High blood pressure, also called hypertension, puts a person at risk for developing other medical conditions, including stroke and heart disease. Traditional medications for treating high blood pressure include beta-blockers, thiazide diuretics, drugs that open the arteries and drugs that tell the brain not to increase the heart rate. If you're unhappy with your current medication or you would like to supplement it with a natural treatment, some herbs may help you control your blood pressure. Like traditional drugs, herbal remedies may have side effects. Consult your doctor about starting an herbal treatment program.
Relaxing Herbs
Stress and anxiety can raise blood pressure, so relaxation is vital for lowering it. "The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine" suggests the use of blue chamomile essential oil and lavender essential oil to help you relax. Four or five drops of either oil, added to a warm bath, may soothe your nerves and help control blood pressure.
St. John's wort, catnip and valerian, when prepared as a tea or taken in capsule form, may also help you relax. A qualified herbalist or doctor of naturopathy should recommend a dosage.
Brown Kelp
Brown kelp grows naturally in the western coastal states and is available as a prescription medication to treat anemia in the U.S. In Japan, however, doctors prescribe brown kelp for high blood pressure. Brown kelp comes in capsule form, as a tea or as a liquid tincture. An herbal professional should recommend a dosage. Because brown kelp contains iodine, people with thyroid conditions should not use it.
Centaurea Cyanus
This herb, native to the Mediterranean and cultivated in North America, is reportedly a hypotensive herb, meaning it has the ability to lower blood pressure, reports the "PDR for Herbal Medicines." Taken as a tea, centaurea cyanus is safe for most people when used as directed. A typical dose combines one part of dried herb steeped in 10 parts of boiling water.
Common Stonecrop
Dried flowers and fruits from the common stonecrop herb may assist in controlling hypertension in some individuals. Native to Europe, this spicy herb, may sell under the name of Creeping Tom or Mousetail. Although evidence is lacking, the "PDR for Herbal Medicines" reports that common stonecrop is a popular herb, used to treat high blood pressure in central Europe. Patients with digestive disorders should not take this herb.
Stonecrop is available as a tea or in capsule form.
Garlic
This well-known herb finds its way into the diet as a spice in many kitchens. The vital parts of the plant include the bulb and the leafy stalk near the bulb. The Mayo Clinic lists garlic as a possible treatment in controlling high blood pressure. Garlic is readily available in an oil-based capsule or in tablet form. You may also add fresh garlic to foods.
References
- "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Volume 2"; Jacqueline L. Longe; 2005
- "PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2nd Edition"; Joerg Gruenwald, PhD; 2000
- Mayo Clinic: Hypertension: Alternative Medicine
