How to lower high blood pressure

Although there are a lot of people who have high blood pressure, a lot of them don’t bother with how to lower high blood pressure.

They tend to think it is not that important, despite what their doctor tells them. High blood pressure is also interlinked with stress.

And if you’re one of them I recommend you reconsider your opinion as you are shortening your life, each day your blood pressure is to high.

Admittedly a lot of us don’t trust the pharmaceutical industry, so before you get so far that you need prescription drugs i have a couple of things, you can try to lower blood pressure naturally.

Hibiscus tea

Tea? Is regular tea really effective in how to lower high blood pressure, you ask?

Actually yes, it is.

One six-week study found that three cups of hibiscus tea daily lowered systolic blood pressure significantly, without unpleasant side effects (McKay et al., 2010).

While another study came to the following results.

Results showed that the experimental treatment decreased blood pressure (BP) from 146.48/97.77 to 129.89/85.96 mmHg (Herrera-Arellano et al., 2007)

And a meta analysis of controlled studies came to the following conclusion

This meta-analysis of RCTs showed a significant effect of H. sabdariffa in lowering both SBP and DBP. Further well designed trials are necessary to validate these results (Serban et al., 2015).

Hibiscus compounds act very much like blood-pressure medications called ACE inhibitors. Studies show the tea is nearly as effective as drugs like captopril and lisinopril.

The conclusion? Have a couple of cups of Hibiscus tea daily. Cheap, simple, effective and delicious. What more can you ask?

Garlic

Garlic, particularly in the form of the standardizable and highly tolerable aged garlic extract, has the potential to lower BP in hypertensive individuals similarly to standard BP medication, via biologically plausible mechanisms of action. (Ried et al., 2014)

Something that has been proven over and over again.

Another meta analysis that searched published data from 1955 up until 2013 came to the following conclusion.

Our review suggests that garlic supplements have the potential to lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals (Ried 2016).

While eating loads of garlic before a date might not be the smartest idea, unless your goal is to repeal your partner, eating garlic is one natural way how to lower high blood pressure.

Potassium

One of the most important minerals when it comes how to lower high blood pressure is potassium.

In a review of 19 clinical trials, scientist came to the following conclusion.

Based on this analysis, an increase in potassium intake should be included in the recommendations for a non-pharmacological approach to the control of blood pressure in uncomplicated essential hypertension (Cappuccio, F. P., & MacGregor, G. A. 1991).

You can focus on adding some potassium rich foods to your diet, or supplement potassium if you find that easier.

Exercise

Exercise is a good example of how to lower high blood pressure, especially since both cardio and strength training produce results.

Subjects were trained in their home or workplace and experienced significant mean declines in resting systolic and diastolic pressures (Wilet et al., 1992).

That means it’s easier to follow through since you can choose an activity you enjoy. Walking, hiking, running, cycling, swimming, weightlifting etc. You have plenty of options available to incorporate into your daily life.

Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce resting BP and BP reactivity to stressors (Ghadieh, A. S., & Saab, B. 2015).

The thing to remember is that you need to be consistent, as soon as you stop exercising the benefits will slowly cease.

Increasing omega 3 intake

Omega 3 are an essential fatty acids which reduce inflammation. So while omega 3 have a lot of health benefits on their own and you should be taking them regardless, you can also take them for reducing high blood pressure.

The results of this study indicate that omega-3 reduced BP significantly (Naini et al., 2015).

Losing weight

Despite the SJW and their health at every size, the reality is, that the higher you weight, the higher your blood pressure tends to be. This is of course linked with obesity and your waist circumference.

You can lose weight with a meal plan, an exercise program or a combination of the two.

Closing words – How to lower high blood pressure

I wrote this article for those who wanted to find out how to lower high blood pressure the natural way without taking prescription drugs.

From teas, to food and supplements. You choices are cheap and plentiful, like the garden of eden. Well that or the local supermarket.

In all seriousness if you’re so far gone that the doctor prescribes them to you, you should still take them.

With time and effort you can then work towards not needing them with the information gained in this article. Good luck.

REFERENCES

1. McKay, D. L., Chen, C. O., Saltzman, E., & Blumberg, J. B. (2010). Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. The Journal of nutrition, 140(2), 298-303. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/2/298.short
2. Serban, C., Sahebkar, A., Ursoniu, S., Andrica, F., & Banach, M. (2015). Effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) on arterial hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of hypertension, 33(6), 1119-1127. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25875025
3. Herrera-Arellano, A., Miranda-Sánchez, J., Ávila-Castro, P., Herrera-Álvarez, S., Jiménez-Ferrer, J. E., Zamilpa, A., … & Tortoriello, J. (2007). Clinical effects produced by a standardized herbal medicinal product of Hibiscus sabdariffa on patients with hypertension. A randomized, double-blind, lisinopril-controlled clinical trial. Planta Medica, 73(01), 6-12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17315307
4. Ried, K., & Fakler, P. (2014). Potential of garlic (Allium sativum) in lowering high blood pressure: mechanisms of action and clinical relevance. Integrated blood pressure control, 7, 71. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266250/
5. Ried, K. (2016). Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, regulates serum cholesterol, and stimulates immunity: an updated meta-analysis and review. The Journal of nutrition, 146(2), 389S-396S. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26764326
6. Cappuccio, F. P., & MacGregor, G. A. (1991). Does potassium supplementation lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of published trials. Journal of hypertension, 9(5), 465-473. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1649867
7. Wiley, R. L., Dunn, C. L., Cox, R. H., Hueppchen, N. A., & Scott, M. S. (1992). Isometric exercise training lowers resting blood pressure. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 24(7), 749-754. https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/isometric-exercise-training-lowers-resting-blood-pressure-3
8. Ghadieh, A. S., & Saab, B. (2015). Evidence for exercise training in the management of hypertension in adults. Canadian Family Physician, 61(3), 233-239. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369613/
9. Naini, A. E., Keyvandarian, N., Mortazavi, M., Taheri, S., & Hosseini, S. M. (2015). Effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on blood pressure and serum lipids in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients. Journal of research in pharmacy practice, 4(3), 135. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26312252