Does chokeberry increase or decrease blood pressure? Patients with unstable blood pressure are interested. Is it worth trying to normalize your well-being with the help of an unpretentious plant? Will chokeberry allow me to stop taking medications?
People with hypertension and hypotension have heard about the miraculous properties of rowan. This ordinary vegetable garden is a storehouse of useful substances. The fruit makes delicious jam. Syrup can improve the taste of desserts. Tinctures and infusions can be made in winter, when there are not enough vitamins.
This unpretentious plant produces high yields. With minimal care, you can harvest a 10-liter bucket of delicious berries from a three-year-old bush. In October, you can buy chokeberry on the market at a low price. Thanks to this, you can stock up on useful medicines.
Everyone wants to know whether all these desserts are safe for the health of people with unstable blood pressure and whether blueberries have contraindications.
Composition and medicinal properties of chokeberry
Blackberries are actively used in folk medicine. The functional properties of a bush depend on its chemical composition.
What does it include
Chokeberry is famous for its wealth of medicinal ingredients. This consists of:
- tannins;
- polysucrose and monosucrose;
- pectins;
- acids (nicotinic, citric, oxyantheric, folic);
- vitamins (group B, PP, C, A, E);
- iron, boron, fluorine;
- magnesium, iodine, manganese;
- molybdenum, selenium;
- cyclic sorbitol.
The presence of glucose, fructose and alcohol allows the treatment of patients with high blood sugar levels. The preparations obtained in this way have a pleasant taste.
Distribution of active substances in rowan
Most medicinal plants have unevenly distributed beneficial properties. Chokeberry is no exception. Fruits provide the maximum amount of medicinal substances to people. The berries ripen in autumn. But healthy drinks can be prepared from rowan leaves. You will quickly receive a vitamin drink.
The healing properties of rowan
All parts of the plant are useful to humans. Regular use of preparations from this plant improves the condition of patients with unstable blood pressure. Obtaining preparations from rowan:
- Has an antispasmodic effect on blood vessels.
- Vitamins strengthen the immune system of patients with unstable blood pressure.
- Macro- and microelements normalize the functioning of the endocrine system.
- Preparations from rowan fruits have a mild choleretic effect.
- Large amounts of iodine help to recover from radiation exposure.
It is important to remember that red and black rowan are not related to each other. Botanists call chokeberry black chokeberry.
Useful material
Like any natural product, red rowan contains many useful substances that have a beneficial effect on our body. Here are some of them:
- B vitamins: B1, B2, B9, PP, E, C;
- metals: magnesium, iron, copper, zinc;
- minerals: phosphorus, calcium, potassium;
- organic acids: salicylic, malic, citric, tartaric.
The high content of organic acids in the fruits, leaves and bark of the plant has a diuretic effect, stimulating the functioning of the glomerular apparatus of the kidneys.
They prevent the reabsorption of sodium ions in the kidney, thereby increasing the amount of secondary urine, reducing the volume of circulating blood in the body. The load on the heart becomes less, which leads to normalization of high blood pressure.
Effect on blood pressure
Hypertensive and hypotensive patients wonder: is it possible to take tasty medicines from rowan without harm to health? The properties of lowering blood pressure depend on the composition:
- Tannins fight “bad” cholesterol. Blood vessels become flexible. Cholesterol plaques dissolve.
- Vitamins and macroelements restore the ability of blood vessels to contract. This has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. The condition of the patient with high blood pressure has improved.
- Acids and trace elements restore damaged blood vessels. Blood begins to circulate without delay. Organs are saturated with oxygen. Blood pressure drops.
Chokeberry actively improves the condition of patients with arterial hypertension: after taking medication, the patient feels better.
Decreases?
The mechanism of action of chokeberry is aimed at lowering blood pressure. Blood vessels restore lost tension. The amount of light increases. The characteristic swelling disappears. As a result, the pressure drops.
Increases?
Hypotonic people want to eat healthy rowan. They want to strengthen the immune system and provide themselves with vitamins. But for them, chokeberry preparations can be dangerous. Blood pressure may drop to critical levels. The patient's condition will worsen.
Contraindications
Rowan for blood pressure is a fairly effective natural remedy and, it would seem, cannot harm the body. However, we will consider what limitations there are to its use.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding period.
- Individual intolerance to rowan and allergies.
- Tendency to hypotension.
- Cardiac ischemia.
- Stroke and its long-term consequences.
- Stomach ulcer or hyperacidity.
- Infants and children up to 3 years of age.
- Increased blood clotting and susceptibility to thrombosis.
And also read on our website: How does motherwort affect a person’s blood pressure - does it increase or decrease them?
Chokeberry: use for hypertension
For arterial hypertension, taking chokeberry preparations normalizes the patient's condition. But you cannot refuse drug treatment: chokeberry will not replace it.
The exception is the initial stage of the disease: in this case, medicinal herbs are an alternative to tablets. They have a hypotensive effect. However, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Chokeberry lowers blood pressure. However, chokeberry preparations should not be consumed continuously. It is recommended to measure your blood pressure three times a day to assess the effectiveness of treatment.
Before starting therapy, consult your doctor. He will conduct an examination, prescribe an individual treatment regimen and determine its duration. Treatment of high blood pressure should not exceed the prescribed period.
Impact on performance
Does red rowan increase or decrease blood pressure? It gently and smoothly reduces high blood pressure. This is due to its diuretic effect. For hypotension, the use of drugs based on red rowan is limited, as this can cause adverse consequences:
- fainting;
- dizziness;
- drowsiness;
- decreased performance;
Traditional medicine contains the ancient wisdom of our ancestors, thanks to which unique recipes have been developed for the proper storage of rowan and the preparation of medicines from it at home. Their use is possible for stage 1 arterial hypertension.
The use of folk remedies should always be agreed with your doctor.
How to properly prepare rowan
The berry accumulates the greatest amount of useful substances until mid-autumn. However, its taste improves after the first frost: bitterness and astringency disappear, and the sugar content increases. It is recommended to collect chokeberries immediately after freezing. The berries must be picked together with the stalks so that they remain juicy.
If you cannot come to the site to harvest rowan, collect it in early October and place it in the freezer. After an hour, remove the raw materials, defrost and use for the production of medicines.
Drying
The collected berries must be stored for a long time. Drying is an effective method. How to proceed:
- Peel the berries from stalks, leaves, twigs;
- rinse them with plenty of cold water;
- Lay out to dry on a paper towel;
- Place in an electric dryer or oven.
If you don't have a special oven, it makes sense to line a baking sheet with baking paper. Open the door and keep the temperature at 40-50 degrees Celsius.
Freezing
This storage method requires a spacious chamber. Place the prepared (collected, washed and dried) rowan berries in plastic bags, tie them and put them in the freezer. Turn on the “fast freezing” mode. After 2 hours, switch to normal mode.
Rowan and pressure
It is important for hypotensive and hypertensive patients to know that rowan lowers blood pressure. This means that people with low blood pressure need to consume red chokeberry with caution, monitoring the body’s reaction. On the contrary, rowan is useful for hypertensive patients to combat hypertension.
The positive effect of rowan treatment is clearly visible if hypertension occurs in a relatively mild form and does not cause complications. In such situations, the berry can be an excellent alternative to pharmaceuticals. However, it is necessary to obtain consent from the attending physician. After all, only a specialist will take into account all objective data about the condition of a particular patient.
How to eat berries
Medicines to lower blood pressure are prepared immediately before use. To do this, you need to use pre-picked berries. Frozen - Remove from refrigerator in advance to defrost. Dried - pour hot or cold water to restore juiciness.
Traditional recipes recommend using infusions, decoctions and juices to lower blood pressure. You need to brew chokeberry with hot, but not boiled, water. The optimal temperature is 80 degrees Celsius.
Measures must be taken to a strictly defined extent. If the dosage is insufficient, it will not be able to achieve a therapeutic effect. Excess will lead to a sharp drop in blood pressure.
Fresh
Some patients prefer to consume fresh rowan to lower blood pressure. For an antihypertensive effect, eat a handful of blueberries a day. It is permissible to water the chokeberry with lemon juice. A teaspoon of honey will enhance the taste.
Syrups
This drug for lowering blood pressure can be prepared in advance, poured into a jar and closed with a lid. You will need:
- fresh chokeberry - 1 kilogram;
- granulated sugar - 500 grams;
- water - 100 milliliters;
- lemon acid;
- cloves - 2-3 buds.
- Peel the berries, wash and dry with a paper towel;
- make syrup from sugar and water;
- crush the rowan with a crusher;
- pour syrup;
- simmer over low heat for 40 minutes;
- add cloves 5 minutes before the end of cooking;
- remove from heat, cool;
- drain, drain the rest well;
- add citric acid;
- Place on fire and bring to a boil;
- Packaged in sterile sealed jars.
It is recommended to take this drug once a day, one tablespoon, regardless of meals.
Decoctions and infusions
They are prepared on a water and alcohol basis. For the water infusion you will need:
- A glass of dried rowan;
- 500 milliliters of water.
To prepare the berries, pour 500 ml of boiling water cooled to 80 degrees, cover with a lid and let cool completely. Then strain and take half a glass twice a day. The infusion prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator for only 1 day.
To prepare the alcohol infusion:
- fresh rowan fruits;
- high-quality vodka (should cover the contents);
- sugar (half the weight of rowan).
- Grind the berries with a crusher, transfer to a jar and sprinkle with sugar;
- leave for 3 hours to extract the juice;
- Fill the vessel with vodka and cover with a lid;
- set aside in a cool, dark place;
- Shake the jar every 10 days.
After 2 months the composition is ready. The finished tincture is filtered and stored in a cool, dark place. Its strength is 25-30 degrees. To lower blood pressure, take half a teaspoon once daily.
A decoction is prepared from fresh or dried rowan berries. Required:
- Glass of raw materials;
- 500 milliliters of water.
- Fill the rowan with water;
- Bake covered in a water bath for 30 minutes;
- Cool and strain.
For cooking, use glass or ceramic dishes.
Jam
Properly prepared jam is a blood pressure lowering remedy and an exquisite dessert. Required:
- fresh black chokeberry - 2 kilograms;
- sugar - 1.5 kg;
- water - 1 glass;
- lemon acid;
- zest of 1 orange;
- cloves - 5-6 buds;
- cherry leaves - 6 pcs.
- Prepare syrup from sugar and water;
- pour the cooled syrup over the collected, washed, dried chokeberries;
- leave for an hour (the berries should be soaked in sugar);
- add orange zest and citric acid;
- add cloves and cherry leaves;
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes;
- Remove from heat and cool;
- repeat the last 2 points three times;
- remove cherry leaves;
- Place the hot jam into sterile jars and close.
This dessert is stored at room temperature. It is added to ice cream, creams and sauces. The daily dose to normalize blood pressure is a tablespoon.
