Thinning the blood

Posted by R. Berg on December 13, 2001

In Reply to: Thinning the blood posted by Morano on December 13, 2001

: I wonder about the phrase "thinning the blood" in two ways. First, what do people mean when they use the phrase casually (like, "eating spring greens can be good for thinning the blood"). Second, does it have any technical meaning, as medical people might understanf? Thank you.

"Thinning" applies to blood in the same way as it applies to paint or ink or orange juice: thin blood is more liquid (watery) than thick blood. Having thin blood--not too thin, of course--is good because it lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. That's what both medical people and laypeople mean when they talk about thinning blood.

• Thinning the blood TheFallen 12/13/01
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