Herbs and Supplements
There are many ways to treat high blood pressure, including lifestyle changes and/or medications. If you are interested in turning to traditional treatments for lowering your blood pressure, you have many options.
If you are thinking of trying herbs for medical reasons, whether that means using the whole herb or a supplement, speak to your doctor first. Some herbs, especially in large quantities, may produce undesirable side effects or interfere with other medications.
Part 3 of 13
Basil
Basil is a delicious herb that goes well in a variety of foods. It also might help lower your blood pressure. Extract of basil has been shown to lower blood pressure, although only briefly. Adding fresh basil to your diet is easy and certainly can’t hurt. Keep a small pot of the herb in your kitchen garden and add the fresh leaves to pastas, soups, salads, and casseroles.
Part 4 of 13
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another tasty seasoning that requires little effort to include in your daily diet, and it may bring your blood pressure numbers down. Consuming cinnamon every day has been shown to lower blood pressure in people with diabetes. Include more cinnamon in your diet by sprinkling it on your breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and even in your coffee. At dinner, cinnamon enhances the flavor of stir-fries, curries, and stews.
Part 5 of 13
Cardamom
Cardamom is a seasoning that comes from India and is often used in the foods of South Asia. A study investigating the health effects of cardamom found that participants given powdered cardamom daily for several months saw significant reductions in their blood pressure readings. You can include cardamom seeds or the powder in spice rubs, in soups and stews, and even in baked goods for a special flavor and a positive health benefit.
Part 6 of 13
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been found to lower blood pressure significantly. Flaxseed may protect against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by reducing serum cholesterol, improving glucose tolerance and acting as an antioxidant. You can buy many products that contain flaxseed, but a better bet is to buy ground flaxseed or grind it yourself in a coffee grinder and add it to your home cooked meals. The best part about flaxseed is that it can be stirred into virtually any dish, from soups to smoothies to baked goods. Store flaxseed in your freezer for optimum potency.
Part 7 of 13
Garlic
This pungent seasoning can do more than just flavor your food and ruin your breath. Garlic has the ability to lower your blood pressure by causing your blood vessels to relax and dilate. This lets blood flow more freely and reduces blood pressure.
You can add fresh garlic to a number of your favorite recipes. If the flavor of garlic is just too strong for you, roast it first. And if you simply can’t eat the stuff, you can get garlic in supplement form.
Part 8 of 13
Ginger
Ginger may help control blood pressure, as it has been shown to improve blood circulation and relax the muscles surrounding blood vessels. Commonly used in Asian foods, ginger is a very versatile ingredient that can also be used in sweets or beverages. Chop, mince, or grate fresh ginger into stir-fries, soups, and noodle or vegetable dishes, or add it to desserts or tea for a refreshing taste.
Part 9 of 13
Hawthorn
Hawthorn is an herbal remedy for high blood pressure that has been used in traditional Chinese medicines for thousands of years. Decoctions of hawthorn seem to have a whole host of benefits on cardiovascular health, including reduction of blood pressure, the prevention of clot formation, and an increase in blood circulation. You can take hawthorn as a pill, a liquid extract, or a tea.
Part 10 of 13
Celery Seed
Celery seed is an herb used to flavor soups, stews, casseroles, and other savory dishes. Celery has been long used to treat hypertension in China, but studies also show that it may be effective. You can use the seeds to lower blood pressure, but you can also juice the whole plant. Celery is a diuretic, which may help explain its effect on blood pressure.
Part 11 of 13
French Lavender
The beautiful, perfume-like scent of lavender is not the only useful aspect of the plant. Oil of lavender has long been used as a perfume ingredient and also to induce relaxation. The herb may also lower your blood pressure. Although not many people think to use lavender as a culinary herb, you can use the flowers in baked goods and the leaves can be used in the same way you would use rosemary.
Part 12 of 13
Cat’s Claw
Cat’s claw is an herbal medicine used in traditional Chinese practice to treat hypertension as well as neurological health problems. Studies of cat’s claw as a treatment for hypertension indicate that it may be helpful in reducing blood pressure by acting on calcium channels in your cells. You can get cat’s claw in supplement form from many health food stores.
Part 13 of 13
Takeaway
Due to its lack of symptoms, high blood pressure can inflict damage before you are even aware you have it, so don’t neglect regular blood pressure screenings. Sometimes treating this condition involves medication. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment options for you. It’s also important to discuss any herbs or supplements with your doctor before taking any. Additionally, don’t stop taking any prescribed medications without speaking with your healthcare provider.
If you think coffee is cool, just imagine the health benefits of dark chocolate. The evidence continues to accumulate that a little high-quality dark chocolate can relax blood vessels, making them more flexible (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dec. 2008).
A study in the same journal (July 2008) found that dark chocolate or cocoa helped blood vessels dilate and lowered blood pressure in overweight people. Other research has shown that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity as well as blood pressure (Journal of Nutrition, Sept. 2008). Increased insulin sensitivity means better blood sugar control.
Dark chocolate also seems to impact the blood in important ways, lowering platelet reactivity, improving cholesterol profiles and decreasing inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (Southern Medical Journal, Dec. 2008).
Despite all this good news, it is possible to consume too much of a good thing. Excess caffeine can raise blood pressure, cause anxiety and insomnia and aggravate heartburn. Chocolate can also trigger reflux in some people and indulging in too many sugar-rich chocolate bars will lead to weight gain.
Enjoying coffee and chocolate in moderation, however, could be one of life’s guilt-free pleasures.
The health benefits of jasmine tea include a reduced risk of heart attacks, a stronger immune system, and the prevention of diabetes. It also helps prevent cancer, while reducing stress, improving digestive processes, and lowering cholesterol. It has also been found to eliminate harmful bacteria and ease chronic inflammation like muscle aches and pains.
Jasmine tea is not considered an “herbal tea”, because it is actually normal tea (green, white, black, or oolong) that is flavored with jasmine flowers to create the unique scent and taste.
China has a long and famed history with tea, and jasmine is one of the most popular types to emerge from that ancient nation. Jasmine tea first appears in official records during the Song Dynasty, which ended in the 13th Century A.D., but at that time, it was mainly reserved for royalty. It may have originally come from Persia, through India, along with the cultural exportation of Buddhism to China. In later dynasties, jasmine tea became a common export to the western world, and remains very popular to this day.
The tea can be made in a number of ways, of varying strengths and grades. Some are made as loose-leaf teas, while others are cut up and put into teabags. Some are rolled or bound in different shapes, like the very common “jasmine pearl”, usually composed of two tea buds and one tea leaf.
All of the varying types, regardless of shape, need to be scented before becoming “jasmine tea”. There are a number of methods to do this; from very simple physical mixtures, to complex air filtering and aroma mixing for a pure, light taste. The creation of delicious and effective jasmine tea truly is an art in itself. Jasmine tea extract, which can also be added to drinks in order to gain the healthy effects of jasmine tea, without having to brew the tea.
One reason jasmine tea is so popular is due to its many benefits to overall health, which come from the nutritional elements in the organic tea buds themselves. It is a wonderful means of adding somewhat uncommon antioxidants to your system like catechins and epicatechins, which can have a wide range of beneficial effects on your system.
Health Benefits Of Jasmine Tea
Antioxidant Properties: Perhaps the most praised aspect of jasmine tea is the high level of antioxidants within this delicate and delicious beverage. The most notable antioxidants found in jasmine tea are catechins. Green tea is the most commonly used base flavor for jasmine tea, but depending on which type of tea is used as a base, different antioxidant properties can be accessed. For example, black tea has high levels of theaflavins, while green tea has high levels of catechins, but they have similar effects on the body.
One study found just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. But for those who don't have to worry so seriously about insulin levels, cinnamon has also been shown to have many other benefits:
Want another reason to sprinkle some cinnamon in coffee? That other coffee sweetener—sugar—has been linked to weight gain, diabetes, and may even be "toxic." Just another reason for cinnamon and coffee to band together!
Still, there are some reasons to be wary. Many of the studies on the subject were conducted on mice, not humans, so it's unclear how well their benefits carry over. And while it might be nice to try something new in that morning cup of coffee, a teaspoon of cinnamon doesn't exactly taste the same as cream and sugar. Some may like it more, and others less, but this (quite picky) Greatist taste-tester and coffee-lover actually enjoyed mixing it up a bit. With no sugar and a pinch of spice, my cup of coffee was still everything nice.
Everything good is found in ginger,” states an old Indian proverb. That’s why Ayurveda often refers to ginger as a universal medicine. Chinese medicine, the other most ancient yet living tradition, also turns to ginger medicinally because it restores Yang, or hot energy. Currently, India and China produce most of the world’s ginger because it grows best in warm, damp areas.
The aromatic, spicy root has long been used in both traditional and Western healing systems to make tea. Ginger tea brings with it a host of powerful health benefits.
Ginger Tea’s Healing Effects
Researchers say the active volatile oils and pungent phenol compounds, such as gingerols and shogaols, are what give ginger its power, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Tea made from ginger has high levels of vitamin C and amino acids, as well as various trace elements such as calcium, zinc, sodium, phosphorus, and many others.
Drinking ginger tea can:
- Help the body absorb nutrients
- Help alleviate the stomach pain
- Help with irritable bowl syndrome
- Help with weight loss
- Help fight cancer
- Help manage glucose levels
- Improve circulation
- Improve the food digestion
- Increases the production of gastric juice
- Protect against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Open inflamed airways
- Reduce arthritic inflammation
- Relieve menstrual discomfort
- Relieve stress
- Stimulate appetite
Ayurveda also teaches that ginger tea has a powerful antispasmodic action, according to herbalist Dr. John R. Christopher.
Ginger Tea and the Doshas
Ginger tea’s heating qualities make it useful for treating Vata imbalances, such as digestive issues, because it improves all three phases of gastrointestinal function (digestion, absorption, and elimination).
During cool weather, sip ginger tea throughout the day. During warmer weather, try a cup in the morning or before a meal. Ginger intensifies Agni (digestive fire) so the Kapha dosha may find drinking ginger tea—2 to 3 cups daily, especially before meals—useful to help stimulate slow digestion and sharpen dull taste buds.
Ginger tea can slightly increase Pitta dosha, so avoid drinking large amounts if your Pitta is out of balance.
Herbal Teas That Can Make You Feel Better!!
Peppermint tea
Halifax naturopath Colin Huska recommends drinking peppermint tea to relieve the symptoms of abdominal gas and bloating, and to relieve muscle spasms. It’s also good for nausea (without vomiting) and for heating up the body and making it sweat. If indigestion or heartburn are problems, however, then Dixon recommends avoiding peppermint altogether. Peppermint tea can also be made using fresh herbs from the garden-and it’s one of the easiest herbs to grow.
Ginger tea
Another great digestive aid, ginger can be used to curb nausea, vomiting or upset stomach due to motion sickness. Make fresh ginger tea by simmering a piece of ginger root on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes-add fresh lemon juice and honey when you have a cold for a powerful germ-fighting combination. Beacon also suggests making tea from powdered ginger to ward off a chill.
Chamomile tea
A gentle calming and sedative tea made from flowers, chamomile tea can be helpful for insomnia. It can also be helpful with digestion after a meal. Huska recommends chamomile in cases of cough and bronchitis, when you have a cold or fever, or as a gargle for inflammation of the mouth. Be sure to steep it well to get all the medicinal benefits.
Rooibos tea
High in vitamin C as well as other minerals, rooibos has all sorts of health benefits. An easy drinking tea, it’s largely grown in South Africa and has been touted for its antioxidant properties-which may in turn help ward off disease and the signs of aging. It has also been shown to help with common skin concerns, such as eczema.
Lemon balm tea
An easy-to-grow plant, lemon balm is helpful for lifting the spirits. ‘It’s good for the winter blahs,’ says Deacon, ‘and it can help improve concentration.’ She adds that lemon balm is safe for children and may help prevent nightmares when consumed before bed. This herb also makes a refreshing iced tea, and can be flavoured with lemon or maple syrup.
Milk thistle and dandelion tea
When consumed as a tea, milk thistle or dandelion are gentle liver cleansers. ‘They help the liver to regenerate and function at a higher capacity,’ says Huska. ‘They can also assist in the production of bile, which can help with our digestive process.’
Rosehip tea
Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant and are one of the best plant sources of vitamin C, which is important for the immune system, skin and tissue health and adrenal function. Consider reaching for rosehip tea next time you need a health boost.
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