High blood pressure is a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and has many causes. Thankfully, certain habits and plants are ideal for preventing and countering hypertension. They provide us with a solution to naturally cure high blood pressure without resorting to medications. Here is what you can do or eat to improve your blood pressure.
Engage in regular physical activity
The health benefits of physical activity are well established. Our whole organism benefits from the benefits of physical activity when it is practiced sufficiently and regularly. But it is also particularly indicated for people who suffer from high blood pressure, or who are likely to suffer from it.
Indeed, sport acts as a real regulator of cardiac function (and all bodily functions). It helps regulate blood pressure both during exercise and at rest. In addition, it promotes weight loss: overweight and obesity are aggravating factors of arterial hypertension. So, to naturally fight against arterial hypertension, increase your energy expenditure!
Eat better
The reason high blood pressure is so prevalent is in large part because it is caused or worsened by eating too much saturated fat and trans fat. Modern diets are often unbalanced and too high in sugar, salt, and bad fats. This promotes the accumulation of cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in the arteries and the rise in blood pressure. Naturally, food can then represent a risk factor for accidents or complications of arterial hypertension, in addition to promoting it!
To prevent and fight naturally against arterial hypertension, it is essential to review the basics of your diet. Favor sources of essential fatty acids such as omega 3, in order to restore the balance between omega 6 and omega 3 in your body. Eat more fruits and vegetables, alternate between sources of animal and plant protein, and adopt better eating habits every day. Quickly, the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet will be felt on your hypertension.
Reduce salt, and increase potassium
When rebalancing your diet, take care to limit your salt (sodium) intake, which tends to promote high blood pressure when it is present in excess. Salt, by absorbing water, increases blood pressure. On the other hand, consider increasing your potassium intake. This mineral helps regulate blood pressure! It is found in green vegetables, fruits (bananas, citrus fruits, etc.), legumes, oilseeds, or even wheat germ.
Make sure you sleep well
To effectively fight high blood pressure, it is important to get restful rest at night. And that goes through sufficiently long nights, in favorable conditions: absence of noise, of light… Ideally, make sure to sleep about eight hours per night.
If you have trouble falling asleep, relaxation techniques (reading, meditation, yoga) should be preferred. Eat light in the evening and avoid screens at least an hour before bed. You will thus help your body to regulate its blood pressure in a natural and very efficient way.
Drink dandelion tea
Dandelion leaf is a highly effective diuretic solution. This plant, easy to find, is one of the best herbs for hypertension. Studies show that dandelion is as effective as medicated diuretics, in high doses. Two to three herbal teas per day are already enough to improve your blood pressure. You can also combine dandelion and other diuretic plants with vasorelaxant and anti-stress plants that we will discuss in later sections.
Olive leaves
The olive tree is known for its hypotensive properties and its effectiveness in the treatment of hypertension. Its leaves are an ideal remedy for naturally treating high blood pressure. Indeed, several studies have verified this claim on animals (source). Other studies have looked at its effectiveness in humans and the results are very promising.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn is a plant capable of regulating heart function. It is often used against congestive heart failure. In addition, it acts on the functioning of the heart rhythm and regulates blood pressure. It is equally useful in the treatment of hyperactivity, nervousness, and anxiety, three major causes of high blood pressure (source).
Passionflower
Like hawthorn, passionflower is a vasorelaxant plant. It presents anxiolytic and antihypertensive effects which are very interesting in this respect (source, source ). It acts both on the central nervous system and at the level of the arteries. In addition to acting on mood, it works for the health of the heart.
Yarrow
Yarrow is traditionally used to lower blood pressure, as several studies have shown ( source, source). This plant is often recommended by herbalists to reduce diastolic pressure when it is too high. This plant is shown to be highly effective in the context of organ congestion.
Valerian
Valerian is a fascinating plant, which also presents various benefits for the body. In fact, a study shows that valerian (Valeriana wallichii, a cousin of Valeriana officinalis) has hypotensive properties (source). It acts on the central nervous system, and on the regulation of blood pressure. It is ideal for naturally treating high blood pressure.
Garlic
Garlic is an ideal herb for cardiovascular health and is shown to be very effective in many situations. Indeed, garlic is a recognized hypotensive agent, the effects of which were confirmed in a meta-analysis comprising eight clinical studies (source). Garlic is also anti-thrombotic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-atherogenic. For reducing blood pressure, garlic is very effective and easy to consume throughout the year.
Cocoa
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a plant that has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. Among them, many report a link between cocoa consumption and reduced blood pressure (source). Cocoa is rich in polyphenols, active molecules. A meta-analysis published in 2010 notably states that consuming dark chocolate over a period of two to eighteen weeks reduces diastolic pressure by 2.5 mmHg and systolic pressure by 4.5 mmHg (source). This represents a considerable reduction! It is common for doctors to recommend that people with high blood pressure consume cocoa in the form of dark chocolate.
Stevia
Several trials have been carried out on stevia, a plant with strong sweetening powers, which is commonly used as a replacement for refined sugar. But here, it is its properties on blood pressure that interest us. Precisely, the leaves of stevia (a small shrub native to South America) can help reduce blood pressure in the long term (between one to two years), as shown in several studies (source, source).
Antioxidant plants
High blood pressure cuts through the arteries and causes micro-lesions, in which bad cholesterol (LDL) molecules get stuck. This, therefore, has the effect of accumulating fatty acids in the arteries and oxidizing them. This phenomenon is called atherosclerosis. To fight against it, it is important to consume natural antioxidants, which are found in fruits, vegetables, spices, and plants! Rosemary is a perfect example since it inhibits the oxidation of LDL in the blood (source).
Anti-stress plants
Stress and anxiety are common causes of high blood pressure. Fighting chronic stress is therefore a simple and logical way to naturally treat high blood pressure. Here, you have to bet on anti-stress and non-diuretic plants. And the list is long! Among them are lemon balm, German chamomile, wild oats, lime blossom, motherwort, St. John’s wort, and American skullcap.
Moreover, lime is part of the composition of many mixtures against hypertension! However, be careful with so-called “hot” adaptogenic plants, such as Korean ginseng or Rhodiola, which are the subject of contraindication in the case of arterial hypertension.
