6 Herbal Remedies For High Blood Pressure that are Better than your Prescription

High blood pressure is common trigger for cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of deaths in the world. Herbal remedies are fast becoming a popular choice to help lower blood pressure in those diagnosed with hypertension. There are a number of options for herbal remedies to help reduce high blood pressure due to the different causes.

Hypertension alone is accountable for approximately 16.5% of yearly deaths throughout the world.

There are several reasons to turn to herbal remedies to treat your high blood pressure. Some of the most common reasons are:

• higher costs of the prescribed drugs
• access and availability to the drugs
• patients’ reluctance to take more than one pill a day
• the astonishing percentage of patients who are unable to manage their high blood pressure with traditional medicine 

What is High blood pressure?

High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. This occurs when a patient has a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Patients with a BP reading of 120-139/80-89 mmHg are considered to be pre-hypertensive.

Pre-hypertensive patients are 3X MORE LIKELY to fall victim to high blood pressure as they age.

Hgh blood pressure is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It also affects other health issues such as kidney damage, dementia and blindness. 

90-95% of patients diagnosed with high blood pressure is due to age, diet and lifestyle choices. Especially obesity, alcohol intake and inactive lifestyle. 

Why are Herbal Remedies better?

Current numbers calculate that only 34% of patients are able to manage their blood pressure using prescribed medications. 

Some common side effects from prescription drugs include headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, weakness, fatigue and erectile dysfunction.

There are a number of pharmaceutical medications on the market that target some of the specific causes of high blood pressure. Herbs and plants make most medicines currently. Here is a list of tested herbs and plants that positively affect blood pressure:

• black cumin
• Chinese sage
• coriander
• garlic
• ginger
• ginseng
• tea

Herbal remedies are great for a number of ailments as well as detoxification.

However, it is important to note that herbal remedies and dietary supplements are not regulated the same way as prescription drugs. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1958 prohibits dietary supplements from stating health benefits designed to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent or cure diseases.

By definition, an herbal remedy is a plant or plant component used for medicinal effects.

Next we will discuss 7 of the Most Scientifically backed herbal remedies for blood pressure

6 HERBAL REMEDIES FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Garlic

Garlic has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. It is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, cholestrol lowering, anti-cancer, and hypotensive capabilities. This spice can be found on the market in several different forms including raw garlic, aged garlic, powder, oil and capsules.

Several studies have been done to prove garlic's ability to lower blood pressure. One that found it to be beneficial to almost 80% of its patients.

Different forms of garlic produce varying degrees of efficacy on blood pressure.

Unfortunately, there have been a few reported side effects of using garlic including abdominal swelling, heartburn, gas and acid reflux.

Teas

Teas have been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive effects.

Tea is the second most commonly ingested drink in the world. 

Green tea specifically has been shown to be more effective than black tea at lowering blood pressure.

Hawthorns

Hawthorns, plants that come from the genus Crataegushave. There are some 300 species that have been used for their pharmaceutical properties for thousands of years. They have been used for cardiovascular disease since the seventeenth century.

Chinese Hawthorn affects hypertension as a result of vasorelaxation.

Black cumin

Black cumin, is another herb found in many kitchens across the world. This herb has been found to have anti-hypertension and anti-diabetic properties as well as play a role in gastrointestinal diseases. 

One dosage of 100-200mg tow time per day for 8 weeks has been proven to reduce both SBP and DBP.

Ginseng 

Panax, more commonly Ginseng, is available in many forms including tablets, capsules, dried roots, oils, extracts or tea. Ginseng has anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties.

Ginseng’s effect on blood pressure is different than some of the other herbal remedies. Low doses of ginseng have been found to raise blood pressure. And high doses have been found to lower blood pressure. This implies that ginseng actually affects both sides of BP to regulate it.

Dosage for ginseng depends on the actual species being used. Asian ginseng has been shown to lower blood pressure with 300 mg/day dosage. Where as American ginseng used 3 g/ day to lower blood pressure.

Ginger

Ginger has had a vast amount of research done on its anti-hypertensive properties. This suggested dosing of this herb is 70-140mg/kg taken orally. It affects high blood pressure by first dropping rapidly. Then its followed by a slight rise and ending with a slowed reduction in blood pressure.

Final thoughts

There is an even longer list of herbal remedies and plants that could potentially lower blood pressure. Clinical trials were not performed on the majority of them. There are risks involved with using herbal remedies that still have not studied as well. Some of these include allergic reactions and interactions with other drugs that could cause long-term effects.

The use of herbal remedies should be implemented into regular treatment for hypertension.

Please be sure to have open communication with your doctors about what herbal remedies you are taking. Herbal remedies can reactive negatively with prescribed medications so it is best to be open and honest with your doctors. 

References

• Afolayan, A., & Wintola, O. (2014). Dietary Supplements in the Management of Hypertension and Diabetes - A Review. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines,11(3), 248. doi:10.4314/ajtcam.v11i3.35
• Disi, S. S., Anwar, M. A., & Eid, A. H. (2016). Anti-hypertensive Herbs and their Mechanisms of Action: Part I. Frontiers in Pharmacology,6. doi:10.3389/fphar.2015.00323
• Ibrahim, I., Hassali, M., Saleem, F., & Tukmagi, H. A. (2016). A qualitative insight on complementary and alternative medicines used by hypertensive patients. Journal of Pharmacy And Bioallied Sciences,8(4), 284. doi:10.4103/0975-7406.199349
• Ried, K., Travica, N., & Sali, A. (2016). The effect of aged garlic extract on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in uncontrolled hypertensives: The AGE at Heart trial. Integrated Blood Pressure Control,9. doi:10.2147/ibpc.s93335
• Sobenin, I. A., Pryanishnikov, V. V., Kunnova, L. M., Rabinovich, Y. A., Martirosyan, D. M., & Orekhov, A. N. (2010). The effects of time-released garlic powder tablets on multifunctional cardiovascular risk in patients with coronary artery disease. Lipids in Health and Disease,9(1), 119. doi:10.1186/1476-511x-9-119
• Tabassum, N., & Ahmad, F. (2011). Role of natural herbs in the treatment of hypertension. Pharmacognosy Reviews,5(9), 30. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.79097