High Blood Pressure Herbs

High Blood Pressure Herbs.

Besides food there are many herbs which help lower blood pressure. Medicinal herbs are often overlooked, I think mainly because people just don't know about them. They are wonderful and can aid and strengthen the body and every system in the body.

There are many high blood pressure herbs that can lower the blood pressure when used regularly.

Herbs are fun and easy to use. In our Herbal Remedies page we discuss nourishing herbs, gentle medicinal herbs, stronger medicinal herbs, and potentially dangerous herbs. Knowing about the herbs you use is a wise thing to do.

How Do We Get The Blood Pressure Herbs We Want and Need?

• Many people purchase herbs at the local supermarket in capsule form or in tea bags. Though their intentions are good the problem is that you don't know how long they have been setting on the supermarket shelf and how long they were in the warehouse before they got to the supermarket. In other words, the freshness - therefore the quality - of the herbs may be compromised.
• Wildcrafting, or going out and finding your own high blood pressure herbs assures you of a very fresh herb, obviously, but the problem is that you do run the risk of improper identification - which would not be good. You should always use several books for identification before picking an herb to consume - or better - take someone with you who is knowledgeable about herbs.
• Growing your own is a great idea, and is rewarding and fun to pick your own fresh herbs. But all plants do not grow well in all places. My problem is that many plants do not grow in the American Southwest. Even though I live in the mountains it is just too hot and dry for many gentle herbs such as chickweed. I therefore order it dried and it works very well.
• A fast and reliable thing you can do is purchase the high blood pressure herbs you need with the assurance that you are getting the correct herb. It is important that you are selective in who you purchase from so you can be guaranteed of high quality organic herbs.
  

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Herbal teas are a very safe and very effective way to use herbs and is a great way to consume your high blood pressure herbs. Herbal tinctures are also an effective way to use herbs.

Just as food for high cholesterol also helps many other parts of the body, because herbs are a whole food, their medicinal effects reach beyond one specific ailment and help many aspects of the body at the same time.

Some high blood pressure herbs include:

Bilberry. Take Bilberry, as an example, which is well known for its ability to help the eyes. One reason that it helps the eyes is because it strengthens and repairs veins and capillaries - not only in the eyes, but in the entire circulatory system. It also improves circulation in the entire body, which helps the heart tremendously.

Black Current. Black Current is very high in phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Like Bilberry, it protects and strengthens the capillaries. The anthocyanins found in large amounts are effective in the treatment of or prevention of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and in a 2006 study - Alzheimer's disease.

Black current can be purchased as a juice or syrup and is easy and delicious to use. Find it on the internet if you can't find it locally.

Cayenne. This hot pepper regulates the blood flow, equalizing and strengthening the heart, arteries, capillaries and nerves.

According to David Hoffman, to use it you can make a tea with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne (powdered) in a cup of hot water. Steep for 1 minutes. Put 1 Tablespoon of the infusion you just made in a cup of hot water and drink 3 x a day. You are actually diluting it twice. 

You can buy it at the market, but growing cayenne pepper in your garden is a colorful addition to your vegetables, and grinding it in your mortar and pestle is very rewarding. But if you don't want to use it in a tea, you can purchase it in capsules.

Crampbark. Crampbark is commonly used in treatment of high blood pressure and other circulatory conditions because of it's ability to reduce tension and relax muscles. It works well at relieving any other tense muscle, including the smooth muscle in the arteries and capillaries that move the blood through your body.

Buy Crampbark or Crampbark tincture at your local health food store.

Dandelion. Dandelion is a natural diuretic and digestive aid. This is good for helping our elimination system work properly, causing less stress on the kidneys, which we talked about failing because of high blood pressure. It's high mineral content includes potassium, which works with sodium to regulate the body's water balance and normalize heart rhythms. Dandelion is also rich in lecithin which helps lower cholesterol and is believed to protect against cirrhosis of the liver.

You can pick it in your yard and make tea, lemonade, even bake it into cookies and use it in salad. (Be sure there have been no pesticides, herbicides, or dogs!)

Dong Quai. This Chinese herb is rich in minerals including A, B12, and E, which may help prevent anemia. It has been used extensively to treat high blood pressure.

Ginger. Ginger is considered one of the great high blood pressure herbs. It improves circulation, especially to the capillaries. (Capillaries are teeny tiny blood vessels that pass blood from the arteries into the veins. Remember, we talked about arteries and veins earlier. Capillaries are extremely small and thin. This allows materials to pass into and out of the capillaries.

We also talked about the capillaries in the kidneys which are damaged by high blood pressure and which lead to kidney failure. Ginger helps prevent that damage by improving the circulation of blood.

All we have to do to eat ginger is grate 1/4 t. of fresh ginger into our food every day. An easy way to do this is to add it to a smoothie. I also love ginger as a tea, hot or cold. It is delicious and easy to drink.

Ginger can be purchased in the grocery store and minced or grated for delicious tea or to add to your food. You can also purchase it in capsules or tincture. 

Ginko. Ginko strengthens blood vessels and improves blood flow. The leaves stimulate blood circulation all which helps the circulatory system. Ginko is also used in brain health and memory and for hearing disorders such as tinnitus.

It can also be purchased in capsules or tinctures. 

Hawthorn. Hawthorn is known as the heart herb. It is probably one of the best known high blood pressure herbs used for the cardiovascular system. It has been used for centuries in treatment of mild high blood pressure. It has been used for improving heart function, it relaxes and dilates or widens artery walls, especially the coronary arteries.

For people that have heart or vascular problems, or eat lots of high fat foods, or drink coffee or other stimulants, hawthorn will help protect the heart. If we use only one herb to help the heart, this should be the one.

Ginseng. Ginseng normalizes blood pressure and reduces blood cholesterol. It increases stamina, reduces stress, improves mental alertness and improves overall health.

Valerian. Valerian is one of the blood pressure herbs often used in high blood pressure treatment. It contains a chemical called valerenic acid which inhibits an enzyme that breaks down GABA. Therefore, this would ensure higher levels of GABA and lower blood pressure.

Though the root is commonly used, do not simmer it as you would a regular decoction. It has constituents that boil away at relatively low temperatures. Instead steep the valerian root in luke warm water for four to twelve hours as you would an infusion.

Wakame. Though Wakame is not one of the high blood pressure herbs we will include it with the herbs anyway. It is a sea vegetable, or edible seaweed. It has a subtly sweet flavor and is most often served in soups and salads. Consumed daily it may lower blood pressure. (Not only this but it may work better than chemotherapy on certain kinds of breast cancer.)

Reconstitute 1/4 teaspoon of dried seaweed in 1 Tablespoon water to equal 1 Tablespoon of reconstituted seaweed and take daily. Adding it to soups or stir fries is a good way to eat Wakame.

Purchase Wakame in health food stores or specialty shops.

Yarrow. It lowers blood pressure due to a dilation of peripheral vessels. It stimulates the digestion and tones the blood vessels.

Yarrow is especially fun to pick in the wild. You can make tea, tincture or salves from this ubiquitous herb.

Garlic. I included this high powered blood pressure herbs on the Food for High Blood Pressure page.

This list is only a sampling of the herbs that are good for you and that are considered blood pressure herbs. There are many others which you may already know and love which are an important part of a healthy diet.

The secret is to do a little research and experimenting and find the things that work for you. The effort required is worth it if it helps you live a healthier, longer life. Good luck.

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