There are many herbs and herbal remedies which actually help to regulate the body’s blood pressure. Whether you have problems with high or low blood pressure, some of these herbs can help with both issues. Other herbs specifically help either lower or raise blood pressure too, so they’re good to know about for general information. Because if you choose to use an herb for other ailments, but you have problems with low or high blood pressure, you’ll need to know that these can cause unintended side effects.

So knowing which ones do what will help you to avoid accidental problems, and this is especially important if you’re taking prescription blood pressure medications.

So let’s look at some herbs that are wonderful for helping with blood pressure problems.

Cayenne – This is an excellent herb that is used in many remedies because it’s a great healer and it’s high in many vitamins and minerals. You’ll often find cayenne included in many infection fighting herbal combinations, because it stimulates the body to heal faster. For blood pressure alone though, Cayenne is a regulating herb. It will normalize the blood pressure, so it can be used for both high or low blood pressure problems.

Side Note: Cayenne will also stop bleeding internally and externally. If you have an external wound for instance, that will not stop bleeding, sprinkle a bit of Cayenne on it.

Garlic – Another herb that’s used for many different things because it’s so powerful and versatile. Garlic will also regulate the blood pressure, so it can be used for high or low blood pressure problems as well. You’ll find garlic is used in many infection fighting remedies, as well as fungus killing herbal remedies too.

Hawthorne – This is known as a heart herb because it can strengthen and regulate the heart. It is a good herb for lowering blood pressure because it relaxes the blood vessels. Hawthorne is useful for people under a lot of stress, and it can help alleviate heart enlargement problems as well as heart fibrillation problems.

Dandelion – This herb is used for a wide variety of things, but it’s quite useful for anemia problems, and it’s an excellent choice to use for low blood pressure problems.

Valerian Root – This herb is commonly used to quiet spasms, and has a calming effect on nerves. It normalizes heart palpitations and is good for the circulatory system. It can be used for low blood pressure, to raise it.

Like most herbs, comfrey grows wild or cultivated as a perennial plant in various places of the world. There are several varieties of this herb, and the most useful for medicinal purposes is the Russian Comfrey, or Symphytum x uplandicum. While internal uses of comfrey are considered controversial even among practicing herbalists, it is not necessary to ingest comfrey to reap its greatest medicinal benefits.

Used externally, comfrey is completely safe, even for babies, and it is in its use as a wound dressing that comfrey’s magic shines through. The next time you get a wound, sprain your ankle, burn yourself, or even break a bone, turn to comfrey for comfort.

The nickname knitbone is one key to just how powerful this particular herb can be for particular external uses. Specifically, comfrey contains a natural compound known as allantoin, which is able to quickly speed up the replacement of cells in the body. This means it’s able to produce rapid healing for broken or sprained bones, and cuts, bruises, or other open wounds.

Comfrey has restricted uses in many countries, the United States, Canada, and the U.K. included. The restrictions are generally related to internal uses only, and they’re in place because comfrey contains substances known as hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, or PAs. These PAs can cause a liver disease which could in turn cause liver failure.

Some practicing herbalists feel that the internal use of comfrey is quite safe, while others feel that some variations of the herb are safe while others should be avoided. And there are those who simply use comfrey for external applications as well.

The external applications alone are quite amazing to anyone who has never encountered them before too. Simply mixing a bit of comfrey with oil, aloe vera, or even beeswax or petroleum jelly will create an instant useable salve which does wonders for a variety of common health problems.

Staph infections for instance, which are caused by Staphylococcal bacteria, are quickly killed by simply applying comfrey directly or comfrey salve directly to the infected area. Open wounds heal extremely fast – usually within 24 hours or less – and usually leave no scar behind as well. Broken bones are known to heal faster when comfrey is applied outside the affected area, and torn ligaments and tendons also heal quite quickly when a comfrey salve or poultice is applied externally too.

Not only does comfrey start the healing process quite fast, it also helps relieve pain as soon as it comes into contact with the injured area. It’s also excellent for bringing down swelling and reducing inflammation.

By the age of 45, most men have experienced at least one period of erectile dysfunction. Men are embarrassed by this fact, and often refuse to admit it, but almost all men have at least one time in their lives where they’ve had problems with impotence or erectile dysfunction. Many times it is a symptom of another health issue. The problem can be caused by a variety of things, and erectile dysfunction happens so frequently that it’s becoming fairly common to read about in magazines, or hear about on television. In almost all cases though, the problem is caused by one of three things–hormonal imbalance, underlying health issues, or some type of psychological stress.

The terms impotence and erectile dysfunction basically mean the same thing. The man is unable to achieve or maintain an erection long enough to enjoy satisfying sexual activities, and either because of or in addition to that problem, he is unable to impregnate a woman. As men become older, the majority of the time their erectile dysfunction is caused by health-related problems–both physical and psychologial in nature. Because a majority of health issues are age related, lifestyle choices play an important roll in the middle aged years, although some men are starting to have health-related erectile dysfunction problems earlier in life.

Because medical problems are usually the cause of erectile dysfunction, the best natural ways to solve the problem is to simply get those diseases under control. Change your diet and lifestyle in ways that will help control both your blood sugar levels and your blood pressure. You can also take Cayenne to help improve the overall circulation in your body if you feel that may be part of the problem.

If the problem is a hormonal imbalance, such as a deficiency of testosterone, hormone therapy may be prescribed. Hormonal imbalances can also be treated effectively with certain herbal supplements such as Kelp or Sarsaparilla. With a health condition such as diabetes, it’s best to get the condition under control. Diabetes is a growing health problem. The elevated blood glucose levels that are a hallmark of diabetes, also damage the nerve endings in the penis.

When a man has diabetes that is not managed or kept under control properly, a number of additional problems will arise inside the body. One of these problems is a nerve endings not responding to brain commands properly. If a man has nerve related damage due to diabetes, his penis may not be able to receive the arousal signals from the brain. Sometimes the signals are there but weak, while other times they are not reaching the penis at all.

Recommended herbal treatments–

• Damiana is considered an aphrodisiac
• Fo-ti also known as ho shou wu is a blood tonic
• Ginkgo biloba helps restore blood flow to the genitals
• oat straw has been shown to increase desire
• Saw palmetto has been used for centures for prostate health

Chronic high blood pressure is another common cause for erectile problems. High blood pressure causes the blood vessels to lose their elasticity. When this happens, the blood is unable to flow to all areas of the body as well as it once did, and this can cause a decrease of blood flow to the penis. Sometimes blood vessels in the penis can become blocked with clots or plaque. Conventional medicine will require surgery. Keep in mind that many medications for high blood pressure and diabetes have the side effect of causing erectile dysfunction which is a Catch 22. You may get erectile dysfunction from managing your health conditions with conventional medicine.

As far as nutritional supplements, a person experiencing erectile dysfunction should consider taking essential fatty acids such as those found in flaxseed oil or borage oil. This helps the prostate maintain normal levels of hormones. Magnesium is another good choice in order to relax the nervous system and relieve anxiety. Lastly, Vitamin E to strengthen hormonal and reproductive function.

If erectile dysfunction is found to be due to psychological reasons, stress reducing activities such as meditation or yoga can be helpful.

If you suffer with migraines and have not been helped by traditional medication, you may want to consider feverfew as an alternative remedy. As its name suggests, the traditional use of feverfew is to lower body temperature. However, like most herbs, feverfew has multiple uses. For centuries it has been used as a remedy to bring on menstruation, expel the placenta after childbirth, and as an arthritis and rheumatism remedy.

In the 1980s feverfew became very popular as a migraine remedy in the United Kingdom. Since then, its use as a alternative migraine treatment has gone worldwide. Today, you will find many migraine remedies contain feverfew.

Why is feverfew such a popular migraine remedy? The herb contains the chemical compound ‘parthenolide’ which eases muscle spasms and prevents blood vessels from constricting. These characteristics make it an effective remedy for simple and cluster headaches as well.

What does science have to say about feverfew? More often than not, scientific studies have shown that migraine sufferers did better with feverfew than with a placebo. One study showed that it worked better than NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for migraine relief. Varied results may have more to do with the amount of parthenolide contained in feverfew.

Tablets and capsules must contain a minimum standardized amount of 0.2 percent parthenolide to be effective. However, some herbalists believe that pinching off two leaves of the plant and eating it raw is better than taking dried leaves in capsule form.

There are several ways to take feverfew. As mentioned, you can eat the leaves straight from the plant — but you should know it is quite bitter. It is also available freeze-dried, in tablets, capsules, and liquid extract. Consider making the leaves into a tea and adding a sweetener.

Feverfew is safe when taken as directed, but as with any medication, there are people who should avoid it. Since feverfew is a blood thinner, do not take it if you are using anticoagulants. Also, pregnant women, lactating women, and children should not take feverfew. If you are taking other medication, check with your physician before taking feverfew.

There are no major reported side effects for feverfew, but a small percentage of people have reported loss of taste, and swollen lips and tongue.

If you’ve been using feverfew for more than a week and decide to discontinue use, do not stop taking it abruptly. You will mostly likely experience withdrawal symptoms of headache, muscle stiffness, and joint pain.

Feverfew can provide effective relief of migraine headaches. Just remember to read the label. Any migraine remedy should contain at least 0.2 percent parthenolide or you will not reap the full benefit of the herb.