of attention in cardiac health research is hawthorn. This herb may help protect the arteries and improve circulation around the heart. It has also been shown to prevent the build-up of plaque in the arteries, preventing, or delaying, the onset of atherosclerosis. Bilberry is another useful herb that works to increase blood flow to the heart by dilating the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. Evening primrose oil, willow, and kudzu work in similar fashion to open the coronary blood vessels or prevent clotting.

The Ayurvedic treatment of angina pectoris is aimed at relieving the symptoms, slowing the progression of the disease and reducing the possibility of future events like myocardial infarction and premature death. Medicines like Laxmi-Vilas-Ras, Shrung-Bhasma and Bruhat-Vat-Chintamani are used to relieve the pain. In order to slow down the progress of the disease, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia have to be controlled.