Some home remedies for high blood pressure include drinking lemon juice with coconut water and consuming garlic capsules daily. These foods contain properties that can naturally help to manage your blood pressure levels.
For home remedies to have a hypotensive effect, it is important to consume them on a daily basis. Medicinal plants, like garlic, valerian and olive leaves, can be prepared in the form of tea or taken as a capsule supplement.
Although home remedies for high blood pressure are typically safe and often used as a complement to your medical treatment you should not start them without speaking to your cardiologist first. These remedies should not replace the treatment prescribed by your doctor, and should be taken with caution, as they can interactive with blood pressure medications.
List of natural remedies
Check-out natural home remedies that you can prepare to lower your blood pressure:
1. Garlic water
Garlic water is an natural way to regulate blood pressure as it stimulates the production of nitric oxide. This is a gas with a strong vasodilation effect, which helps blood circulation and decreases pressure on the heart.
In addition, garlic is also great for maintaining cardiovascular health, since it has incredible antioxidant properties that protect the blood vessels. Learn more about garlic benefits for your health.
One way of consuming garlic is by infusing it in water and drinking it throughout the day.
Ingredients
- 1 clove of raw garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3.4 oz (100 ml) of water
Directions
Place the garlic clove in a cup of water and let it soak for six to eight hours (or overnight). After this period, drink it before breakfast on an empty stomach. If you prefer, you can also multiply the ingredients above to have several servings of this infusion
You can also consume garlic as a part of your meals throughout the day, as it may be more enjoyable to eat garlic than to drink it. A good tip is to add some peeled cloves to your olive oil for a garlic-infused alternative (this will allow you to benefit from the garlic properties any time you consume olive oil).
2. Lemon juice with coconut water
Another good home remedy for high blood pressure is to drink lemon juice with coconut water. This juice mix has naturally diuretic properties that can help regulate blood pressure.
Ingredients
- 3 lemons
- 200 ml of coconut water
Directions
Mix the ingredients very well and drink immediately. You can drink this juice once a day.
3. Canary grass tea
Canary grass tea is a great home remedy for high blood pressure, as it is rich in antioxidants and other components that have vasodilatory properties.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of birdseed seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 500 ml of water
Directions
Place the ingredients in a pot and boil for 5 minutes. Cover the pot and infuse for another 10 minutes. Then strain and drink 2 to 3 cups of tea per day.
4. Olive leaf tea
Just like garlic, olive tree leaves are one of the best natural remedies for high blood pressure. They have polyphenols that regulate blood pressure, without the risk of causing hypotension, even if consumed in excess.
In addition, they also have a slight calming and relaxing effect, which helps to control anxiety symptoms.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of ground olive leaves
- 16.9 oz (500 ml) of boiling water
Directions
Place the olive leaves in a pot with boiling water and let the leaves soak for five to ten minutes. Then strain the mixture with a mesh sieve and let it cool down. You can drink three to four cups of tea throughout the day.
In addition to the tea, there is also an olive leaf extract that can be bought in stores in the form of capsules. Capsules can be taken in doses of 500 mg, twice a day after meals.
5. Blueberry juice
In addition to being an excellent source of antioxidants, which fight diseases like cancer and prevent aging, blueberries also help decrease blood pressure, especially when consumed daily.
The effects of blueberries are more evident in people with high cardiovascular risk, such as those who are obese or those who have metabolic syndrome. Therefore, blueberry juice can be used as a natural complement to any high blood pressure treatment prescribed by the doctor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh blueberries
- ½ cup of water
- Juice squeezed from ½ lemon
Directions
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You can drink this juice once or twice daily.
6. Hibiscus tea
Hibiscus is a plant that is commonly used for weight loss, but it can also help to reduce blood pressure. This it is high in anthocyanins, which are flavonoids that help regulate blood pressure.
For achieve an optimal blood pressure, it is recommended to use flower calyxes with darker colors. The calyxes are the structures that connect the stem to the petals. The darker the hibiscus flowers are, the greater the concentration of anthocyanins and the greater the effect against high blood pressure.
Read more about the benefits of hibiscus tea.
Ingredients
- 1 - 2 grams of hibiscus calyxes
- 1 cup of boiling water
Directions
Place the hibiscus calyxes in the boiled water and let them soak for five to ten minutes. Then strain the mixture with a mesh sieve and drink this tea once to twice a day, making sure you allow at least eight hours between each cup of tea.
Even though there are no studies that prove this yet, hibiscus may be toxic above the daily dose of six grams. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not take more than the dose indicated above.
Hibiscus tea may have a bitter taste, so if necessary, you can add a teaspoon of stevia or honey to the mixture.
7. Mangaba tea
Another good home remedy for high blood pressure is to eat mangaba fruit or drink mangaba peel tea. This fruit contains vasodilatory properties that help to lower blood pressure.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of mangaba peel
- 500 ml of boiling water
Directions
Add all the ingredients to a pot and boil for 5 minutes. Then cover the pot, let it cool and then strain. Drink 2 to 3 cups of this tea per day.
8. Horsetail tea
Horsetail tea is an excellent natural diuretic that increases the production of urine and eliminates excess fluid from the body. It can be a great tea for lowering blood pressure in people who have a lot of fluid retention, as the excess water in the body causes more stress on the heart, which can worsen hypertension.
Despite its benefits, this tea should only be taken occasionally, for instance, when it is harder to control blood pressure with other methods and when there is a lot of fluid retention. This tea must not be taken for more than one week, as it also leads to the elimination of important minerals through the urine.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of dry horsetail leaves
- 16.9 oz (500 ml) of boiling water
Directions
Place the horsetail leaves in the boiling water and let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes. Then strain the mixture and drink the tea while it is warm. This tea can be taken two to three times a day.
9. Valerian tea
Valerian roots have excellent calming and relaxing properties that help improve blood circulation. In addition, valerian tea acts directly on the GABA neurotransmitter, which can help those who suffer from frequent anxiety attacks and have high blood pressure as a result.
Ingredients
- 5 grams of dried valerian root
- 1 cup of boiling water
Directions
Place the valerian roots in a cup of boiling water and let the mixture soak for five to ten minutes. Then strain with a mesh sieve and drink two to three times a day. In some people, valerian tea can cause sleepiness during the day. If you experience any drowsiness, it should only be used at bedtime.
10. Celery juice
Celery juice helps ti lower blood pressure due to its vasodilating properties. This juice is also made with oranges, which are a fruit that are naturally rich in potassium. Potassium is a mineral that promotes sodium excretion through the urine.
Ingredients
- 3 celery stalks
- 3 oranges
Directions
Blend all the ingredients in a blender, transfer to a glass and then drink.
11. Banana and avocado smoothie
Avocado and bananas are fruits with a high potassium and magnesium content. These are minerals that play a role in lowering blood pressure, as potassium favors the elimination of sodium through urine, while magnesium helps to increase the production of citrus oxide (a compound that helps to dilate blood vessels).
Ingredients
- 1 cup of yogurt
- 1 banana
- 1/2 ripe avocado
Directions
Blend the yogurt, banana and avocado in a blender and then drink. You can also sweeten it with a little honey, or add ice into the blender.
12. Oat Water
Oats contain some compounds with antioxidant properties, such as avenanthramides. These help to oxidative stress and increase the production of nitric oxide, a compound that helps dilate blood vessels, improve circulation and reduce blood pressure. .
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of oats
- 1 liter of water
Directions
Blend the oats and water in a blender until fully combined. Drink a cup of this water in the morning on an empty stomach, and before each meal.
13. Turmeric tea
Turmeric contains contains curcumin, a substance with powerful antioxidant action that helps to fight free radicals. It can optimize blood vessel functioning and help to dilate them.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 150 mL of boiled water.
Directions
Add the turmeric powder to the boiled water and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, drink up to 3 cups a day between meals.
14. Pomegranate juice
The antioxidants present in pomegranates promote vasodilation and promote optimal blood circulation, helping to prevent hypertension.
Ingredients
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 cup of water
Directions
Cut the pomegranate, remove its seeds and blend everything in a blender with the water until all the seeds break. Strain and then drink, preferably without sweetening.
Also recommended: Pomegranate Tea: 11 Health Benefits, How to Make & Side Effects tuasaude.com/en/pomegranate-tea15. Rhubarb tea
Rhubarb is another excellent option for lowering blood pressure, as it is rich in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. It also contains potassium, a mineral that dilates the blood vessels and promotes optimal blood circulation.
Ingredients
- 500 mL of water
- 2 tablespoons of rhubarb stem
Directions
Place the water and stem in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat and let it cook for 10 minutes. Strain and drink hot or cold, without sweetening.
16. Chamomile tea
Chamomile contains relaxing properties that help to soothe anxiety to the flavanoid apigenin found in its composition. This is a bioactive compound that acts on the central nervous system and exerts a calming and sedative effect.
Chamomile tea also has a diuretic effect and contains flavonoids that promote the elasticity and health of arteries. It can be consumed to improve blood circulation and regulate blood pressure. Read more about the health benefits of chamomile tea.
Ingredients
- 0.5 to 4 g of dried chamomile flowers
- 150 mL of boiling water
Directions
Add the flowers to the boiling water. Cover and let steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Then, strain and drink up to 4 cups of chamomile tea per day.
17. Soaking your feet in warm water
Soaking your feet in warm water is a great relaxation technique as it help to promote the release of endorphins from the brain, which can dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
Simply fill a basin with warm water and soak your feet for at least 15 minutes.
18. Deep breathing
Taking several deep breaths can help you to relax and reduce stress, thus lowering your blood pressure.
Inhale deeply, hold your breath for 2 seconds and then exhale slowly. This can be repeated as many times as necessary.
This can be done to lower blood pressure immediately, and also done twice a day to keep it within normal levels.
19. Chocolate
Chocolate helps to reduce blood pressure and improve blood circulation because it produces nitric oxide, which is a substance that helps dilate the arteries.
You should opt for bitter or dark chocolate, which has a higher concentration of cacao, the active ingredient that provides these benefits.
Consume one or two squares of dark or semi-sweet chocolate per day, which is equivalent to approximately 6 g or 12 g.
Other tips
Other important tips for reducing high blood pressure are:
- Maintaining a balanced diet, that is high in fiber and low in salt, sugar and saturated fats;
- Maintaining a healthy weight;
- Exercising regularly at a moderate intensity
- Avoiding alcohol and tobacco;
- Reducing stress through relaxing activities such as yoga or breathing exercises;
- Getting sufficient and restful sleep.
It is essential to measure and monitor blood pressure regularly and to have sudden fluctuations assessed by a doctor.