Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a chronic disorder that increases your risk for kidney damage, heart attack or stroke. Hypertension occurs when your heart pumps blood through arteries that are constricted, putting stress on artery walls. Diet and lifestyle can be risk factors for hypertension. Being overweight or not exercising forces your heart to pump harder, putting more pressure on artery walls. Herbs contain compounds that lower blood pressure, helping to reduce your risk for heart disease.
Indian Coleus
Indian Coleus (Coleus forskohlii) is a member of the mint family and a popular medicinal plant throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia. The root contains a chemical called forskolin. A 2003 report in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology found that forskolin plays a role in relaxing the smooth muscle cells inside blood vessels. Forskolin activates the enzyme adenylate cyclase, which in turn increases the level of cyclic AMP, or adenosine monophosphate. Cyclic AMP is a signaling molecule that sends messages to increase vasodilation. This action widens blood vessels--allowing blood to flow through without exerting as much pressure on the artery walls--and reduces hypertension.
Oats
Oat cereal (Avena sativa) is a popular food that's rich in fiber and nutrients. A study reported in the 2002 issue of the Journal of Family Practice compared two groups of hypertensive, diabetic patients. One group ate oats, and the other ate a low-fiber cereal. The study found significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the group that ate the high-fiber oat cereal.
Psyllium
Psyllium (Plantago ovata), also known as ispaghula, is a traditional herb used as a laxative due to its high fiber content. Psyllium also has benefits for the heart. A 2007 report in Clinical and Experimental Hypertension found that overweight, hypertensive patients who took a psyllium powder supplement for six months significantly reduced their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Cacao
Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a small evergreen native to the tropics. Its seeds, used to make chocolate, contain the bitter alkaloids caffeine and theobromine, which are vasodilators. These chemicals widen the arteries to allow unrestricted blood flow. Cacao also contains flavanols, which are heart-healthy plant chemicals also found in fruits and vegetables. A recent report in the American Journal of Hypertension found that cocoa products are rich in flavanols that have the ability to lower blood pressure. The report says, however, that the dose and side effects of cocoa are yet to be determined for its use as an anti-hypertensive.
References
- "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology"; Isoform-targeted regulation of cardiac adenylyl cyclase; Ishikawa Y; January 2003
- "The Journal of Family Practice"; Oat ingestion reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with mild or borderline hypertension: a pilot trial. Keenan JM, Pins JJ, Frazel C, Moran A, Turnquist L; April 2002
- "Clinical and Experimental Hypertension"; Different effect of psyllium and guar dietary supplementation on blood pressure control in hypertensive overweight patients: a six-month, randomized clinical trial; Cicero AF, Derosa G, Manca M, Bove M, Borghi C, Gaddi AV; August 2007
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