Potassium is one of the most important minerals in the body. because it helps to regulate the electrolyte balance in your body which controls muscle and heart contractions and as previously suggested, sodium and potassium are competing for the same ‘space’. Too much sodium and the potassium loses out, so more potassium and less sodium is the way forward for anyone who has hypertension.
However, a third mineral that is essential in helping to combat hypertension is magnesium because magnesium is essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP for short.
In essence, ATP is a natural chemical compound inside your body which provides the power or the energy for every individual part of your body to function correctly. When your heart beats, it is the breakdown of ATP that is powering that heartbeat as well as every move every other muscle of your body makes as well.
Adenosine triphosphate is essential if all of your internal bodily balances are to be maintained at the correct levelslive in the shower and including your blood pressure. Hence having enough magnesium in your body is extremely important, because without magnesium, ATP tends not to do its job correctly. Moreover, as magnesium also helps to control proper muscle function (remember, your heart is nothing but a muscle), making sure that you are taking sufficient amount of magnesium on board every day is essential.
Some foods are naturally rich in magnesium, and if at all possible, you should include a healthy selection of these foods in your diet every day:
In this way, you avoid the necessity of taking supplements to add additional trace minerals to your diet, which is always a wise move because it is almost impossible to take on board too much magnesium from food whereas the same cannot always be said if you are using supplements.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ)
Coenzyme Q10 was first isolated by Dr. Fred Crane of the University of Wisconsin in 1957, since when studies have indicated that CoQ is effective for dealing with many medical conditions, including hypertension. At the same time, it is also believed that it strengthens the heart and helps to boost the immune system, with significant anti-oxidant properties as well.
As far as reducing blood pressure is concerned, a recent analysis of available research data carried out by Prof. Frank Rosenfeld, the
Director of the Cardiac Research Unit at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia (published in the Journal of Human Hypertension in April 2007) gave a very clear indication that the efficacy of CoQ as a treatment for hypertension is proven. In fact, after meta-analysis of the results of 12 clinical trials involving 362 patients, the research group concluded that Coenzyme Q10 has the capacity to lower systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mmHg and diastolic pressure by up to 10 mmHg with no noticeable adverse side-effects.
The first written records of garlic were apparently created some 5000 years ago since which time, garlic has undoubtedly been one of the most useful herbal remedies known to man for a very wide range of different medical conditions. Helping to bring down blood pressure is one of them.
In analysis of seven trials of garlic as a supplement to combat high blood pressure, three tests demonstrated that garlic has the ability to reduce systolic pressure whilst the other four reported that it lowered diastolic pressure (in all cases, they were testing one or the other, not both pressure readings, hence the different results).
However, if you are thinking of supplementing your diet with additional garlic in the form of garlic oil, tables or capsules, do be aware that it is known that garlic can thin your blood. Hence, it is clear that people who already use anticoagulants such as warfarin should be very cautious about using garlic in this way. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional before doing so.
Nevertheless, as garlic is excellent for reducing the chances of thrombosis (strokes) and hardening of the arteries, it is definitely a herbal remedy you should consider before turning to chemical based drugs.
The herb hawthorn is one that is often used a treatment for high blood pressure by traditional herbal practitioners.
There is some evidence that hawthorn is quite effective for reducing hypertension, so it is a natural treatment that you might consider using.
In a randomized test carried out in the UK, test subjects were separated into two groups, with one group receiving hawthorn extract every day for four months whilst the other group received a placebo. Of the test subjects, nearly three-quarters were already taking medication for high blood pressure.
At the end of the trial period, all the test subjects taking the hawthorn extract showed a significant improvement in blood pressure levels, with a mean improvement of a 2.6 mmHg drop in diastolic pressure. Hawthorn extract is therefore a herbal blood pressure remedy that works, so it is definitely something worth trying if you are a hypertension sufferer.
Early indications from several small studies have indicated that fish oil (most particularly essential oil omega-3) seem to have the effect of reducing blood pressure for many hypertension sufferers. Although the exact reason why this happens is still not particularly clear, it appears likely that the effective ingredient that gives fish oil this ability is probably DHA or Docosahexaenoic acid.
Other possible herbal and home remedies for high blood pressure
Besides the natural blood pressure treatments highlighted above, there are plenty more herbal or home remedies that I have seen some people use and subsequently swear by. Try any of the following, because they might work for you as well!
• Add one teaspoon of cayenne pepper to half a cup of warm water and drink the mixture immediately.
• The juice of half a lemon squeezed into warm water and taken every two hours is a blood pressure remedy that seems to work for some people.
• One teaspoon of fenugreek seeds taken with water every morning and evening for 10-15 days is another herbal remedy for high blood pressure that many people swear by.
• A teaspoon of Indian gooseberry (amla) extract mixed with milk and taken every morning and evening is another herbal remedy
for hypertension that is recommended on many websites and in some offline reference works as well.
• Soaking your lower legs and ankles in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day is often recommended for hypertension sufferers, which as it will obviously help you to relax as well as reducing any swelling in your lower limbs caused by hypertension makes a good deal of sense.
• Mix equal amounts of onion juice and pure honey and take 2 tablespoons daily to combat hypertension. Make a batch that is enough for two or three days at a time and store in an airtight container which you should store in the fridge.