Answers.Body: <p>Alcohol relaxes your blood vessels as it is a <a href="https://www.medicinenet.com/vasodilators_drug_class_side_effects_list_of_names/article.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="MedicineNet.com">vasodilator</a>.</p>
  
  <p>That means it can improve blood flow - although <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/what-alcohol-really-does-to-your-body-5349097.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="The Independent">the negatives far outweigh the positives</a> and most people aren't required to take vasodilators and can be harmed by them. </p>
  
  <p>This is also where the old wives tale about drinking whiskey if you're cold comes from (<a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20908/why-are-st-bernards-always-depicted-barrels-around-their-necks" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="MentalFloss.com">think St Bernards</a>). It can save your fingers from frost bite, but your body is actually restricting the blood flow for good reason - you may loose fingers but you have a better chance of survival - so it's better to only have that whiskey once you're back in the warmth. Drinking will relax the capillaries in your fingers and toes, allowing the warm blood from your centre-of-mass to flow. This actually means the <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/32256/does-drinking-alcohol-really-keep-you-warm-when-its-cold-out" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="MentalFloss.com">overall temp of your body will cool down.</a></p>
  
  <p>As to which kind is "best" it's simply the drink with the highest alcohol content.  Hence traditionally something such as Whiskey or Brandy. For added effect though, you could consider drinks with a high concentration of other naturally occurring vasodilators such as these (from first link):</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Coenzyme Q10</li>
  <li>L-arginine</li>
  <li>Magnesium</li>
  <li>Cocoa</li>
  <li>Garlic</li>
  <li>Niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3)</li>
  <li>mint (which contains levomenthol)</li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-28T16:15:30.383Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-02-14T09:06:49.637Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-02-14T09:06:49.637Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Gamora
Body: <p>I read an article saying alcohol improves blood flow but it does not mention which kind. </p>
  
  <p>What do you think about this?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-24T20:54:27.710Z
Comments.Text: Have you done a Google search? There are many hits including: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513687/
Comments.UserDisplayName: Eric S
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-28T15:28:24.697Z
Comments.Text: I'm pretty sure it's ethanol
Comments.UserDisplayName: d4zed
Tags: <health><alcohol>
Title: Alcohol to improve blood flow?
UserDisplayName: Kushan L Perera
ThreadText: # Alcohol to improve blood flow?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-24)
  
  I read an article saying alcohol improves blood flow but it does not mention which kind.
  
  What do you think about this?
  
  **Tags:** health, alcohol
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Have you done a Google search? There are many hits including: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513687/  
  > **username_2**: I'm pretty sure it's ethanol  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2020-01-28. Score: 3
  
  Alcohol relaxes your blood vessels as it is a [vasodilator](https://www.medicinenet.com/vasodilators_drug_class_side_effects_list_of_names/article.htm "MedicineNet.com").
  
  That means it can improve blood flow - although [the negatives far outweigh the positives](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/what-alcohol-really-does-to-your-body-5349097.html "The Independent") and most people aren't required to take vasodilators and can be harmed by them.
  
  This is also where the old wives tale about drinking whiskey if you're cold comes from ([think St Bernards](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20908/why-are-st-bernards-always-depicted-barrels-around-their-necks "MentalFloss.com")). It can save your fingers from frost bite, but your body is actually restricting the blood flow for good reason - you may loose fingers but you have a better chance of survival - so it's better to only have that whiskey once you're back in the warmth. Drinking will relax the capillaries in your fingers and toes, allowing the warm blood from your centre-of-mass to flow. This actually means the [overall temp of your body will cool down.](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/32256/does-drinking-alcohol-really-keep-you-warm-when-its-cold-out "MentalFloss.com")
  
  As to which kind is "best" it's simply the drink with the highest alcohol content. Hence traditionally something such as Whiskey or Brandy. For added effect though, you could consider drinks with a high concentration of other naturally occurring vasodilators such as these (from first link):
  
  * Coenzyme Q10
  * L-arginine
  * Magnesium
  * Cocoa
  * Garlic
  * Niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3)
  * mint (which contains levomenthol)
  
  
  ---
  
  