One of the alternative
treatments for high blood pressure treatment that often overlooked is herbal remedies and that will be briefly discussed
here.
High blood pressure is a common name for
hypertension. It increases the risk of
heart disease and stroke, nearly one in three adults in the United States has
high blood pressure. We can have high blood pressure for years without
experiencing symptoms or knowing we have it unless it happens very suddenly.
A new trend of
herbal remedies for high blood pressure or hypertension has been mentioned as
more and more people are looking for alternative ways to restore health or keep
healthy and integrative herbalism is one of those ways. It is surprising that western medicine didn’t
fully realize its benefit until the end of the 20th century. That will not be too early to back to the
future and find out what herbal medicines were used for blood pressure hundreds
of years.
Rauwolfia
Serpentina or
sarpagandha
in Ayuravedic herbalism. It
was the first proven allopathic medicine for high blood pressure extracted from
this herb. Rauwolfia has a treasure-trove of alkaloids for easing the arteries,
synchronizing the blood flow in them, reducing palpitation and even removing
the cholesterol buildup in the arteries.
Garlic is
one of the best home remedies and widely considered to be the best
remedy for high blood pressure. Garlic
is an
antispasmodic agent that reduces the pressure in the arteries caused due to the
pumping action of the heart during blood circulation. It also eases other high blood pressure
problems such as dizziness, shortness of breath and indigestion.
Alfalfa (Medicago
satina) contains several elements which are needed in the softening of the hard
arteries. This reduces the tension in the arteries and hence helps to treat
hypertension. Alfalfa also
contains a significant amount of Vitamin K.
It has been found effective in preventing and curing high blood pressure
in test animals, and may turn out to be important for the same use in humans. Another benefit
of alfalfa sprouts is that they are nearly sodium-free, with only 2 mg sodium
per cup. So, this is countable as DASH Diet-The Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. However,
If you are pregnant, harmful bacteria from raw alfalfa sprouts can lead to
complications during pregnancy.
Hawthorn is suggested to be good for the heart and
blood vessels. It strengthens the contractions of the heart muscle and improves
coronary artery blood flow. Anyhow, it
is likely to work for mildly lower blood pressure in some people with high
blood pressure.
Oleuropein in olive leaves can reduce systolic and
diastolic pressure as well as dilate the coronary arteries around the heart in
animals. Oleuropein is an anti-oxidant
which has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-parasitic effect. But we don’t
know yet what effects it will have on humans. It is claimed to be useful in the
management of metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, characterized by
high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and weight gain.
There are no magical herbs or medicines that
can cure disease. The result is also individual and many doctors do not
recommend using it as substitute of conventional medicines as long as there are
not enough scientific supports, even though many kinds of Ayurvedic and western
herbalism have proved themselves for hundreds of years, not only for hypertension, but depression and menopause that will be discussed soon.
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