I want my husband to plant some turnip greens this fall. Someone told my husband that he has thick blood and had a blood clot in his lungs. This friend's doctor put him on a blood thinner and said that he isn't supposed to eat many turnip greens nor spinach because they thicken the blood. I googled it and found there is some controversy. All the green vegetables that contain vitamin K do thicken the blood, apparently, especially green  leafy vegies. Vit. K is needed to prevent excess bleeding. It was said that heart patients and those who were prone to blood clots (like this friend is) should not eat vit K-rich greens. However, many greens contain iron, which the body needs. I am blood type A, which tends to be thicker, and have heart problems, and according to 23 and me, am 44% likely to have deep veign thrombosis. The veins and arteries in my legs look like road maps. So, I'm thinking I shouldn't eat too many greens but not give them up entirely, esp. since there are so many foods I cannot eat due to allergies and Swami. Even as an A, Swami lets me have greens (except for green pepper). Your thoughts?

Blood thinner is Coumadin?

If so talk to a nutritionist.
The ones at my hopital recommend the same dose of greens every day that way the coumadin level can be regulated.

  None is not the answer and too many is not the answer-- here is a case where balance is key.

I often have patients tell me they "can't' eat greens at all, this a misunderstanding.

He didn't tell my husband what blood thinner he was on, but I suspect Coumadin. I don't take meds except for one baby aspirin a day. I tried natto but I am allergic to soy and it made me sick. I used to take garlic capsules to thin my blood, but my IgG4 blood test said garlic is an avoid for me. I  try to regulate everything with food and supplements. I hadn't heard that one before, so I wanted some info. Thanks.

So you don't have a bottle of the medication at home to look at the label ? Warfarin = Coumadin

dump the old doctor, get a naturopathic doctor to get off the medication. change the diet instead.

Google the medication and forums of people stuck with the drug and getting sicker. i read thousands of threads before I decided not to take the drug that was recommended warfarin coumadin it's all the same. rat poison is there to kill rats.

anyway a doctors prescribing a blood thinner is just slowing down the problem, the reason you had the problem in the first place is still there. "Diet" Sugar, etc etc. if you don't change something it will get worse, with or without the medication

No, I don't and wouldn't take Coumadin/warfarin/rat poison. I know what it did to my Mom. She got sicker and sicker. This friend of my husband lives in another city hundreds of miles away, and they talked by phone, so I don't know what the blood thinner is he takes. I had never heard of the no/limited greens thing until today, so I my husband wanted me to find out. Because of this man's upbringing and life style, I'm sure he will never dump his doctor. If he hadn't gone to the hospital for something else (pneumonia, I think) they never would have found the blood clot and he would have died. My personal opinion is, if something will kill a rat, it is not something I want in my body.

What blood type is he? Maybe nattokinase would work great for him. If he isn't allergic to soy or anything there isn't any reason (regardless of blood type) not to use it. I'm sure changing his diet might help too.

"Do Greens Thicken Blood?"

My immediate response is to the Title - it's why I'm in the thread, right?

Having participated on these boards and read alternative nutrition books of various kinds over the years, I'd have to say that if we put all the Internet sites and "findings" and "studies" together, we'd find --- everything people eat is bad for someone in some way. One could walk away with the notion "All Food is Poison".

The thread, here, actually, turns out to be more about Coumadin, or even "Therapeutic Ways to Thin Blood", as well as thrombosis,  indeed matters of medical concern, than about whether greens are guilty of aggravating thrombosis.

When we sit down to a salad, especially one that contains clean, well-prepared food, let us enjoy it. Let's eat our spinach or our chard or kale with thanksgiving.
Otherwise, skip the food, and take all your nutrition through supplements.
Mmm. Tasty.  

Although my understanding in this subject is zero, I'd like to mention that all my acquaintances who are on coumadin follow a strict doctor's order to remove all green vegetables from their diet.

Quoted from yaeli

Although my understanding in this subject is zero, I'd like to mention that all my acquaintances who are on coumadin follow a strict doctor's order to remove all green vegetables from their diet.

That's dangerously ridiculous.
The coumadin dosage should be adjusted for each individual along with a 'set' amount of greens per day.

Me? - I use nattokinase as there are no such restrictions and it isn't just a 'blood thinner' it is also a clot buster.
Check that nattokinase is labelled NSK-SD - which even a friend with a genetic clotting disorder uses safely.

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

Blood thinner is Coumadin?

If so talk to a nutritionist.
The ones at my hopital recommend the same dose of greens every day that way the coumadin level can be regulated.

  None is not the answer and too many is not the answer-- here is a case where balance is key.

I often have patients tell me they "can't' eat greens at all, this a misunderstanding.

That was my Dad's experience as well. One doctor told him to stop eating greens. He did NOT want to give up his daily salad! So he spoke to the specialist, who told him it was fine to eat salad, just eat about the same amount each day so the dose can be regulated to accommodate that. I got the feeling that some doctors simply don't know as much about the medication, and recommend the avoidance of all greens, while those that know more aren't as severe in their recommendations.