Hypertension or high blood pressure is no doubt a lifestyle disorder except for minority cases in which the cause could be renal artery stenosis, chronic kidney disease, thyroid disorder, sleep disorders or coarctation of the aorta. These minority cases (less than 1%) form the secondary hypertension whereas the common form of high blood pressure is known as primary hypertension. Primary hypertension or the common high blood pressure may not be deadly in itself but it raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease that is the leading cause of death worldwide.

This ‘silent killer’ disease is linked with 70 percent of strokes and 60.5 percent of kidney disease. Statistics show that as many as one billion people worldwide are affected by high blood pressure and the number is growing by the day. Many health organizations including the American Society of Hypertension, Asian Hypertension League, World Stroke Organization, International Diabetes Federation, and others have endorsed the global call to action for recognizing high blood pressure as a major public health priority.

Quiz on Hypertension

Fortunately, in most instances drug intervention may not be necessarily required, just a change in lifestyle can be sufficient to control or prevent mild or moderately high blood pressure. Stat shedding those extra pounds if you are overweight, include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, restrict salty food, give up tobacco, and exercise regularly – these measures can help keep your blood pressure at target levels.

An additional effort through herbal remedies can not only help you lower high blood pressure but also reduce stress and enhance metabolic health.

Among the many herbs that can serve the purpose, four herbs namely garlic, arjuna, sarpagandha, and olive are discussed here. It must, however, be noted that none of these herbs are substitute for medical attention.