High Blood Pressure - Kerala Ayurveda Remedies

Introduction

The force of blood on the artery wall is called Blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is important for the proper blood flow to the body organs and tissues.

Each heartbeat forces blood to the rest of the body. Blood moves from high pressure near the heart to low pressure away from the heart.

Blood pressure is determined by:

• Amount of blood pumped by the heart.
• The diameter of the arteries.

What Is High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a health condition in which the force of the blood on the arteries is too high. Arteries carry blood away from your heart and to supply your tissues with oxygen and nutrients. High blood pressure is a consistent reading of 140/90 or higher.

According to Ayurveda, High Blood pressure is caused by Vata vitiation and sometimes caused due to Pitta and Kapha as well.

High Blood Pressure is a health condition nowadays due to lifestyle changes and unhealthy diets. When the level of blood pressure is elevated, we call the condition as High Blood pressure.

Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure

Few of the symptoms of High Blood pressure are:-

• Shortness of Breath.
• Headache.
• Nosebleeds.
• Palpitations(racing irregular and unpleasant heartbeats.)
• Pain behind the neck.
• Fatigue.
• Dizziness.
• Weight loss.
• A feeling of Vomiting.
• Drying of Skin.

Symptoms of high blood pressure are weight loss, fatigue, palpitations, headache, etc.

Different Causes Of High Blood Pressure

There are Primary as well as secondary causes for High Blood Pressure.

1. Primary Causes Of High Blood Pressure

Primary causes of High blood pressure are:-

• Unhealthy lifestyle

  Unhealthy lifestyle factors such as inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption, an unhealthy diet with more sodium content foods, etc leads to high blood pressure.

• Old age

  Blood pressure is common in older people because when we become older, our vascular system changes and arteries get stiffer. As a result blood pressure increases.

• Stress

  Stress can cause high blood pressure because heart rates go up when we are anxious and the ventricles in the heart contract more forcefully.

• Genetics

  Blood pressure can sometimes happen hereditarily. If anyone of the family member is suffering from high blood pressure, there is a chance to affect blood pressure to other family members also.

• Being overweight

  Being overweight, the heart needs to work harder than usual. Such kinds of situations lead to high blood pressure.

2. Secondary Causes Of High Blood Pressure

Secondary causes for High Blood Pressure are:-

• Thyroid problems

  Too much production of thyroid hormone makes the work of the heart harder than normal. During such situations, the heart rate increases which leads to High Blood Pressure.

• Kidney diseases

  If the kidney is not working properly, it cannot remove all the waste and fluids from your blood. Blood pressure is caused due to the increase in the level of fluid in the blood.

• Certain endocrine tumors

  The tumor releases certain hormones that may cause high blood pressure.

• Side effects of medications

  Blood pressure increases when consuming medicines that contain a chemical substance.

• Hormonal Imbalances

  Hormonal imbalances occur when the endocrine glands are functioning properly. The imbalance leads to High blood pressure.

Primary and secondary causes lead to High Blood pressure like genetics, improper diet, inactivity, hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems, side effects of certain medications, etc.
Because of primary and secondary causes, the blood gets accumulated with toxins. Also, the dosha imbalances lead to reduced quality of blood.

Ayurvedic Remedies To Overcome High Blood Pressure

According to Ayurveda Blood pressure can be controlled through a healthy diet and lifestyle changes.

1. Healthy Diet

• Include more fruits like banana, apple, watermelon, lemon, and vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, etc in your diet.
• Avoid consuming seafood, excess salt, spicy and sour foods, oily foods, etc.
• Always try to practice a regular food habit.
• Drinking alcohol can increase Blood pressure, so control the intake of alcohol.
• Add dairy products like yogurt, milk, etc to your diet.
• Drink more water to maintain the blood concentration.
• Include fiber-rich foods in the diet to enhance digestion and to avoid constipation.

2. Lifestyle Changes

• Regular walk and exercise.
• Meditation & deep breathing.
• Avoid activities that lead to stress and tension.
• Maintain a healthy weight.

Once you find the reason behind High Blood pressure, the treatment will be easy like the disease can be caused due to your unhealthy diet, inactivity, certain medications, etc. You require maintaining a healthy diet and following a healthy lifestyle to keep the level of Blood pressure normal.

Ayurvedic Therapies For High Blood Pressure

Ayurveda always tries to find out the root cause of the disease and maintain a balance between Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

General Ayurvedic therapies are:

• Vasti

  Vasti treatment is done for Vata dosha and removes toxins from our body.

• Virechana

  Virechana treatment is done for Pitta dosha and the process is to gather toxins from many Pitta locations in the body, concentrate them in the small intestine, and then discharge it.

• Vamana

  Vamana treatment is done for Kapha dosha and how the treatment works is to remove toxins through upper channels (eg- mouth).

Once the doshas become in balance, Shaman Therapy is done to reduce High Blood Pressure. Shaman Therapy aims to make a balance between all three doshas. The treatment includes consuming herbal tablets, herbal water, etc to keep the level of Blood Pressure normal.

Vasti, Virechana, and Vamana treatments help to remove toxins from our bodies and make them in balance. After that Shaman therapy is applied to regulate the blood circulation.

Ayurvedic Herbs For Controlling High Blood Pressure

• Coriander Leaves

  Consuming coriander leaf juice with a pinch of cardamom can reduce High Blood Pressure. Coriander leaves contain anti-inflammatory and anxiety inhibiting properties.

• Cucumber

  Cucumber is a good diuretic for reducing high blood pressure.

• Brahmi

  Intake of Brahmi can keep Blood Pressure within a healthy range.

• Ashwagandha

  Ashwagandha is rich in adaptogens that help the body cope with stress and anxiety. Ashwagandha has effects for reducing High Blood pressure.

• Honey

  Drinking honey water helps to regulate Blood Pressure.

• Amla

  Indian gooseberry or Amla is rich in Vitamin C and can be consumed in the morning either as raw or as juice with a spoon of honey keeps your blood pressure normal.

• Jatamansi

  Jatamansi herb is rich in antioxidants and regulates the circulation of blood in the body.

• Garlic

  Garlic has medicinal properties that regulate blood pressure levels and control cholesterol.

• Triphala

  Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic herb and consuming two tablespoons of Triphala powder regulates Blood Pressure and controls cholesterol.

• Arjuna

  Consuming Arjuna herb helps to reduce the accumulation of plaque in the blood vessels, thereby reducing pressure on the heart.

Ayurvedic herbs have positive effects on controlling Blood pressure normal.

High Blood pressure is caused because your blood pressure rises to unhealthy levels. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consumption of various Ayurvedic herbs can cure High Blood Pressure and keeps the level of blood pressure at a normal level.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned information is collected after referring to various Ayurvedic resources. Always take the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner before starting self-medications.