Natural Herbs which help in keeping blood pressure in control.

Herbs For High Blood Pressure

For teas, the rule of thumb is, one teaspoon of herb per cup of boiling water unless otherwise noted.

Unless otherwise noted, steep leaves 5 to 10 minutes in a covered container, twigs, bark and roots, steep 10 to 15 minutes (covered).

Alliums - Garlic, Onions, Leeks... Garlic is the strongest of the alliums for this purpose, it needs to be used on a long term basis regularly at the rate of 2 or 3 cloves a day, crushed and eaten. Some cultures will dip the whole peeled clove of garlic in honey and eat it. Also it is acceptable to press the cloves and extract the juice and ingest that instead of the entire clove.

Cohosh (either black or blue is good for this) - traditionally used in tea, however it is not one of your better tasting herbs, capsules are now available at health food stores. 

Hawthorn - Tea, pour a cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of blossoms and leaves. Let stand for 20 minutes, take 1 cup, 2 to 3 times per day. 

Juniper - Tea, 1 cup boiling water over 1 teaspoon lightly crushed berries. Let stand covered for 20 minutes. Note: Juniper is a diuretic, so its blood pressure action is due to that vs. via breaking down the cholesterol as the alliums are reputed to do. 

Olive - Tea, place 2 teaspoons leaves in 1 cup cold water, bring to boil, remove from heat and let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Take 1 cup after meals 2 to 3 times daily. Note, this can irritate the stomach, so be sure to take only after a meal. Note Olive oil contains the "good cholesterol", so when cooking with oil, use olive oil, and minimize the cooking, as its properties degrade with excessive heat. 

Passion Flower - Tea, 1 tsp per cup of boiling water. 

Valerian - pour 1 cup cold water over 2 teaspoons shredded root. Let stand 8 hours. Take 1 cup evenings as needed. 

Wintergreen - Tea, 1 tsp. leaves per cup of boiling water, steep covered. Wintergreen, a member of the mint family, is a mild diuretic also. 
(either black or blue is good for this) - traditionally used in tea, however it is not one of your better tasting herbs, capsules are now available at health food stores.

Check your blood pressure using a good digital monitor if you are over 50 and have a chronic condition.