Ganoderma Lucidum is one of the effective herbs for high blood pressure.
High blood pressure or hypertension is defined in an adult as blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure.
High blood pressure can be dangerous. There are usually no warning signs in the early stages. Although you may not feel anything, untreated high blood pressure gradually damages your body organs. That is why hypertension is also called “the silent killer”
Untreated high blood pressure can cause heart failure. Here, heart muscles become so weak that your heart cannot pump enough blood for your whole body.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can either burst blood vessels or cause them to gradually narrow and become blocked. In both situations, blood flow stops. Depending on which blood vessels are affected, it can result in stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and blindness.
High Blood Pressure Treatment
In most cases, the mainstay of high blood pressure treatment is medication. You must consult your doctor for conventional drug prescription first before taking any herbs for high blood pressure, such as Ganoderma Lucidum.
Medications reduce blood pressure quickly and keep it down but it doesn’t cure the disease. If you haven’t improved your diet and lifestyle, blood pressure almost always shoots back up when medication is discontinued. However, herbs for high blood pressure work to uproot the actual cause of hypertension. This may result in long term improvement for this common disease.
There are 4 main types of medication for high blood pressure treatment:
1. Beta blockers
Function – Directly reduce the force and speed of contraction of the heart. They may also have direct effect on body’s master controls, the central nervous system.
E.g.: propanolol (Inderal), metoprolol (Lopressor), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta) and carvedilol (Coreg).
Side effects – sleep disturbances, sedation, impotence, cardiac disturbances, asthma.
2. Diuretics
Function – Make it difficult for the kidneys to retain water and salt, which are then filtered out into the urine. It increases the amount of urine and reduces the amount of fluid in the bloodstream, and hence lowers the pressure on artery walls. It is like turning on a second faucet in your house and watching the water pressure drop in the first – not a subtle mechanism but it works.
E.g. : furesamide (Lasix), chlorothiazide (Diuril), and spironolactone (Aldactone).
Side effects – low potassium (leading to symptoms such as dry mouth, excessive thirst, weak or irregular heartbeat, muscle pain or cramps), impotence, high sugar level in urine, hypersensitivity.
3. ACE inhibitors
Function – block the production of angiotensin II, a chemical the body produces to raise blood pressure.
E.g.: benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril).
Side effects – kidney damage and reduction in number of white blood cells (leading to an increased susceptibility to infection),
4. Calcium channel blockers
The most widely prescribed drugs in the United States
Function – Act by dilating the arteries and reducing resistance to the flow of blood.
Eg. : amlodipine (Norvasc), bepridil (Vascor), nifedipine (Adalat), felodipine (Plendil), verapamil ( Calan, Covera-HS, Isoptin, Verelan).
Side effects – Dizziness, fatigue, flushing, fluid retention and swelling, headache and palpitations.
How to Reduce High Blood Pressure Naturally
You can reduce high blood pressure naturally by making some changes to your lifestyle. Take note of the following points before taking any herbs for high blood pressure because these are the more important basic requirements.
1. Keep your weight within the healthy weight range
2. Take less fat and cholesterol food
3. Eat less salt
4. Drink less alcohol
5. Take more fiber
6. Exercise regularly
7. Don’t smoke
8. Manage stress and anger better
Only with healthier lifestyle, you can have better chances to improve your hypertension. But for serious cases, this may be not enough. Together with medications, you need to take some herbs for high blood pressure such as Ganoderma Lucidum, for significant long term improvement.
One of the causes for hypertension is the accumulation of fats and cholesterol in blood vessel wall. In adapting to narrowed blood vessels, the heart will pump harder resulting in higher blood pressure.
The Triterpenes in Ganoderma Lucidum herb effectively clears blood vessel blockage by reducing accumulated fatty substances such as cholesterol and triglycerides. Ganoderma Lucidum Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP) can dissolve thrombus (blood clot), further helps to remove blood vessel blockage.
These herbs for high blood pressure makes the blood flows smoother, reducing the stress on your heart. Thus it helps in lowering high blood pressure naturally. Sometimes your heart may pumps too hard and too fast because of substances like alcohol and chemicals found in cigarettes. This is another reason for hypertension.
Ganoderma Lucidum adaptogenic herbs can stabilize the pumping force of your heart. As an adaptogenic herb, it has unique ability to:
• reduce high blood pressure when your heart pump too hard and
• increase low blood pressure when your heart is weaker.
With this, Ganoderma Lucidum is considered one of the effective herbs for high blood pressure. Furthermore, its detoxification ability helps to remove toxics from medication. Therefore, it reduces side effects from drug medication and protects your liver and kidney.
Besides improving hypertension, Ganoderma Lucidum even helps to maintain a stable blood pressure for long term. It effectively acts as preventive herbs for high blood pressure.
