Oh yes, garlic does help you reduce high blood pressure and completes your list of herbal hypertension treatment. Others may just regard garlic as an ordinary spice but, it is far more than that. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, garlic has positive and preventive characteristics and fights the killer hypertension. So just about what is present in garlic?

While bad breath may be the ultimate result for resorting to this kind herbal hypertension treatment, laboratory results show significant risk drop of one type of hypertension. The secret ingredient of garlic is allicin. The soothing effect of allicin relaxes the blood vessels when exposed to high pressure. This also prevents further damage of the blood vessel walls.

Garlic, as a herbal hypertension treatment, also has lipid-lessening effect. In a separate test, the garlic’s effect on cholesterol has remarkably dropped by 9 to 12 percent.

A European laboratory trial was also done comparing the effects of garlic to a commercial supplement that has lipid-lowering ingredients. The result was astounding, as the test showed that garlic has as much beneficial effect as the commercial drug has on patients.

Another review was also set and evaluated the effects of garlic as a herbal hypertension treatment. This showed significant reduction in platelet aggregation which means it can lower risk of thrombosis. This same test, also implemented on diabetic patients, displayed amazing results as it dropped levels of glucose on patients.

A separate assessment of the use of garlic as a potential herbal hypertension treatment illustrated a dip on systolic pressure by 20 to 30 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 10 to 20 mmHg.

To be able to extract the therapeutic benefits of garlic, one must need two or three cloves of garlic. Many patients, who believed in the power of garlic, prefer to take supplements as an odor-free alternative. A good herbal hypertension treatment, though, must be in its natural form. Doctors suggest the presence of garlic in meals. Others advise eating it raw while some prefer to make juice or broth out of garlic. It has to be noted, however, that chopping garlic will lose its allicinity in seconds that is why most doctors do not suggest intake of supplements.

The use of garlic as a herbal hypertension treatment is yet to be proven. Commercial drug rich in the allicin ingredient are available, though nature has its own way of treating illnesses. If you choose to go raw, find the freshest garlic there is. Just make sure you don’t take in excessive amounts of it as you will experience surprising effects on your stomach, not to mention an unpleasant odor it has.

Hypertension or better known as “high blood pressure” is a very dangerous disease. It is often called the “silent killer” because most of the people suffering from hypertension do not know that they already have it. There are basically no hypertension symptoms at all. You will only know that you have hypertension if you have your blood pressure regularly checked. If you have a family member or a relative who is suffering from hypertension, you are most likely a candidate to have the disease as well.

If you have an extremely high blood pressure, you may experience the following hypertension symptoms below:

o Severe chronic headaches

o Physical and mental stress

o Vision problems (blurry vision)

o Chest congestion and pain

o Breathing problems

o Irregular heartbeats (palpitations)

o Blood in the urine

If you are experiencing any of the above hypertension symptoms, it is best to immediately consult a doctor for proper treatment. It is possible that you could be suffering from hypertensive crisis already and it is very dangerous because it may lead to stroke or heart attack. Hypertension can also lead to other serious ailments like kidney and eye problems. It is best to have your blood pressure checked so that you will know if it is within the normal level.

There are several categories of high blood pressure. They are the following below:

o Normal: Less than 120/80

o Pre-hypertension: 120-139/80-89

o Stage 1 hypertension: 140-159/90-99

o Stage 2 hypertension: 160 and above/100 and above

Since there are no hypertension symptoms at all, preventive measures should be taken. Proper diet like eating foods low in sodium (salt), cholesterol and saturated fat can be an effective way of avoiding high blood pressure. Eating foods that are high in potassium and calcium like fruits, vegetables, low-calorie dairy products and wheat is very good for lowering high blood pressure.

Also, most hypertensive people are obese. An obese person is someone who weighs more than 30% of what their normal weight should be. It is necessary for obese people to lose weight to reduce the risk of hypertension. Regular exercise is not only the key to losing weight but it also helps develop good heart and lungs.

Proper attention to the hypertension symptoms above can help you detect hypertension at an early stage. However, you can never be sure. It is still best to have your blood pressure regularly checked. And it is also best that you consult your doctor immediately if you think you are a candidate for hypertension. Always remember that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”.