How to lower blood pressure using a natural treatment
More often than not, stress is a contributory factor to high
blood pressure. When we feel relaxed, so is everything actually
in our body, including our blood vessels. As we have seen, it's
the constriction and restriction of the blood vessels which
causes high blood pressure so anything which causes these to
dilate or relax is beneficial.
Here are some alternative ways to treat high blood pressure
using herbs, aromatherapy and yoga.
Herbs Lemon Balm - (melissa officinalis) This is a green leafy
herb, similar in appearance to mint and almost as easy to grow.
The herb is so-called because it's leaves have a lemony scent.
It is known for it's calming and relaxing effects, and has a
strengthening effect on the muscles. It was introduced to
Britain in 4th C by the Romans and is also good for digestion,
abdominal cramps, stress and nerves. The essential oil is good
as an insect repellent but, as with all essential oils, should
never be taken internally. Lemon balm leaves are wonderful in
salads or used as marinade for chicken and fish. This herb
should not be used by pregnant women because it relaxes the
cervical muscles.
Stinging Nettles Stinging nettles have been useful in the
treatment of arthritis and are full of vitamin C. They stimulate
and cleanse the body and improve heart function. Believe it or
not, they actually make good tea. Pick the top fresh shoots from
the plant and follow the instructions on the left to make herbal
tea.
Hawthorne Hawthorne relaxes muscles, stimulates heart metabolism
and strengthens heart contractions. It also causes the blood
vessels to dilate and improves blood supply to the heart.
Hawthorne can be found in English hedgerows and was believed to
have magical properties in pagan times. It is usually the
berries that are used medicinally. You should never take
Hawthorne without the advice of your GP AND a herbalist. To find
a herbalist look at the useful contact listing at the bottom of
this article.
Other Useful Herbs Fennel, black pepper, ginger, oregano, basil,
tarragon and hyssop all contain compounds which can help to
lower blood pressure. Fennel and ginger also make delicious
herbal teas and combine well with lemon balm.
Aromatherapy Aromatherapy oils are easy and safe alternatives if
they are used correctly. They should never be taken internally
or applied neat on the skin, except in the case of lavender and
tea tree oil. You can either burn 5-8 drops in an oil burner or
make your own massage oil by diluting 5-10 drops in 10ml of
almond oil. Choose oils that have relaxing and calming
properties. Try rose, ylang ylang, marjoram, lavender, cypress,
chamomille, clary sage and rosewood.
Yoga Yoga can also help to reduce high blood pressure because it
stretches, elongates and massages the blood vessels which
improves circulation and encourages the blood vessels to remain
soft. Stress can also increase blood pressure and yoga, with
it's relaxing principles can help combat that. It is worth
noting that yoga is also a weight bearing exercises because some
of the poses require you to hold up your own body weight. Weight
bearing exercise can help to prevent osteoporosis, a disease
which affects one third of women and two thirds of men over the
age of 50. Remember that all these are only a few from the
natural ways to lower blood pressure. Many other useful
information will be published in further articles regarding
lowering blood pressure using a natural treatment.