Known as the silent killer because it often doesn't come with warning symptoms, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks or stroke. Blood pressure tests measure the force of the blood pumping through your arteries. Serious hypertension, or high blood pressure, often calls for prescription medication or even hospitalization. If, however, your doctor advises you to work on lowering mild to moderate hypertension, consider some of the classic home remedies. Many are free or may be already in your refrigerator. Others cost only the price of a few supplies, such as tea or essential oils.
Raw Garlic
Opinions vary as to the effectiveness of cooked garlic or garlic pills to achieve the blood-thinning effects of raw garlic. If you do take a garlic supplement, make sure it's from a reputable supplier; the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC, recommends 400 mg taken at least twice a day. Herbalist Barbara Griggs, on the other hand, cites research by Michael Turner and published in the British Medical Journal, positing that tablet-making destroys the garlic compound called allicin. Allicin thins the blood, reducing pressure against arterial walls. Incorporate one to four cloves of raw garlic a day into your diet by eating it alone, if you don't mind the strong taste, or chopping it into salads.
Celery Juice
Botanicals such as celery act as diuretics, flushing the system pf sodium and water, which in turn lowers blood pressure, notes UMMC. Eat up to four stalks of celery a day, or prepare a juice recommended by Barbara Loecher in "New Choices for Natural Healing." Combine equal parts water, celery and carrot juice and drink at least one eight-ounce serving a day.
Herbal Teas
Several herbs contain compounds that help to lower blood pressure. Griggs suggests linden flower and yarrow, while "The Green Pharmacy" author James A. Duke mentions kudzu, valerian and hawthorn. Look for these herbal teas at the health food store and follow brewing directions on the package label. Drink one or two cups a day. Alternatively, harvest and dry your own, depending on what grows in your region.
Scented Baths
Adding certain essential oils to your bath oil may provide temporary relief from a spike in blood pressure. Use these herbal oils daily for ongoing stress relief. Add one tbsp of herbal bath oil in your bathtub, or use it as a post-shower rubdown. "Herbs for Help and Healing" author Kathi Keville recommends preparing a bath or body oil with 12 drops each of geranium and orange essential oils, two drops essential oil and four oz. vegetable oil, such as olive or sweet almond oil. Loecher suggests a formula of 10 drops lavender, two drops blue chamomile and one drop helichrysum, also known as everlast, essential oil for every one oz carrier oil.
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