Re: Jiaogulan

 Yea, I found out about it when I was googling lowering cholesterol naturally for my parents in law who are taking statin drugs. I read about the horrific side effects of these drugs

Yes, you are right about statin drugs. They not only damage the liver, but they also increase the risk of heart failure. 

Jiaogulan lowers cholesterol due to its high level of sterols. Sterols have a very high affinity for cholesterol and combine tightly with it to form an insoluble complex that is flushed from the body. This is the same principle that forms the "stones" in the olive oil liver flushes. Olive oil is also high in sterols, which is why it is heart healthy, and these sterols bind with cholesterol from food and from bile salts to form what people think are gallstones.

I forgot to add that another benefit of sterols is that lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. This also strengthens the heart and prevents arrhythmias by decreasing cardiac irritability.