Summary
What are the signs of poor circulation?
You might notice cold or numb fingers and toes, fingers that turn white, then blue, then red in the cold, leg pain when you walk that eases when you rest, swollen or tired legs, shiny or pale skin, or sores that don't heal. [1][2][3] If symptoms keep coming back or affect only one side, see your GP.
What causes poor circulation?
Usually one of three things: fatty deposits narrowing the arteries to your legs (peripheral arterial disease), small blood vessels that over-react to cold or stress (Raynaud's phenomenon) or worn valves in the leg veins (chronic venous insufficiency). [1][2][3] High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking raise the risk. [1][11]
What supplements improve blood circulation?
It depends on your symptoms. For heavy, swollen legs, horse chestnut seed extract has the strongest trial evidence for providing support. [3] Butcher's broom [13] and grape seed [15] have supporting studies too. For cold hands and feet, ginkgo gave mixed results: fewer Raynaud's events in one trial [5] but no clear benefit for leg discomfort when walking. [4] CoQ10 supported blood vessel function in a meta-analysis [9], and the evidence for ginger and cinnamon is early. [8][17][18][19]
How can I improve circulation naturally?
Walk more. The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and breaking up long periods of sitting. [12] In people with claudication (muscle pain that starts when you're active and eases with rest), exercise programmes increased pain-free walking distance by about 82 m. [11] Stopping smoking and keeping warm also help. [2][11]
The short version
- "Poor circulation" describes how you feel, not a diagnosis. Cold fingers, heavy legs and leg discomfort when you walk can come from your arteries, your veins or your smallest blood vessels, and each needs a different approach. [1][2][3]
- Heavy, tired or swollen legs: horse chestnut has the best trial evidence. [3] Butcher's broom (studied with hesperidin and vitamin C) had positive outcomes for leg comfort and heaviness across 31 studies [13][14], and grape seed extract looks promising. [15]
- Cold hands and feet: the evidence for ginkgo, ginger and cinnamon is mixed or early, so think of them as a supportive extra. [4][5][17][18][19]
- The best free step is walking. In studies of people with leg discomfort on exercise, regular exercise programmes added about 82m to more comfortable walking distance. [11]
- See a GP before supplements if symptoms are sudden, on one side only, getting worse or not going away. [1][2]
Find your health concern
| What you notice | What may help | See your GP if |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy, tired, swollen or itchy legs, worse by evening | Daily walking, breaking up long periods of sitting [12]; Horse Chestnut supplements | Swelling affects one leg only, your skin changes, or you have a sore that won't heal |
| Discomfort when you walk that eases with rest | A regular walking programme, stopping smoking [11] | Always. This needs a medical check, and supplements are not a substitute |
| Fingers or toes turn white, then blue, then red in the cold | Warm clothes, managing stress [2]; Veintain: Ginkgo, ginger, cinnamon | Symptoms are very bad, getting worse, on one side only, or started after age 30 |
What is poor circulation?
Poor circulation means blood isn't reaching part of your body as well as it should, most often your legs, feet, hands or fingers. The problem may lie in the arteries that carry blood away from your heart, the veins that bring it back, or the tiny vessels in your skin.
Three conditions account for most cases. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a build-up of fatty deposits that restricts blood supply to your leg muscles. [1] Raynaud's phenomenon is where blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes. [2] Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is when damaged one-way valves in your leg veins can't send blood back towards your heart. [3]
What are the signs of poor circulation?
What you feel depends on which part of your circulation is affected.
- Arteries (PAD): an ache in your legs when you walk that usually goes after a few minutes' rest, known as intermittent claudication. You may also notice hair loss on your legs and feet, numbness or weakness, brittle slow-growing toenails, shiny skin, skin turning pale or blue, or ulcers that don't heal. Many people with PAD have no symptoms at all. [1]
- Small vessels (Raynaud's): fingers or toes that turn white, then blue, then red when you're cold, anxious or stressed. Episodes can last from a few minutes to a few hours. [2]
- Veins (CVI): swollen, achy or tired lower legs, with itchy or hardened skin. [3]
What causes poor circulation?
There is rarely a single cause. The main ones are:
- Fatty build-up in your arteries, which narrows the blood supply to your legs. [1]
- Over-reactive small blood vessels, which in Raynaud's tighten in response to cold, anxiety or stress. [2]
- Damaged vein valves, which stop blood returning efficiently and lead to swelling, discomfort and skin changes. [3]
- Underlying conditions. The NHS lists high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as causes that should be treated when managing PAD. [1]
- Smoking and inactivity. If you have claudication, you're advised to keep walking, stop smoking and reduce other cardiovascular risks. [11]
When to see a doctor
Supplements should never delay a medical check for symptoms that persist.
- Get urgent help if you have severe burning in your legs or feet that continues at rest, or skin that turns cold and numb, then red and black. [1]
- See your GP if you get leg discomfort every time you exercise. [1]
- See your GP if Raynaud's-type symptoms are very bad, getting worse, affect only one side of your body, or start for the first time after 30. [2]
- See your GP about any wound or ulcer that doesn't heal. [1][2]
What supplements may support blood circulation?
Supplements can support, but not replace, a medical check, and some have far better evidence than others. Here is the honest picture, in plain language.
| Ingredient | Nature's Best product | May support | How strong is the evidence? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horse chestnut | Horse Chestnut Complex | Heavy, swollen, itchy legs | Strongest for leg symptoms [3] |
| Butcher's broom | Horse Chestnut Complex | Heavy, aching legs and cramps | Good for the combination studied; limited on its own [13] |
| Grape seed | Horse Chestnut Complex | Leg vein function | Early [15] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo 6000, Veintain | Cold fingers | Mixed [4][5] |
| Ginger | Ginger Root 14,400mg, Veintain | Warmth in hands and feet | Early [8][17][18] |
| Cinnamon | Veintain | A supportive extra | Indirect [19] |
| CoQ10 | CoQ10 100mg | Blood vessel health | Emerging [9][10] |
For heavy, tired or swollen legs: horse chestnut, butcher's broom and grape seed
Horse chestnut is the best-studied option. A Cochrane review of trials in people with chronic venous insufficiency found that capsules standardised to aescin, the main active compound, supported leg health over 2 to 16 weeks. [3]
Butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is a traditional European remedy for heavy legs. Most trials combined it with hesperidin and vitamin C. Across 31 studies covering 10,246 people, that combination supported leg health compared with placebo, although reductions in swelling and ankle size were not statistically significant. [13] A 2022 review concluded that trial data support the combination for venous symptoms. [14] Because the trials used the combination, the results can't be assumed to apply to butcher's broom on its own.
Grape seed extract is rich in plant compounds called proanthocyanidins. In the VICTORY trial, 176 adults with varicose veins took it for 12 weeks and had a bigger fall in venous reflux time (how long blood flows backwards in a vein on an ultrasound scan) than the comparison group, mostly in deep vein problems. [15] Participants knew what they were taking, and a Cochrane review found only one grape seed trial among those it assessed, so this evidence is still early. [16]
Nature's Best match: Horse Chestnut Complex combines horse chestnut with butcher's broom and grapeseed in a vein and leg health formula.
For cold hands and feet: ginkgo, ginger, cinnamon found in Veintain
Ginkgo looks promising in the lab. [6] In Raynaud's, a 10-week placebo-controlled trial found weekly events fell by 56% on ginkgo compared with 27% on placebo, although it was a single trial. [5]
Nature's Best match: Ginkgo Biloba 6000mg provides 120mg of 50:1 leaf extract, equivalent to 6000mg of dried leaf, in a one-a-day time-release tablet.
Ginger has been shown to relax blood vessels in laboratory and animal studies. [7] In people, a meta-analysis of six ginger trials (345 people) found average drops of 6.36 mmHg in systolic and 2.12 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure, but only in studies lasting 8 weeks or less, using at least 3 g of ginger a day, in people aged 50 or younger. [8]
A few small studies have looked at warmth and blood flow directly. Six women with cold-sensitive hands kept warmer palms for longer after a ginger drink than after placebo. [17] In an 8-week trial of 100 adults, ginger capsules increased blood flow velocity in deeper forearm tissue in women, an effect driven by those under 51. [18] Think of ginger as a traditional warming extra rather than a proven circulation treatment.
Nature's Best match: Ginger Root 14,400mg provides 24mg of gingerols per capsule from 120mg of extract, equivalent to over 14g of fresh ginger root. Ginger also appears in Veintain.
Veintain combines ginkgo at a 6000mg-equivalent level with cinnamon bark extract and ginger extract. You take two tablets daily and give it three months before judging the result. It is aimed at people with cold hands and feet. The research covers the individual ingredients, not Veintain itself.
For cinnamon, a meta-analysis of 9 trials (641 people) found modest blood pressure falls of 5.17 mmHg (systolic) and 3.36 mmHg (diastolic). The effect was significant only at 2g a day or less, over more than 8 weeks, and in people with a BMI of 30 or above. [19] Blood pressure is an indirect measure, and no trials of cinnamon on blood flow to the hands and feet were found.
Because Veintain already contains ginkgo, don't take it with Ginkgo 6000.
For blood vessel health: CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) is found in every cell in your body. A meta-analysis of randomised trials found it supported flow-mediated dilatation, a measure of how well your arteries widen when blood flow increases, which reflects the health of the blood vessel lining. [9] It is not a blood pressure treatment: the 2016 Cochrane review found moderate-quality evidence that it has no significant effect on blood pressure. [10]
Nature's Best match: CoQ10 100mg provides ubiquinone in sunflower oil, in soft-gel capsules.
Everyday habits that help
- Walk regularly. In a Cochrane review of nine trials (391 people), exercise programmes improved comfortable walking distance by about 82m compared with no exercise in people with claudication who were fit to exercise. [11] The NHS advises 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and breaking up long periods of sitting. [12]
- Stop smoking. It is advised alongside walking if you have claudication. [11]
- Keep warm. Warm clothes in cold weather, especially on your hands and feet, are the NHS first-line advice for Raynaud's. [2]
- Manage stress. Anxiety and stress can trigger Raynaud's episodes. [2]
- Look after the basics. Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes is part of managing PAD. [1]
Which supplements should I choose?
Pick the plan closest to your main concern, give it three months, then review how you feel. Check with your GP or pharmacist first (see the safety notes below).
If your legs feel heavy, tired or swollen
- Horse Chestnut Complex, taken as directed on the label
- Optional: CoQ10 100mg, one capsule daily
- Alongside it: daily walking and breaking up long periods of sitting [12]
If your hands and feet are cold
- Veintain: two tablets daily for three months before reviewing
- Optional: CoQ10 100mg, one capsule daily
- Don't add Ginkgo 6000, as Veintain already contains ginkgo
- Alongside it: keeping your hands and feet warm and managing stress [2]
If you'd rather build your own plan, one ingredient at a time
- Ginkgo Biloba 6000mg: one tablet daily
- Ginger Root 14,400mg: one capsule daily with a meal
- CoQ10 100mg: one capsule daily
- Don't combine these with Veintain, to avoid doubling up on ginkgo and ginger
Before you start: safety
Speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting these supplements if you take blood-thinning medicines such as warfarin or aspirin, take blood pressure medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have surgery planned. Ginger and cinnamon have been linked to modest falls in blood pressure in trials, so take particular care if you already take blood pressure medication. [8][19] Horse Chestnut Complex also contains butcher's broom and grapeseed, so the same precautions apply.
Food supplements should not replace a varied diet and healthy lifestyle. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.
For personalised guidance on choosing the right supplements for your health goals, contact our team of expert Nutrition Advisors.
References
- NHS. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-arterial-disease-pad/
- NHS. Raynaud's. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/raynauds/
- Pittler MH, Ernst E. Horse chestnut seed extract for chronic venous insufficiency. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003230.pub4
- Nicolaï SPA, Kruidenier LM, Bendermacher BLW, et al. Ginkgo biloba for intermittent claudication. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006888.pub3
- Muir AH, Robb R, McLaren M, Daly F, Belch JJF. The use of Ginkgo biloba in Raynaud's disease: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Vascular Medicine. 2002;7(4):265-267. https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/the-use-of-ginkgo-biloba-in-raynauds-disease-a-double-blind-place/
- Koltermann A, Hartkorn A, Koch E, et al. Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 increases endothelial nitric oxide production in vitro and in vivo. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 2007;64(13):1715-1722. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17497242/
- Ghayur MN, Gilani AH. Cardiovascular effects of ginger aqueous extract and its phenolic constituents are mediated through multiple pathways. Vascular Pharmacology. 2005;43(4):234-241. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16157513/
- Hadi A, Arab A, Pourmasoumi M, et al. Does ginger supplementation lower blood pressure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Phytotherapy Research. 2019;33(6):1639-1647. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30972845/
- Gao L, Mao Q, Cao J, et al. Effects of coenzyme Q10 on vascular endothelial function in humans: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Atherosclerosis. 2012;221(2):311-316. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22088605/
- Ho MJ, Li ECK, Wright JM. Blood pressure lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for primary hypertension. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007435.pub3
- Lane R, Harwood A, Watson L, Leng GC. Exercise for intermittent claudication. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000990.pub4
- NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. https://www.nhs.uk/Live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
- Boyle P, Diehm C, Robertson C. Meta-analysis of clinical trials of Cyclo 3 Fort in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. International Angiology. 2003;22(3):250-262. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14612852/
- Bihari I, Guex JJ, Jawien A, Szolnoky G. Clinical perspectives and management of edema in chronic venous disease: what about Ruscus? Medicines. 2022;9(8):41. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines9080041
- Bae S, et al. Vitis vinifera seed extract reduces venous reflux time in patients with varicose veins: VICTORY randomized controlled trial. Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2025.102355
- Martinez-Zapata MJ, Vernooij RWM, Simancas-Racines D, et al. Phlebotonics for venous insufficiency. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003229.pub4
- Sugimoto K, Takeuchi H, Nakagawa K, Matsuoka Y. Hyperthermic effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract-containing beverage on peripheral skin surface temperature in women. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2018;2018:3207623. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3207623
- Higashikawa F, Nakaniida Y, Li H, et al. Beneficial effects of ginger extract on eye fatigue and shoulder stiffness: a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled parallel study. Nutrients. 2024;16(16):2715. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16162715
- Hadi A, Campbell MS, Hassani B, et al. The effect of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2020;36:10-16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32220351/