By: Kennedy Shelley
When your blood pressure is too high it stresses almost every system of your body.
Your blood is pushed through your kidneys with every heartbeat to filter the blood. When pressure is high it starts to wear out that system.
The heart has to work harder, weakening this vital muscle.
And increased blood pressure causes brain problems leading to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
In short, you want normal blood pressure. One in three Americans’ blood pressure is too high.
But many have avoided taking hypertension medications because of serious side effects.
Men find that it causes ED. Both sexes find that when they take hypertension drugs, they get lightheaded and dizzy.
While the pharmaceutical industry tends to dismiss these problems with trite advice such as “get up more slowly,” that’s not always realistic.
And some drugs like ACE inhibitors like Lisinopril can create persistent coughs, which are not just annoying but also cause wear and tear and potentially muscle tears.
So, are there non-pharmaceutical remedies that can help lower your blood pressure without all the side effects?
Thankfully yes. But it’s important that you first measure your blood pressure at home to monitor your progress.
For around $40 you can get a good home blood pressure device. They are automated and send the results to your phone or computer so you can track your progress.
Make sure you are sitting with your back against a chair for five minutes before checking your blood pressure.
Don’t talk during that time. That is the recommended way to get an accurate reading.
You might find that your readings are probably lower than at the doctor’s office.
This is usually because you were waiting for a while to see the doctor after enduring a stressful drive there and the nurse was chatting you up before getting your vitals.
All of these will increase your blood pressure.
So now that you are monitoring your own blood pressure, let’s try some natural remedies to lower your blood pressure.
The science behind the herbal remedies was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States of America.
They found that the so-called “folk” remedies for lowering hypertension focused on the KCNQ5 vascular-expressed potassium channel.
These herbs tend to smooth out the vascular muscles, naturally lowering blood pressure.
What was interesting was a large number of plants seemed to have this effect on the KCNQ5 channel.
Diverse herbs such as lavender, fennel seed extract, basil, thyme, marjoram, ginger, and chamomile all seemed to help.
The contraction of vascular muscles tends to elevate blood pressure, but relaxed or smooth muscles tend to lower it.
Lavender was shown to be one of the most effective of those studied according to the researchers.
A chemical called allopurinol seemed to open the potassium channel.
We are not suggesting that someone with high blood pressure quit taking their medications without working with their doctor, but if your blood pressure is trending high, starting to monitor it at home and then testing each herb one at a time for a month might show some positive results.
