Herbs

Herbs for High Blood Pressure

Although blood pressure varies from person to person and also by age, in general terms normal blood pressure should be less than 130 mm Hg systolic and less than 85 mm Hg diastolic, being the optimal blood pressure less than 120 mm Hg systolic and less than 80 mm Hg diastolic. Above these measures the individual is diagnosed with hypertension.

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries, and Hypertension is defined as a blood pressure greater than 140/90, it is recommended to bring back blood pressure closer to 120/80, considered optimal, because elevated blood pressure levels increase the risk for heart attack and stroke.

Although hypertension can be treated with medication, most people everyday are wanting to control this condition with the use of herbs, as recommended by ancient disciplines that have spread widely in Occident in the last years, such as Ayurveda.

A change in diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise, stress management and self-monitoring getting a home blood pressure device, can be used to control and bring down the blood pressure with no side effects, but adding herbs to the treatment will improve one thousand times the quality of life.

Many of those herbs and spices have been used traditionally not only in Ayurveda, but also in western herbalism or by ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Egyptians, although some of them are questioned as traditional herbal folklore, with no clinical proof being established yet, but some others which efficacy have been already confirmed scientifically.

Herbs for high blood pressure can be used individually or in combination, and it is most likely to find them at your local health food store, or grocery store, supermarkets and delicatessen or specialty stores because some of them are used in cooking as well.

Some of the most renowned herbs in the treatment of high blood pressure are Cinnamon, Garlic, Valerian, Ginger, Cardamom, Kelp, Manjishta, Jatamamsi, Shankapushpi, Burdock, Gotu Kola, Skullcap, Hawthorn, Nutmeg, Arjuna and Ashwagandha.

Many people know that stroke and heart disease are consequences of untreated high blood pressure, add herbs commonly used in cooking to their daily meals as a preventive measure which does not involve a health risk or side effects. Some others are advised to be used after consulting your doctor, particularly if you already are diagnosed with high blood pressure.

People with elevated blood pressure have to take medication to bring it down and implement lifestyle changes to make sure that the blood pressure stays low, introducing herbs to their diets as useful aid managing this condition. Garlic is on of the most beneficial herbs for the heart breaking up the toxins that lead to abnormal blood pressure and heart problems, stimulating blood circulation.

The intake of Garlic alone can increase dullness of the mind, so Ayurvedic Alternative Medicine recommends its combination with herbs that promote mind's activity such as Gotu Kola, Ashwagandha, Shankapushpi, Jatamamsi, and Skullcap, or the consumption of Rashona rasayana, a "food jam" consisting of herbs and spices in a base of honey, rice syrup and ghee.

Rashona rasayana are made with herbs that also can be used individually in high blood pressure, such as Valerian (Valeriana), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) Kelp (Fucus visiculosis), Garlic Allium (sativum) Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycanthus) Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), Aruna (Terminalia arjuna) Gotu Kola (Hydrocotyle asiatica) Skullcap (Scutellaria) Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Manjishta (Rubia tinctoria) Jatamamsi (Nardostachys jatamamsi) Shankapushpi (Clitoria ternatea), and Burdock (Arctum lappa).

Hypertension is often called the silent killer because it often has no warning signs or symptoms, and no regard to race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure. Changing your lifestyle now and adding herbs to your diet, may help you prevent this condition.

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