Your arteries carry nutritious blood from your heart to your organs and tissues.
Your blood pressure is a measure of how forcefully your blood flows through these arteries.
When your blood pressure is consistently too high (a condition known as hypertension), it can cause:
- strokes
- coronary heart disease
- heart attacks
- heart failure
- arterial aneurysm
- atrial fibrillation
- chronic kidney disease
- cognitive impairment
The tissues of your arteries and vital organs are quite fragile, and they can easily become damaged by the excessively-forceful pulses of blood beating on them every second.
This is why keeping your blood pressure in check is so important. Too often, people underestimate the seriousness of hypertension and its potential to cause irreversible damage.
If you have hypertension, it’s essential to work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan. This will likely include medications and lifestyle changes.
It can also include changing the way you eat.
Basil, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Nutmeg
These herbs and spices contain high levels of an antioxidant compound called eugenol.
In addition to having antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, eugenol can help to relax and dilate your blood vessels and improve circulation.
This, in turn, can help to lower blood pressure. This effect is likely related to how it helps block the calcium channels. Calcium causes your heart and arteries to squeeze more strongly, so blocking it and eugenol can help reduce the force of your heartbeats and make your arteries more relaxed.
Garlic
Some of the nutritious compounds in garlic appear to have a substantial ability to reduce blood pressure.
One of the primary ways it does this is by reducing arterial stiffness. Your arteries are supposed to be flexible and elastic to accommodate the pulses of blood moving through them.
Suppose they become stiff (due to the accumulation of cholesterol and fatty acids, which can cause blockage, damage, and scarring). In that case, your arteries won’t be able to expand and contract properly, increasing the pressure on your vessel walls.
Garlic can reduce the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood while also helping to prevent plaque formation in your arteries.
All of these effects help to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.
Ginger
Ginger has long been used as a traditional remedy to relieve common issues such as pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Research has also demonstrated that ginger can also help with oxidative stress, infections, and neuroinflammation and has even been linked to potential anticancer effects.
When it comes to lowering blood pressure, ginger’s primary benefit is associated with its calcium channel-blocking effects, similar to eugenol and many blood pressure medications. In addition, ginger can help improve circulation and reduce inflammation, which is also important for keeping blood pressure under control.
Talk To Your Doctor
Although high blood pressure may not have concerning symptoms, it’s still a severe condition that can damage your arteries and lead to life-threatening complications.
Don’t try to self-treat. Work with your doctors to monitor your blood pressure and develop a treatment plan that’s right for you. You may need more powerful medications than the natural remedies discussed here.
