Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. Before addressing any possible natural remedies for high blood pressure, it may be first wise to say what normal blood pressure is. Although there are some variations between individuals, and one needs to seek medical help to ascertain whether your blood pressure is naturally high or low, a rule-of-thumb in an otherwise healthy adult should see a target blood pressure of 115/75, although this figure may differ slightly between health departments in different countries.

The lower figure refers to the diastolic rate (in this case 75) and the higher to systolic. Diastolic refers to the pressure in the interval between heart beats and the systolic to the maximum arterial pressure during contraction of the hearts left ventricle. Sadly, if your BP (blood pressure) is 20/10 more than the target, then you have doubled your cardiovascular risk.

Many people worldwide have a natural aversion to taking drugs, particularly as they often affect other parts of the body and may lead to some unpleasant side-effects. Yes, it is accepted that you may have hypertension because of genetics, but that does not mean you are unable to do something about it. Even if you take prescribed drugs already, if you want extra help to allow you to stop, try some natural remedies for high blood pressure. The good news is that even small drops in your BP have a significant effect and there are a few but effective natural remedies for high blood pressure to return you to a healthy rate.

Some of the primary natural remedies for high blood pressure include watching your diet, stress/anxiety avoidance and exercise. With regard to what you eat, please seek medical advice before taking any supplements as some can interact with other medications (garlic for example may thin the blood).

There are specific supplements to your diet that you should avoid as they can raise blood pressure. These are mainly ephredra, Asian ginseng and rosemary essential oil. The ones to include are Coenzyme Q10 (which is a naturally recurring substance in the body), fish oil, hawthorn, calcium, potassium, magnesium and folic acid. The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been promoted by several health departments worldwide and has been advocated to improve hypertension. The diet basically includes fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, beans and nuts but limits sodium.

Looking at exercise, yoga again has been suggested to have a useful effect. More particularly, engagement in some aerobic exercises such as a moderate stroll, is well known to reduce blood pressure and walking is one of the most pleasant ways to exercise if you are able.

I guess it is not rocket science to learn that stress and anxiety can increase blood pressure, so you must learn to relax. Again Yoga is useful here, as is meditation (try autogenic and biofeedback training) and tai chi are good suggestions.

I hope you have found the above natural remedies for high blood pressure useful, and a good starting point to continue your pursuit of a healthy BP. Just a few lifetstyle changes are all you need to help you along the way.