11 Natural Remedies to Lower High Blood Pressure

How to Lower Blood PressureHigh blood pressure-also known as hypertension or “the silent killer”-affects 1 in 3 adult Americans, or roughly 67 million people, and that number only continues to grow. 90-95% of cases are known as primary hypertension, which is hypertension with no underlying medical cause. The small left-over percentage is caused by conditions such as kidney disease. But what is this mysterious silent killer?

Use these effective home remedies to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.


Blood and its circulation are vital to sustain life. They supply crucial nutrients and oxygen to all the cells and organs in our body. They also remove waste and carbon dioxide. When the heart beats it creates pressure that pushes blood through your arteries and veins. This pressure, if you haven’t guessed, is our blood pressure. Two forces pump the blood through our bodies, the first being created by the heart pumping blood out into the arteries, and the second occurs when the heart rests between beats and blood is drawn back into the muscle. When your blood pressure rises, damage can occur that upsets this system.

If you have hypertension, your heart has to work extra hard to pump blood through the body. And while healthy arteries are made of semi-flexible muscle, the force of high blood pressure will lead to overstretching their walls. This overstretching can lead to tiny tears in blood vessels (known as vascular scarring) that leaves tissue that catch things such as cholesterol/plaque, and other blood cells. Building off of the latter, this leads to an increased risk of blood clots. The walls will also become weakened over time. Tissue damage from being oxygen depleted occurs in parts of the arteries on the other side of a blockage or build-up of plaque, depriving it of fresh oxygenated blood, and heart attacks and strokes are the result if the pressure becomes too high.

Before starting drug therapy, try lifestyle changes and some home remedies for high blood pressure. Not surprisingly, things such as diet and exercise play a big role in lowering blood pressure, so always keep those two things at the forefront of your mind. Medications can be harsh, and while best avoided if possible, if you are on them, know that natural remedies can interfere with their functioning.

1. Cut the Salt

Salt is not the problem when it comes to high blood pressure, per say, but rather its chemical component sodium. A little bit is fine, but too much sodium disrupts the balance of fluid in the body. To “flush” the excess salt from your system, water is drawn from surrounding tissues. The higher volume of liquid results in the heart working harder to pump the blood-hence, high blood pressure. Sure we use a lot of table salt on our foods, but still, that amount isn’t enough to account for the rise in blood pressure. Actually, only 6% of our salt consumption comes from the table shaker. The vast amounts of salt we consume daily (on average 1-2 generous teaspoons) couldn’t possibly be caused by the salt we sprinkle on our food alone. No you have to dig a little bit more to get to the source-processed foods. Such an extraordinary quantity of excess salt is added into processed foods it’s easy to stray over the healthy limit of sodium intake. A specific example-a single microwave “roast turkey” meal can have salt in the meat, the flavoring, the gravy, the stuffing, and the potatoes, to equal a whopping 5,400 milligrams of sodium. The utmost maximum daily limited is listed at 2,300 milligrams-even less for African Americans, men, and anyone over the age of 51. If you fall into one of those categories, you should only consume less than ½ teaspoon a day. Even foods that are labeled low-fat or low in sugar can still contain a boatload of sodium. Food companies do this to, logically, increase the value of their products. We get hooked on the flavor. Of all the flavors (sweet, sour, etc.,) it is the hardest to live without. How do you fight it to lower your blood pressure?

You will need…
-the power of will

Directions
In short, slowly add less and less to your cooking. And of course, read the labels on the food you buy carefully. Remember the number 2,300 for daily intake of sodium-any higher than that, and it’s a no-go. You’ll find yourself turning to home cooked meals, where you can control the amount of salt added, instead of processed foods. Stick with it, and you will find if you go back to an excess amount of salt after adjusting your taste buds to less, you will be close to repulsed at the flavor.

reduce your salt

Intensive research has shown that the more salt you eat, the more you need. If you eat less salt, you only need to add less to your food or have less in your food, to be satisfied with a smaller amount. We are not born liking salt. A baby will get joy from a droplet of sugar water, but there is no taste, no craving, for salt until 6 months of age. When studied children were fed salty foods, versus children who ate more fruits and vegetables, a craving was created in the former group where none existed before. These cravings can shape you’re eating habits for years. Soups, chips, crackers, pizza, sauces, fries, etc. etc., it’s easy for even the young generations to get hooked on salt at an early age. Keep your wits about you!

2. Sip Some Hibiscus

Cultures across the world have used hibiscus to naturally manage blood pressure, but it wasn’t until the past decade that studies were actually conducted that showed there was more to the remedy than just folklore. First, hibiscus acts as a diuretic, which draws sodium from the bloodstream, thus decreasing the pressure on the arterial walls. Even more interesting is how it can mimic angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE inhibitors are a common group of pharmaceutical drugs used to treat high blood pressure. They work by hampering the angiotensin-converting enzyme, which plays a crucial role in the renin-angiotensin system- a hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance. As a result of this inhibition, blood vessels relax and blood volume is lowered, decreasing blood pressure. While certainly not as potent as those ACE drugs prescribed, it can still be surprisingly effective.

You will need…
-1-2 teaspoon of dried hibiscus
-1 cup of fresh, piping hot water
-Honey, lemon, or 1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)

Directions
Bring water to a boil and add the hibiscus and cinnamon sticks (if using them) and allow it to steep for 5 minutes. Add honey or lemon to taste, and drink 2-3 times daily. This also makes a lovely iced tea for those sticky hot summer days.

3. Drink Coconut Water

Coconut water is found inside the shell of green, unripe coconuts that retains its natural benefits in organic and raw form. It contains potassium and magnesium, both of which relate to regular muscle function, and of course, the heart is a big giant muscle. While there have been some limited studies on the effect of coconut water on hypertension, many people report anecdotally that it has helped lower blood pressure. In studies, it seemed to particularly affect systolic blood pressure, or the force that takes place when the heart pumps blood away from it. If you don’t have a problem with coconut water, it may prove to be a solid remedy for you.

You will need…
-8 ounces of fresh, organic coconut water

Directions
Drink 8 ounces 1-2 times daily. Morning is ideal if you drink it once a day, while morning and night works well if you opt to drink it twice a day.

4. Fabulous Fish Oil

Of course this is on here! You may roll your eyes because you’ve seen it everywhere, but fish oil and its bountiful omega-3 fatty acids are a beautiful thing when it comes to your heart. While studies have been wishy-washy on whether or not it actually reduces the risk of heart attacks or strokes, it has been viewed as successful when it comes to lowering blood pressure, while also reducing triglycerides and increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Heart transplant patients have been given fish oil to reduce the risk of hypertension following a transplant.

You will need…
-High quality fish oil

Directions
I prefer liquid fish oil taken in orange juice to the pills which can have some…unpleasant side effects. Take the amount appropriate for you as indicated on the back of the bottle.

fish oil for blood pressure

5. Heart Healthy Hawthorn

Hawthorn is a staple herb when it comes to heart health as it is rich in flavonoids, namely, oligomeric procyandins (OPC’s) and quercetin. Flavonoids are touted as having many benefits, but one of the most intensely studied conditions that it affects is various forms of heart disease. This includes arrhythmia, palpitations, improve the function of capillaries, regulate glucose metabolism and, of course, reduce arterial blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. There are several different mechanical actions that flavonoids can take on the blood, but pertaining to hypertension the most important may be the widening of the blood vessels, which ultimately reduces the pressure of the blood. You can enjoy hawthorn in the form of a tea or in the form of “balls”, which is what is given below. The recipe also calls for cinnamon and ginger, which are great for helping circulation flow smoothly. It was the herbalist Rosemary Gladstar who taught me how to make these wonderful herbal balls, and while I’ve tweaked the recipe some, I’ll forever be grateful to her for tuning me into this wonderful way of enjoying herbal medicine!

You will need…
-4 tablespoons of powdered hawthorn berry
-1/2-1 tablespoons of cinnamon powder
-Raw honey
-Water
-Cocoa or carob powder

Directions
Place the cinnamon and hawthorn powder in a bowl and mix the two together. Add just enough honey and water to make a paste. Thicken the mixture with cocoa powder or carob powder until it has formed a dough that you can cleanly roll into small balls no bigger than your index fingernail. Place them on a cookie sheet and dry in an oven at a very low temperature (not more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit) until dry. Store indefinitely in a glass jar out of direct sunlight and in a cool place.

6. Exercise

Along with diet, exercise should really be number one on this list. Nothing can replace what exercise does for the body, and in a society where we are becoming increasingly sedentary, it can take a bit more effort to get out and get moving-but it’s worth it, especially if you have high blood pressure. The heart is a muscle, and it will grow stronger with exercise. It becomes easier to pump blood and takes less effort, keeping your heart in better condition and lowering how much force it exerts on your arteries, thus lowering blood pressure. Exercise is, in many cases, all that you need to get your blood pressure back on track. The top number in a blood pressure reading indicates systolic blood pressure, which is created by the heart pumping blood away from it. Exercise can lower this reading by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (a unit of pressure), which is easily as much as some prescription blood pressure medications. A pleasant side effect of exercise is weight loss, which also does your heart and arteries a great favor.

You will need…
-Willpower!

Directions
Try and get in at 30 minutes of exercise a day. You don’t have to run marathon-even simple chores like scrubbing the floors are good. Anything that gets your heart rate up and increases your rate of respiration. Make this a habit. You only get the benefits of exercise as long as you exercise.

7. Go For Garlic

Garlic is one of those home remedy staples. It is rich in beneficial constituents that address a wide range of ailments, once of which happens to be hypertension. There is just one little catch though. Allicin, the organosulphur-sulfur containing- compound responsible for several of garlic’s health benefits, doesn’t fare as well in the human body when garlic is eaten raw. Allicin is relatively unstable, and is typically deactivated when it comes in contact with a substance with a pH lower than 3, such as our stomach acid. However, when taken in tablet form, there is a guaranteed allicin yield that ensures you get the proper amount to have solid results when it comes to lowering blood pressure. Be sure when getting the tablets that there is a release of allicin in a significant, standardized amount-in several studies involved with blood pressure, 1.8 milligrams per dose lowered blood pressure by 10% within 12 weeks.

You will need…
-Good quality garlic tablets

Directions
Take as directed on the back of the bottle.

garlic for high blood pressure

8. Melon in the Morning

Every morning, be faithful to watermelon. Often times watermelon as viewed as a strictly summer fruit, one for seed spitting contests and barbecues, but it can also help lower blood pressure. An organic compound called citrulline, an a-amino acid, was first isolated in 1914 from watermelon. Once ingested, the body can convert citrulline to the amino acid L-arginine, which is a precursor to nitric oxide. To translate, citrulline-found in watermelon- is converted into arginine-essentially a chemical building block-which leads to the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide talks to various cells and systems in your body that regulates, among other things, how hard your blood gets pumped through your entire body-also known as vascular systematic resistance. It will widen blood vessels, which lowers vascular resistance, which ultimately lowers blood pressure. Imagine trying to pump a certain volume of liquid through a small opening versus a wider opening. The wider opening will allow it to flow smoothly and easily-it’s the same with blood cells!

You will need…
-1-2 cups of fresh water melon

Directions
Every morning eat your melon on an empty stomach. If you have a home blood pressure device, monitor yourself and observe the changes.

9. Ginger-Cardamom Tea

A study done in December of 2009 published in the Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics gave a group of participants 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder daily for several weeks. The results showed a significant reduction in blood pressure. While further research is needed to pinpoint exactly why it seems to help, it has still proven itself a useful home remedy for high blood pressure. Combined with ginger and cinnamon, both warming spices that improve circulation, you can make a lovely tea to help your heart get healthy. Interestingly enough, black tea seems to improve blood pressure in some instances. This is most likely due to the heavy concentration of flavonoid, however if you have blood pressure that leans towards the more severe side of the scale; the caffeine may do more harm than good. This is particularly delightful warm, spicy, tea to have on chilly winter days (and when we’re tempted from eating healthier thanks to the holidays!)

You will need…
-1/2 cup of water
-2-3 teaspoons of honey (or to taste)
-1 teaspoon of cardamom pods
-1/2 teaspoon ginger powder OR 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
-1 ½ tablespoons black tea or 1 teabag
-1/2 cup milk
-Mortar and pestle

Directions
Crush the cardamom pods to release the oil-there’s no need to grind them finely. In a saucepan combine all the ingredients except for the honey. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 6-9 minutes until you get a rich caramel brown color. Stir in honey and then strain into a mug and enjoy! Drink 1-2 times daily.

milky drink

10. Cat’s Claw Decoction

Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is a woody climbing vine found in South and Central America, with its most notable use being in the Amazon rainforest. It is named after the thorns on the plant which are hooked, much like cats claws. It has been used as a traditional remedy in its native habitat for a long time, but test tube studies finally revealed evidence for promising benefits, one amongst them being lowering blood pressure. It does so by dilating the blood vessels (known as vasodilation) and therefore lowering the pressure by allowing blood to flow through more readily. It can also act as a mild diuretic, getting rid of unneeded salt and water in the body, which can again reduce hypertension. The tannins and flavonoid are most likely the main constituents that account for the herbs healing actions.

Here it is made into a flavorful decoction that will give you all of its benefits. A decoction is essentially a tea, but is simmered for much longer as it is made from the woody, tough, fibrous parts of the plant such as roots or (in this case) bark. There are two things to keep in mind when searching for your herb-first, make sure its scientific name matches the one above (there are several other plants known as cats claw) and secondly, make sure it is from an ecologically sustainable Cats Claw should be avoided by women who are pregnant.

You will need…
-1-2 tablespoons of dried herb
-1 ½-2 cups of cold water
-Honey or lemon to taste

Directions
Place the herb and water in a small saucepan over low heat and bring to a slow simmer. Cover, and let it simmer for 40-45 minutes. Add more water (or less) depending on how concentrated you want the tea to be. Strain, add honey or lemon if desired, and drink once daily.

11. Beautiful Blueberry Syrup

Syrups are, hands down, one of my most favorite ways of incorporating the benefits of herbs and spices into daily life. While the word “syrup” may make you think of something sickly sweet and heavy-the opposite of what you want for heart health-that isn’t the case here. The “syrup” that you see on grocery store shelves may not be the best, but made at home it is a wonderful (delicious) way to give yourself a natural boost. And if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes choking down bitter tea makes it hard to stay on track with a remedy. Blueberries are rich in the flavonoid quercetin, the benefits of which are explained in remedy number 5, as it is also found in hawthorn. You can mix in elderberries for an extra heart healthy kick as well-surprise, surprise they’re good for more than just warding off the cold and flu!

You will need….
-8 tablespoons of dried blueberries OR 4 tablespoons each of dried blueberries and elderberries.
-4 cups of water
-1 cup of honey
-A pot, strainer, and glass jar with an airtight lid

Directions
Add the dried berries to the water and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain the solids out, pressing on them to extract any extra juices, and pour the liquid back into the pot. Stir in the honey, warming the mixture just to ensure the two blend together thoroughly. Here there are two different paths you can take. For thicker syrup, heat the honey and berry juice over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. If you’d rather not cook the syrup, and are ok with one that is slightly thinner, skip this step. Once mixed, bottle and label and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 weeks. Take 1 tablespoon twice daily.

Understanding Blood Pressure Reading

When the nurse wraps the cuff around your upper arm and then announces two seemingly random numbers, what’s going on? Two forces pump the blood through our bodies, the first being created by the heart contracts and pumps blood out into the arteries, and the second occurs when the heart rests between beats and the heart muscle is refilling with blood. These two forces are known as systole and diastole respectively, and are the numbers you see on a blood pressure reading. The systolic pressure is the top number (or the first one read) and is the higher number, and the second number is diastolic, and is the lower number. So the next time you get your blood pressure read, remember the first number is referring the force of blood being pumped away, and the second number is the heart at rest refilling with blood. The systolic number should be less than 120, while the diastolic number should be less than 80. Anything higher and you enter pre-hypertension and hypertension.


We Want to Hear from You! Let us know which remedies work and do not work for you, ask a question or leave a comment:

29 Comments

  1. carol says:

    how many hawthorn balls do i take per day?

  2. Elena says:

    I recently was put back on HBP medication for my blood pressure. I’m only doing this to get it back on track along with cholestrol meds too. I started drinking cider vinegar and honey in my water, along with watching my diet closer and I already exercise I’m hoping these remedies help me too. Where can I get this book?

  3. Colleen says:

    Heart Healthy Hawthorn balls, i didn’t see any recommended serving size for these. How many should be taken how frequently for patients with high blood pressure.

  4. maria says:

    I heard that it is healthy to eat the whole aloe vera with the pulp and the cover itself with honey

  5. Antony says:

    Watermelon do the job better in this case, for treatment i think ginger give you best result. thank you 🙂

  6. Rachel says:

    where can you get elderberries and can you use blueberries from the store or do they have to be dried

    • Judy says:

      believe or ot, i found dried elderberries at my local beer making store where they sell hops, yeast etc. If u use store blueberries make sure they are organic. Hope this helps

  7. Frank says:

    Niacin, Niacin, Niacin! Vitamin B3 – seriously – and it works fast.

    • Darrin says:

      How much niacin are you taking for elevated bp? I was taking it for anxiety for years and it really helped, but recently my Dr asked me to stop it as I was having some incidents of dizziness and she thought it may be related…I was taking 1500 MG, 3× daily for effective anxiety management and didn’t have bp issues…thanks, Darrin

  8. Bonnie says:

    I would explain more about the necessity of water and natural salt .. Check out dr mercola … Processed salt is killing us not natural salt .. I get mine from Amazon pink hymalian it has 84 minerals .. We are not sick .. We are toxic .. Dehydrated.. And deficient .. Why do you think the first thing you get in ER is saline drip .. Do more research folks .. This and juicing with a beer recipe brought me out of liver failure .. And use coconut oil as much as possible .. God bless do your own research too

  9. Maureen says:

    You say that if you are already on blood pressure meds that the natural remedies will interfere with how they work. Does that mean if you’re already on meds that it’s too late to try any natural remedies?

  10. sandra yzaguirre says:

    I recently stopped using my lisinopril 20/25 for high blood pressure and I want to start on garlic pills and fish oil. do you think it will have an effect on me.

    • Devendra Saini says:

      You shouldn’t withdraw medicines. Along with medicines you can take garlic pills or raw garlics. If you eat atleast 10 garlic empty stomach early in the morning, it clears the cholesterol very fast. You can see the result in 6 days.
      Get well soon. God bless.

  11. Balamurugan says:

    Taking your tips and start to have Hibiscus. Update you soon.

  12. Paul says:

    I’m looking for something to bring my blood pressure down I have high blood pressure an would love to get if the meds I need something that works fast please help me

  13. Suzanne says:

    High blood press has everything to due with gut health. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is an amazingly inexpensive and healthful way to diminish and often completely resolve High Blood pressure issues by gently cleansing the entire GI tract of mucosal, parasitic and fecal build up.
    Simply stir in 1-2 teaspoons of Food Grade diatomaceous earth into an 8 ounce glass of water or juice and drink every morning and evening. It’s added benefits are bowel motility- (smooth & easy movements), gently cleansing the mucosal walls and naturally killing all parasites residing in the entire GI tract.
    AND Ladies….it Greatly diminishes and often STOPS Hot Flashes! Woohoo, and since it’s 90% Silica, it’s great for hair and nails.
    Food Grade DE is not a medication, it is a micronized naturally occuring siliceous sedimentary rock (shell flour from the fossilized remains of diatoms- a type of hard shelled algae)
    I can say this from direct experience (My pets and I consume DE every day) and from the response I’ve had back from the hundreds of women and men I’ve turned onto Food Grade DE-this stuff rocks! Pardon the pun. Lol
    You can buy DE inexpensively online or at your local health food store.
    Google and research it and get informed and become healthy and happy. Good luck and be well.
    Note: Before consuming, make sure that it’s FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth!
    ***ALWAYS talk to your DR first before you stop taking any of your prescription medication***

  14. traci brown says:

    Beet root powder is amazing stuff, I’m suprised it didn’t make this list. My husband has been taking this and combined with diet and exercise is getting to cut his meds in half. Look it up, then take the research to your doctor next visit. You will both be happy you did!

  15. Litilraven says:

    Be careful of what you tell ppl… Not all BP is the same. I am collecting information for that day when I cannot afford medication, but not sure it will help. You see, my blood, without medication, will slowly thicken like pudding on the stove until it is so thick that blood cannot be drawn from my veins – it is hereditary and has nothing to do with mr “gut health”. Whoever any of you are, KNOW your body.

    • Cathy says:

      Litlraven…have you been tested for high levels of “iron” in your blood? If not mention it to your doctor and get tested.
      Cat

    • PAULINA says:

      Thanks for sharing . Ive never heard of your condition before. Sounds like you have to keep using stuff to thin the blood like lots of pineapples. How has your family controlled this condition over the years.? Very interested.

  16. Brenda says:

    I’ve been looking for natural ways to lower my blood pressure.. This site is Awesome ! I’m definitely going to enjoy myself trying these out.

  17. AlikiG says:

    I appreciate the information. I work at a natural foods grocery store and was asked what to do about HBP. I didn’t have an answer and didn’t want to recommend anything that would interfere with meds. I feel like I can suggest coconut water, blueberries and garlic comfortably as natural things to consume… with a dr.s ok of course. Thank you.

  18. alex2 says:

    table salt is bad in general. however a normal daily amount of sea salt or mine salt or himalaya salt has benefits for heart. go check pubmed for scientific articles and see that the no salt recommendation has changed in recent years.

  19. Gilbert Truilen says:

    Taking Garlic Capsule, does it have side a effect? I am STILL 22 y.o . Most of my BP is 150/90 and the lowest BP is 130/90. Am afraid taking medication without the advise from my doctor.

  20. Michelle says:

    I have two questions:
    1.) Is it safe to take/use/ingest all of the listed suggestions during the same day, everyday?
    Or should I just pick a few things?

    2.) Does Cat’s Claw have a side effect of metallic taste?

    Thank-you!

  21. Brenda Brooks says:

    I was told by my Dr to keep my blood pressure under 140,The more older you get it’s harder to keep blood pressure under 120,

  22. Ida Larson says:

    Great choices! Claire, this is a wonderful selection of simple-to-obtain/use-optiions for healthy blood pressure reduction. Thank you.

  23. Pat says:

    Great information thank you

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