Updated 5/22/2018
Turmeric A Natural Way to Decrease Your Blood Pressure
Does turmeric decrease high blood pressure? In many studies, curcumin has been proven to decrease blood pressure. Blood pressure is the pressure on blood vessels when blood flows through the arteries. Blood vessels act as pipelines for blood and transport it from the heart to the body organs and tissues. Turmeric has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to treat high blood pressure and other systemic disorders. Turmeric is a natural way to decrease your blood pressure.
Turmeric A Natural Way to Decrease Your Blood Pressure
The normal blood pressure is ~120/80. However, when this pressure gets too high, the end result can be multiple organ damages. Blood pressure is the force at which the blood flows through the blood vessels. High blood pressure is considered a silent killer because the person does not usually have any symptoms until there is organ damage.
High blood pressure puts us at great risk for heart disease and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death in the United States. About 80 million adults have high blood pressure in America. Anyone with high blood pressure should be under the care of a physician.
High blood pressure costs almost 50 billion dollars a year to treat. Almost 400,000 Americans die from high blood pressure each year. Despite these grim statistics, blood pressure can be controlled. Nutrition and lifestyle play a vital role in the prevention of high blood pressure.
Doctors will most likely prescribe prescription medications. However, medications have many side effects. Evidence has shown that most non-compliant patients stop taking their medications because of side effects. Patients should not stop taking any cardiac medications cold turkey because it can cause a rebound effect that will put you at risk for a stroke or other cardiovascular event.
Turmeric does not have any major side effects. Also, many people can control their blood pressure with simple lifestyle changes.
As a nurse, I see many people coming into the emergency room with blood pressures of 200/100 because they have stopped taking their medications. Often times, these patients are just “scolded” and told to start back taking their medications.
One of the most frequent side effects of high blood pressure medications is fatigue and dizziness. Often time men stop taking their blood pressure meds because these meds cause erectile dysfunction.
However, there are other treatments that will decrease blood pressure such as:
- Lifestyle changes
- Herbs
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Yoga
- Breathing exercises
Risk factors for high blood pressure:
- Diabetes
- Eating foods high in table salt and low in potassium.
- Obesity
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Lack of activity
- Certain medications
- Certain diseases
What is Turmeric? Turmeric is a Natural Way to Decrease Your Blood Pressure
Turmeric is a dietary herb from Asia. Turmeric belongs to the ginger family. It has been used for hundreds of years for its medicinal properties. Tumeric is a spice that is used commonly in Asia. Turmeric contains curcumin. Curcumin is the agent in turmeric that gives this herb it’s many medicinal properties. Curcumin is known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
There is evidence that curcumin increases memory, inhibits the growth of cancer, helps arthritis, helps depression, and prevents cardiovascular diseases. Turmeric is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric and High Blood Pressure Benefits
A study was done to assess the effectiveness of curcumin on high blood pressure. The subjects were divided into two groups. One received corn oil and the other received turmeric 100 mg/kg/day with piperine 20 mg/kg/day. All compounds were given for 6 weeks. The group that consumed the turmeric had a 10 point drop in their blood pressure.
There have been numerous studies done on the beneficial effects of turmeric. The administration of curcumin with black pepper (Piperine) had the effect of remodeling the wall of the aorta that had been changed by the effects of high blood pressure.
Another study was dome where the people had the same blood pressure. The first week there was no change in the blood pressures among the two groups. However, at the end of the second week of the piperidine/curcumin treatment, there was a minimal drop in the blood pressure. At the end of the six weeks, the blood pressure had dropped 28.9 mm systolic.
