Herbal remedies for hypertension (high blood pressure)

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure which is also referred to as hypertension is a condition when the blood pressure of a person is higher than the normal.

Normal blood pressure has two measures: Systolic and Diastolic pressure changes. Systolic pressure ranges have to be between 100 – 140 while diastolic pressure changes have to be between 60 – 90. This however is only an outline prescribed and it could vary based on the gender and age of the individual.

What are its causes?

While stress is often pointed out as the most common cause, this in turn could be attributed to improper lifestyle. Causes other than stress are:

• Alcoholism and frequent smoking
• Too much caffeine or tea (theobromine)
• Too much soft drinks (aerated drinks)
• Irregular sleep cycle leading to poor metabolism
• Obesity
• Too much salt intake

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

The problem with high BP is that it may remain unknown when in the hypertension levels are minimal. It starts showing its symptoms as the condition gets aggravated and as a result becomes more difficult to treat.

• Dizziness
• Nose bleeds
• Sudden fits of emotion
• Discomfort and pain – primarily in the neck and left arm.
• Unusual levels of fatigue
• Sudden fatigue during and after exercise.

What are the natural remedies available for treating high blood pressure?

While there are various drugs available in the market, these address the stress part of the cause and have a de-stressing effect and are short-lived. We can turn to natural remedies to address the root of the problem.

Below is a list of natural remedies that could work – but this is provided you bring in changes in your lifestyle. Don’t think you could continue your improper diet, bad food habits, irregular sleep cycles, smoke, and still expect these remedies would work. No – they won’t. Bring in a plan for your well-being that includes a healthy diet, sleep, and exercise. After that, try these remedies and they will work like a charm!

Onion

Onion has been used for centuries in the treatment of various diseases. While including onion in your regular diet is a good way to keep it well-balanced, you could also try the below remedies to treat hypertension.

Method:

1. Peel the outer layer of an onion (This can be white, yellow, or violet variety)
2. Chop it into rough slices.
3. Blend the slices along with water in a blender.
4. Add a teaspoon of honey and ginger extract (or ginger powder) to this.
5. Stir and drink this juice once every day.

This remedy is highly beneficial for high BP and you can start seeing results in three to four weeks.

You can find the list of benefits and usage of onion for your health – here.

Garlic

Garlic as we’ve repeatedly heard is great for health. It is an antibiotic, hypotensive, anti-oxidant, and also has properties of lowering cholesterol. 10 cloves of garlic would be a suitable quantity per day.

Method:

1. Peel and crush the garlic.
2. Blend it along with ginger juice, a teaspoon of lemon juice and drink it.

This won’t taste like a delicacy but has excellent effects on curing hypertension.

Juice cleanse

Juices help to detoxify your body and can give you a fresh start to the day. By flushing out toxins and purifying your blood, you are giving more chances for your body to brisk and fight fatigue. The juices also help to improve metabolism and are a perfect part of any hypertension fighting diet.

Make a juice of celery, apple, cabbage, cilantro, and anything green that you like. Amla (Indian gooseberry) is an excellent detoxifying ingredient addition to any smoothie and is good for reducing high blood pressure. It will be a great refreshing drink, relieve stress, and give you a healthy start to the day.

Include food rich in Omega 3 fatty acids in your everyday diet. Look here for the list of foods that are rich in Omega 3 EFA. You could also get some Omega 3 EFA capsules to get the recommended daily intake of Omega 3 EFA.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus tea can be made with dried hibiscus flowers. Hibiscus flower has properties that can reduce hypertension. It has been shown that three cups of hibiscus tea per day can lower blood pressure.

Method:

1. Take a few hibiscus flowers and sundry the petals well. (You can make these in summer and store the petals for a couple of months)
2. Boil water in a pot and when the water is boiling, add the dried petals to it.
3. Let it boil for some more time so that you get a nice thick extract.
4. Switch off after a few minutes
5. You can have this tea along with some honey or palm sugar and drink it.

Flax seed

Flax seeds are rich in Omega 3 EFAs and hence can be good to lower blood pressure. Flaxseed oil capsules or two tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day would be the ideal quantity to consume. Also, sprinkle flax seeds on your bread or cereal to ensure flax seeds are part of your diet. Details on the other health benefits of flax seeds can be seen here.

Ginger

Ginger juice, dry ginger powder, or even grated ginger helps to lower hypertension. Ginger works as a blood thinner, improves the flow of blood, and helps to reduce the blood pressure. Ginger tea is a good option to consume on a daily basis.

Cinnamon (The true Ceylon one) is a great combination with ginger. When you make ginger tea, grate some cinnamon and add it to the tea. Not only does this add a lovely aroma to the tea, but it also helps to cure hypertension.

Sources

Adams, F. J., Child, R. P. & Charles, B. G., 1981. Aerated drinks machine. United States, Patent No. US4401016A.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4401016A/en

GLANTZ, S. A. & PARMLEY, W. W., 1978. Factors Which Affect the Diastolic PressureVolume Curve. An Official Journal of the American Heart Ansociation, 42(2).

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/01.RES.42.2.171

Medeiros, A. L. D., Mendes, D. B. F., Lima, P. F. & Araujo, J. F., 2001. The Relationships between Sleep-Wake Cycle and Academic Performance in Medical Students. Biological Rhythm Research, 32(2), pp. 263-270.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/brhm.32.2.263.1359

Rassouw, J. E., Lewis, B. & Rifkind, B. M., 1990. The Value of Lowering Cholesterol after Myocardial Infarction. The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199010183231606

R, B., R, . P. & G, . V., 2014. Chemical Composition and Health Benefits of Flaxseed. Austin Journal of Nutrition and Food.

https://zellavie.ch/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/fulltext_ajnfs-v2-id1045.pdf