According to MayoClinic.com, high blood pressure can progress over many years without symptoms and will ultimately affect most people. High blood pressure is a serious health problem because it raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. Lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, are initially recommended to lower blood pressure, but supplements such as hawthorn may also help lower it. Talk to your doctor about hawthorn before using it to treat high blood pressure.
Hypertension Treatment
High blood pressure is managed by adopting healthy lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, limiting alcohol intake, stopping smoking and managing stress. If lifestyle changes alone cannot lower blood pressure, a doctor may prescribe medications. Some use herbal supplements to help lower blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your provider before using supplements.
About Hawthorn
Hawthorn is an herb in the rose family that has long been used medicinally to treat a variety of heart ailments. Hawthorn berry is used to help manage abnormal blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, angina, rapid heart rate and irregular heart rhythms. Hawthorn is also used for congestive heart failure, digestive aliments and kidney disorders.
Effectiveness
Hawthorn may help lower blood pressure in individuals who have milder forms or heart failure, says Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health.com, or BSCAH. Hawthorn may also help lower blood pressure in type 2 diabetics using daily doses of 1.2 g of a standardized extract which corresponds to 6 g of dried hawthorn flowers, says BSCAH. However, there is not enough scientific information to rate the effectiveness of hawthorn for high blood pressure.
Considerations
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, or NCCAM, hawthorn is considered to be generally safe for most individuals when used for a short time. However, hawthorn may rarely cause side effects such as stomach distress, headache and lightheadedness. Talk to your doctor about hawthorn before using it to treat your high blood pressure.
Member Comments