High Blood Pressure also known as “Hypertension” is a silent disease. People can have hypertension for years without actually experiencing any symptoms. The upper limit used in hypertension measurement is known as “Systolic blood pressure” and the lower limit is known as “diastolic blood pressure”.  The following readings indicate various stages of hypertension.

                                           Systolic Pressure                            Diastolic PRessure
Normal Blood Pressure                  120                                                80
Pre-Hypertension                         120-139                                          80-89
Stage 1 Hypertension                   140-159                                          90-99
Stage 2 Hypertension                 160 and above                              100 and above

Symptoms – Dizziness, headache or nosebleeds.

Causes – Hypertension could be caused due to a combination of factors such as excess weight, lack of physical activity, use of tobacco, excess sodium intake, low potassium, stress, alcohol consumption, age and family history.

High Blood Pressure can also be caused by an underlying condition such as hormonal disorders, kidney disease, adrenal gland disease, thyroid disease, certain kind of  drugs, or by herbs such as licorice etc.

Herbal Remedies – Researches have indicated that garlic powder supplement is of considerable use in patients with mild hypertension. Garlic supplement should however be used only under supervision of a qualified health practitioner. Garlic has the ability to thin blood and reduce the chances of a clot, just as aspirin. It is suggested that people taking garlic should stop the usage a couple of weeks before undergoing any surgery.

The herb Hawthorn is recommended by herbal practitioners for treating hypertension. Researches have indicated that patients taking Hawthorn supplement for hypertension had significant reduction in mean diastolic blood pressure. There were no side-effects reported.

Studies indicate that fish oil has a modest effect on high blood pressure. Though fish oil supplements contain EPA and DHA, evidences indicate that DHA significantly lowers high blood pressure.

Note: Herbs such as Licorice, Asian Ginseng, Rosemary and Asian Ginseng are suspected to induce high blood pressure and hence should be avoided.

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