The blood pressure in your body reflects the tension within the arterial walls and this pressure fluctuates depending on the body’s need for nutrients and oxygen. (1) Nowadays there are around 40 million people that are effected with elevated blood pressure and the number is predicted to rise. (2) This continual pressure exposes people to heart attacks and stroke it weakens the heart and also can damage the eyes and kidneys.
Many cases that are commonly seen at your local doctors office are cases that have to do with the sympathetic nervous system, your stress response system. Over 90% of cases are ones that are related to arterial constriction related to the sympathetic nervous system. (3)
For a video going into an overall picture of how hypertension works check out this useful short video.
Diet, exercise, lifestyle changes including stress reducing tools and herbs have been shown to prevent and reduce blood pressure. If you are on medication already for blood pressure, looking at these herbs and picking one for yourself can be a nice addition to the overall protocol but your team of healthcare professionals like your GP and herbalist should be aware of each other to help you reach your goals.
Top Herbs
A category of herbs that are a great group are anti-hypertensive and also herbs called antispasmodic and nervine herbs as well as cardiac tonics all great for cases like blood pressure. So you if are into researching, then look into those types of categories.
Some of the herbs that I would like to talk about here are also great at lowering cholesterol, thin the blood and battle arteriosclerosis. Sometimes an herbalist will add a diuretic herb like cornsilk or chickweed and liver herbs can also be looked into if one needs to correct cholesterol.
Garlic (allium sativa)
This herb has been studied and shown beneficial when it comes to blood pressure to reduce cholesterol and prevents plaque from sticking to the artery walls. (4) Garlic is a member of the lily family and is native to Asia. It is very easy to grow and relatively cheap to buy as well. If you are eating fresh garlic daily then one or two cloves a day is the recommended dose but since it can give you some unwelcome odor and complaints from your friends that you eat too much garlic, capsules are also easily found in health food stores. If you start on any supplement journey it is best to start with the recommended dose on the label and work from there adjusting as needed.
Garlic is generally safe but may cause gas, indigestion or stomach irritation. If you know that you are having surgery, then it is best to avoid this herb before surgery or if you are on any anticoagulants or aspirin.
Hawthorn (crataegus officinalis)
Hawthorn is a very popular herb that is used with the elderly after they have had a heart attack. It is very useful for weak valves or heart failure. It dilates the blood vessels, is an excellent heart tonic and works well on coronary arteries. (5)
Even though this herbs is really popular and gaining popularity because it is being studied, it is important to take into consideration that this herb may strengthen the effects of some cardiac medicines like Digitalis. It is minimal in toxicity but excessive use of this herb may cause nausea, fatigue and sweating. (6) For a full article on herbs and doses click here. Sometimes if a client is on blood pressure medications already and would like to incorporate herbs a homeopathic dose of this herb is a safer bet at a low potency like 3c once a day.
Linden (tilia europaea)
Most of the time Linden is taken as a tea. It combines well with a combination of Hawthorn or Motherwort and this depends on the person and what they need of course. It is a sedative and an antispasmodic helping with anxiety, stress and insomnia.
Linden is generally safe but must be taken with caution if you are taking other sedatives or other blood pressure medication as it may effect the medications actions.
If you are looking at Linden to use as a tea look for the specific name Tilleul. Flowers, leaves and bark is what can be used to make your own tea at home using around 1.5 grams per 8 oz steeped for 10-15 minutes. There are many premade bags out there that you can buy with Linden but you will get a better therapeutic dose of the herb if you buy the herb with the dried flowers and leaves and bark and make it yourself.
Maitake (grifola frondosa)
There are many studies that are being done with this mushroom with great results! One result that is seen in these studies is the decrease of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. (7) This mushroom is so widely used that it is now recognized as part of cancer treatment in Japan. With so many benefits of using this mushroom as part of your blood pressure protocol, finding a good source can be confusing.
When looking for maitake mushrooms, you may need to go beyond your local health food store and look for online retailers. If you are looking at a supplement rather than the actual mushroom then maitake D fraction extract is the common one in a vitamin shop.
Be sure that you look at the label and look for the name Grifola frondosa and not buy the look a like Laetiporus sulphureus. These two mushrooms look similar and share many common appearances, but there are differences in texture and taste. Many people use these mushrooms as a side dish by just frying them up with some butter while others get more creative and use them with burger recipes or part of their noodle bowls. For some easy recipes check out my Pinterest board for vegan recipes and give some a try with these mushrooms.
No toxicity of these mushrooms has been reported but some people do experience allergies when they begin to take maitake mushrooms. If you have any signs of allergic reactions such as hives, redness or swelling discontinue the use immediately and reach out to your doctor.
If you are already on blood pressure medication, it is best to tell your doctor any supplements or diet changes that you are planning to make especially when adding this mushroom to avoid any interactions.
Final thoughts
When looking at your own blood pressure you have to start with a baseline number. That means getting your own blood pressure monitor and monitoring your blood pressure every day. If you start to undertake an herb as part of your protocol then it is important to see the number that you are starting off with and how that number is effected by a certain herb.
Many herbs can help with supporting a healthy blood pressure which I have listed above but it is not a complete list. If you need to work with someone more closely I do offer free consultations to help you see your overall health and find out which path might be the right one for you.
Click here to schedule an appointment.
Natural ways to lower your own blood pressure will have to be a combination of diet, exercise and stress reducing tools. If you are already on medications it is important to tell your doctor that you want to incorporate natural ways to help manage your blood pressure and check with them before adding any supplement to your diet.
I hope these herbs have given you some ideas to work with when incorporating herbs into your life. Managing blood pressure is a holistic approach and takes time with herbs to see lasting results so do not give up on this.
Reach out if you have any questions!
God bless you and keep you.
