Condition

High cholesterol

Elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol, a key, symptomless risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Affects Heart

See a clinician

Some causes of high cholesterol need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:

Chest pain, leg-cramping with walking, or stroke-like symptoms (signs of established vascular disease)
Tendon lumps, eyelid deposits, or a grey corneal ring in someone young (possible inherited high cholesterol)

What may help

Remedies studied for high cholesterol, ranked by strength of evidence.

A
Plant sterols & stanols supplement
About 2 g/day lowers LDL cholesterol by roughly 8–10%.
A
Psyllium (soluble fiber) supplement
Lowers LDL cholesterol by roughly 5–10%.
B
Berberine supplement
Lowers LDL and triglycerides modestly; trials are small and mostly from one region.
B
Green tea herb
Lowers LDL and total cholesterol modestly (~4–5 mg/dL) across meta-analyses, with no effect on HDL or triglycerides.
B
Red yeast rice supplement
Lowers LDL ~15–25%, similar to a low-dose statin — because it contains lovastatin (monacolin K).

Diet, exercise, and statins are first-line. Some supplements meaningfully lower LDL — plant sterols and soluble fiber have the strongest, cleanest evidence; red yeast rice works because it contains a statin (with statin risks).