Things You'll Need:
- Olive leaf extract
- Hawthorn
- Kava kava
- Kudzu
- Cayenne
- Saffron
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Step 1
Use olive leaf extract, a gentle vasodilator, to increase the free flow of blood through your veins, allowing your heart to circulate your blood more efficiently with less work. In studies, olive leaf extract resulted in decreased blood pressure for the majority of the test’s participants.
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Step 2
Dilate constricted arteries and increase the quality of blood flow with hawthorn leaves taken in capsule form. In addition to widening coronary arteries, hawthorn acts as a diuretic, which slightly decreases blood volume. Tests indicate a normal patient can expect a drop in blood pressure of at least 10 points after taking hawthorn three times a day for 8 weeks.
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Step 3
Drink your fill of delicious kava kava tea, made from the root of a plant found in the Pacific. Kava helps relax the body and mind without compromising mental function. Available also in capsule form, no side effects are associated with the herb and as an added benefit, it reduces anxiety.
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Step 4
Eat “The Vine that ate the South.” Kudzu, the insidious creeping, green vine that, if left unchecked, blankets trees and shrubs in temperate climates, contains high levels of antioxidant vitamin E and reduces the risk of heart conditions. In lab animals, one of Kudzu’s main ingredients, (puerarin), reduced blood pressure by 15 percent.
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Step 5
Spice up your diet with the hot cayenne pepper . This pepper’s beneficial ingredient, capsaicin, aids in digestion and stimulates normal circulation. Taken in capsule form with food or milk, it also increases metabolism and reduces the incidence of atherosclerosis, a contributor to high blood pressure.
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Step 6
Add saffron to your vegetable and meat dishes. Used extensively in Spain, saffron contains the natural chemical, crocetin, which is beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
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Step 7
Maintain a healthy weight and supplement your diet with the above herbs, adding them one at a time to judge your body’s acceptance and naturally lower your blood pressure.
