Home Remedies For High Blood Pressure ( Hypertension )

Home remedies for high blood pressure ( hypertension ). This condition is known as hypertension and it puts the patient at a higher risk for heart disease or cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure is a common problem in middle aged and older population. It can be controlled using home remedies, which are many.

High blood pressure is a serious health issue. But it is not quickly evident, as it is kind of a silent disorder for years. The first symptoms of high blood pressure are headaches, dizziness, light headedness, fainting. Some people may start feeling weak at the knees and there may be a strong need to rest. The problem usually improves with rest, but it springs back up after some time, as it is a chronic condition.

In people , the first signs of high blood pressure can be blurred vision even after eyesight being normal, vertigo ( inability to balance ), a strange sensation of ringing or buzzing in ears called tinnitus, and difficulty exercising or moving limbs fast enough may lead to fainting.

In most people, however, there may be no symptom of high blood pressure at all. This is quite dangerous in the long run. Therefore, one should get blood pressure checked if one if feeling down.

What is considered high blood pressure or hypertension ?

A blood pressure reading greater than 140/90 or at this value is considered high blood pressure. However, it should come out often, not a one time reading. So, if your blood pressure reading are taken twice in 8 hours, and it comes out more than 140/90 , then it is hypertension.

What is this 140 and the 90 ?
Well, these are values of blood pressure in the arteries ( the vessels carrying blood out from the heart ). Higher value points to systolic blood pressure ( when the heart is pumping ). Lower value is diastolic blood pressure , when the heart is relaxed.

( Photo Courtesy: audiinsperation )

Simple and easy home remedies for high blood pressure. It can be lowered, but you will have to eat these foods compulsorily. These foods act as medicine.

1. Chocolate ( yummy )
For people who love chocolate, this is fantastic. Who ever thought chocolate could be remedy for some issue ? Nevertheless, it works to lower high blood pressure brilliantly.Chocolate has a strong relaxing effect on blood vessels. It helps to relieve anxiety and blood pressure issues. Moreover, chocolate is a powerful antioxidant which prevents body cells from damage by free radicals.

How much chocolate should you eat and which variety ?
Well, it definitely has to be dark chocolate ( as dark as you can get ). More cocoa solids concentration means less sugar to deal with it, which is good. You can also prepare chocolate syrup at home without adding sugar and using an healthier alternative sweetener, like cinnamon or stevia.

100 grams of chocolate is more than enough for the blood pressure lowering effect.You need to consume this much on a regular basis, if not daily.

Chocolate can have tremendous health benefits. One of the oldest living women on earth remarked that she loved to eat chocolate, eating about a 1 kilogram chocolate in a week. She lived to be over 120 years old. So, you can guess, what effects chocolate can have on health and on health of arteries. Taking slightly more amount of chocolate can lower blood pressure overnight, providing you relief from hypertension in a few hours.

"Chocolate is good for the heart."

chocolate for high blood pressure ( hypertension )

( Photo credit : lindseywb )

2. Drink Olive Oil ( only a small amount )
Drinking olive oil , or adding it to salad as dressing is a way to use it. Olive oil has been identified to have blood pressure lowering effects. This effect can last for about 3 to 5 hours after consuming this oil. Since olive oil is a staple of Mediterranean diet, it provides people with consistent blood pressure lowering effect. You can also avail its benefits, but do not overdo it.

Ingredients
Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil ( It should be packed in a dark colored bottle )
Directions / How to use
Prepare a salad with some of the healthiest things you can eat. I like to eat beets, cabbage, tomatoes and onion. Then add 1 - 2 tablespoon of olive oil over it. Eating this salad 1 - 2 times daily is wonderful for high blood pressure and many other health issues, like low systemic inflammation.

If you are little brave, this is for you to try. Take an olive oil shot. Pour 15 ml olive oil in a shot glass, add some lemon juice or grapefruit juice and gulp it down.

Why it works ?
Olive oil is a dense, healthy oil. It immediately brings system into a different cleansing mode. Liver initiates a toxin cleanse and blood pressure lowers.

"However, olive oil is a fat after all, each gram provides 9 calories as opposed to 4 calories from a gram of carbohydrates.

( Photo credit : mroconnell )

3. Cereal Grains
Eating a cereal dominated meal is good at lowering blood pressure naturally. It starts working right after the first meal. You can either eat a packed cereal, or you can try making something out of flour. These are some great foods to try.

Oatmeal
Boiled corn ( but without salt )
Wheat products, like whole wheat bread
Muesli
Any other cereal product.

Cereals are very much different from most other foods. They are really special because they are metabolised very slowly. They provide slow and regular supply of energy. Cereal grains are not taxing on our system and they also lower blood pressure over a long period of time. So, try to increase the fraction of cereal grains in diet.

( Photo credit : joyosity )

4. As Simple As Potatoes
Yep, eating boiled potatoes is a nice way to control your blood pressure. This tuber is the most common food worldwide and they contain good concentration of minerals which help to lower blood pressure.
Eating 2 - 3 boiled potatoes in a low sodium recipe does the trick. The effect is not immediate, but with regular consumption, one's blood pressure comes down a few points.

( Photo credit : Guilhem Vellut )

5. Drink more water
It is simple. Person who drinks less water chronically may get high blood pressure which gets reversed when the body receives more water. Stay even more hydrated by swimming and bathing more often.

How much water to drink for reducing blood pressure ?
Ideally, one should never be dehydrated. So, if you are feeling thirsty, then you are doing it wrong. You are dehydrated way before you start feeling thirsty and giddy. So, drink 6 - 8 glasses water regularly. If you are unable to drink the glasses of water, then eat foods that are rich in water. The best foods are tomatoes, watermelon and cucumbers.

6. Correct Your Sodium to Potassium Ratio
Most packaged foods have lots of sodium. But, the potassium is lacking. This way our bodies are getting more sodium to potassium. But, ideally sodium to potassium ratio should be 1 to 5. Your diet should contain 5 times more potassium that sodium.

How to manage this ?
Eating a diet containing fruits and vegetables and least of packaged foods ensures that you make this ratio even better.

7. Foods rich in Potassium
Eating foods that are specifically rich in potassium is good for blood pressure issues. Most of these foods have the ability to lower blood pressure when consumed regularly.

Foods richest in potassium are -
Spinach
Boiled Potatoes with their skin
Dried Apricots
Acorns
Non salted yogurt
Bananas

These foods are also helpful in preventing stroke and nervous systems problems caused by low potassium levels in blood.

8. Foods you should avoid in diet
These is a long list of foods which are either known or may cause blood pressure levels to rise.

Coffee
Too much black tea
Fried food of any kind
Foods containing sugar
Any food that you are allergic to.

In most people, the culprit is coffee. We inadvertently end up drinking too much coffee. It is actually harmful, all that caffeine and sugar. I know how hard it is to get over your daily coffee habit, but you should try. Caffeine in coffee can elevate blood pressure levels which is bad for the heart, the brain, kidneys and most other internal organs.

9. Cayenne pepper
Eat this pepper. It improves blood circulation throughout the body and may reduce the high blood pressure. It works immediately. Your body feels the heat and may as well start to sweat. This helps to bring blood pressure back to normal, or at least lower it down.

10. Vasodilator foods
These are the foods which have vasodilatory effects ( dilating the blood vessels ). When such an effect is obtained from natural sources, it effectively lowers blood pressure significantly. These foods are powerful because they relieve tense blood vessels, allowing them to expand and allow blood to flow at a lesser pressure.

The strongest natural vasodilating foods are -

Watermelons
Pomegranates
Spinach
Beetroot
Lettuce
Chocolate
Celery

Most of these work by producing nitric oxide in body which triggers dilation of blood vessels.

( Photo credit : golden_ie )

11. Relaxation ( Various Ways )
Taking a warm water shower and do other things which provide relaxation. It can differ from person to person, but it always work in bringing the body back into balanced mode. When done regularly, it can keep blood pressure in check.

Various way to relax deeply.

A warm water bath.
A walk outside, especially in good foliage region. It should have lots of trees.
Watching or reading something you really like.
Massage. You can use healthy oils like coconut oil to massage yourself.
martial Arts, especially Tai Chi. This martial art strongly emphasizes the mind - body connection and coordination. If you start learning Tai Chi, you can learn how to relax your mind brilliantly and keep it at peace even in stressful situations.
Yoga. It is much more than just some poses and working them out. Yoga helps a Yogi to connect with this mind deeply and relax it.

( Photo credit : zunami )

12. Eat more apples
So here again we notice the potency of apples in helping with a potentially dangerous condition . Apples can consistently keep the blood pressure within limits. All you have to do is eat 1 or a few more apples everyday.

13. Celery and its seeds ( Honourable mention )
When it comes to lowering blood pressure, celery plays a powerful role. celery and its seeds can be taken regularly to control high blood pressure.

Celery is a source of 3 - n - butylphthalide. It has some say in the production of prostaglandins which promote dilation of blood vessels. It has a strong effect and can be used effectively to lower blood pressure.

( Photo credit : thedelicious )

14. Low sodium diet
This is what everybody emphasizes when someone gets high blood pressure. Reduce the consumption of sodium in diet so that it falls in the acceptable range. Check for food labels of processed and packaged foods to find out how much sodium they have. If one is having difficulty in managing sodium in diet, one can hire a nutritionist.

Sodium should be less than 2400 mg a day, that means 2.4 grams. This is a very strict limit which gets exceeded all the time. To make up for the overflow, one needs to drink more water.

15. Garlic and Onions
Garlic has been used for nearly every ailment. It is also beneficial for high blood pressure. It contains a special compound known as Allicin which thins the blood and lowers its viscosity. Blood flows more freely and blood pressure is reduced.

Onions are also effective at lowering blood pressure. They work by providing a nutrient called quercetin. It is an anti-inflammatory substance and it also lowers blood pressure. Quercetin also lowers the risk of heart disease in all people.

How much improvement should you expect ?

Well, onions and garlic are helpful in lowering blood pressure. But, the effects are not profound. They may only be able to lower blood pressure by about 10 %, which is not too much. But, still they support. Plus eating onions and garlic regularly has tremendous health benefits.

16. Skimmed Milk
Drinking cold skimmed milk is a home remedy for hypertension that works. You should drink 1 - 2 glasses of cool skimmed milk everyday. It should be 0 % fat milk. It works to lower blood pressure. It is exactly not clear how milk works, but it is mainly due to calcium present in it. On a similar tread, we note that foods rich in calcium but not in fat lower blood pressure.

17. Eating Flaxseeds
These seeds are excellent source of fiber. Flaxseeds also contain wonderful amount of omega -3 fatty acids and therefore it is consumed by numerous people around the globe. It is one of the best sources of omega -3 fatty acids in vegetarian diet. Consuming a handful of flaxseeds a day can lower blood pressure and foster better health. Flaxseeds are great for skin problems and reducing inflammation all over the body.

18. Ginger
Adding some ginger to your diet can do a world of good for your health, especially heart health. I have mentioned earlier that ginger thins the blood. It also relaxes the muscles encapsulating our blood vessels, allowing them to dilate. This reduces workload on the heart and blood pressure eases.

How I take ginger ?
Well, adults can take ginger directly as a juice. It is very strong but very powerful. Just juice 2 lemons and 1 inch thick piece of fresh ginger. Run them through a juicer and gulp it down like a shot. This single shot taken in the morning provides immense health benefits from both the ginger and the lemon. In fact, lemons too help in improving blood vessel health. Its flavonoids act as supreme antioxidants for walls of blood vessels, preventing them from disintegration.

Herbal remedies for hypertension backed by modern research

Soursop : This fruit is also known as prickly custard apple. If you can get your hands on this fruit, it will work to lower blood pressure.
Psyllium husk is a natural supplement used for treating constipation. It also works for hypertension.
Black beans : These beans produce a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values.
Moringa is a plant whose sticks are used as vegetable. These are called drumsticks. Eating them can help in lowering blood pressure. Moreover, Moringa is well known for its excellent nutrition, even better than that of highly nutritious spinach.
Wheat bran : Well technically not a herbal remedy, but eating just a tablespoon of wheat bran a day slightly lowers the blood pressure.

Above are some natural remedies for lowering high blood pressure. These are some easy to implement home remedies for high blood pressure. Following many of them can really bring down the level of hypertension in most people who suffer from this. Besides these, there are some more remedies for high blood pressure which were used in Ancient civilizations.

Ancient Egyptian remedy for high blood pressure :

Jujube : This fruit is also called Red Date or Indian date. Start eating it and one can get its benefits.

Bitter melon is also helpful in lowering blood pressure. One can take it in the form of vegetable or as juice. The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture may also have a positive effect on high blood pressure.

At a Glance

Cayenne Pepper	Improves Blood Circulation
Water	Take adequate water
Apple	Maintain Blood pressure
Low Sodium Diet	Check your Salt intake
Garlic	Helpful in condition

Apart from using home and herbal remedies, one should also strive to lead a healthy lifestyle. That includes eating a wide variety of things even if you are conscious about calories, proportions and weight gain. Secondly, one should exercise. Working out really helps a lot in maintaining blood pressure to a normal level. Thirdly, reduce anxiety in life through meditation, counselling and doing things that you like to do. For example, some people get relief by reading interesting stories and it gives them joy. Some others like to do wood work and make lovely things out of wood. Indulge in a hobby and stay stress free. It is known that stress and anxiety are major promoters of high blood pressure.

Word of Caution :
Natural cures for high blood pressure are only effective in certain range. I mean, they are effective but they cannot help you if your blood pressure is soaring high and it is in critical stage. Systolic blood pressure of more than 160 is critically dangerous and one should immediately get medical help. High blood pressure may not be a serious issue when it is mild, but it is life threatening when elevated.