Teas for Raising Blood Pressure
Which tea raises blood pressure? Those who want try to normalize blood pressure caused by hypotension always ask this question in order not to get tired so quickly, feel more cheerful and suffer less from headaches.
After all, the tea for raising blood pressure can help in achieving the desired result with more gentle ways than pharmacological agents.
Let’s clear up why the use of strong black tea raises blood pressure. Our organism especially needs such chemical elements as Na, K, Ca, as well as thiamine (vitamin B1 is necessary for functional usefulness of the capillary system), rutin (vitamin P strengthens the vascular walls) and niacin (vitamin PP appears as a vasoprotective and ensures the normal blood circulation) to maintain a normal tone of the blood vessels at low rates of blood pressure.
An ordinary tea – black and green – contains in its composition not only all of the mentioned above elements but also a full number of other useful components. A tea leaf contains tanning agents which are phenolic compounds – catechins (epigallocatechin has the most powerful vessel strengthening property) and tannins (which contain a strong antioxidant – gallic acid).
The average content of caffeine (1, 3, 7- trimethylxanthine) in tea doesn’t exceed 2 – 4,5 %. But it’s sufficient enough to state the fact that strong tea raises blood pressure because it not only stimulates central nervous system and myocardial contraction but it constricts blood vessels. And all it occurs because this alkaloid firstly blocks adenosine receptors responsible for lumen reduction in blood vessels, secondly it neutralizes the effect of the cellular enzyme phosphodiesterase which results to activation of such hormones as adrenalin and cortisol.
However the improving of health as a consequence of the tonic effect of caffeine lasts not so long when such hostile to caffeine purine alkaloids as theophylline, theobromine, xanthine and others start working. Under the influence of these physiological antagonists to generic plavix 70mg walls’ tension weakens and the level of arterial pressure gets low…
But this concerns only green tea, the leaves of which practically not subjected to an enzymatic oxidation and these leaves contain a larger amount of amino acid L-theanine, which neutralizes caffeine. Besides, green tea is a fine diuretic and the decrease of liquid in a human body also facilitates to lowering arterial pressure. On set of biochemical causes which stipulate the mechanism of the process green tea isn’t suitable for blood pressure raise.
And strong black tea raises blood pressure and holds it up because while tealeaves processed they concentrate more substances (of rutin, niacin, tannin and catechin) facilitated to the preservation of vasoconstrictive effect.
It’s a common knowledge that pu-erh tea raises blood pressure. Pu-erh tea is produced in South-Western regions of China by a special technology of long fermentation of tealeaves in which several fungal strains Aspergillus, yeasts and bacteria take part. Thus the process of fermentation resembles the one in a compost heap. That’s why pu-erh tea has got a specific earthy taste. The effect of caffeine it contained is identical to that of black and green tea, but the effect of a short-term constriction of blood vessel lumens is similar to that of green tea. Therefore, pu-erh tea doesn’t raises arterial pressure in a way hypotonic persons would like.
Hibiscus tea for raising blood pressure are dried flowers of a so-called Sudan rose or hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa), its term “Karkade” is of Arab origin.
Hibiscus tea contains flavonoids anthocyanins which not only give the hibiscus flowers their bright-red color due to the presence of potassium ions but show the properties of vitamin P, h.e. improves flexibility and strength of blood vessels. In the flowers of this plant biochemists have found active compounds which regulate blood pressure and relieve spasms of the vessels such as endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). This drink also decreases the sodium level in the blood and raises uropoiesis (i.e. acts like effective diuretic).
As the researches have proved the use of 3 glasses of hibiscus tea per day for one and half month can reduce blood pressure (approximately on 7 mmHg) in patients with type II diabetes also as with slight hypertension. Based on this in 2008 American Heart Association published the information about the ability of hibiscus tea to low arterial pressure.
But as to Ayurveda this plant possesses universal properties, which have to be used wisely. The hibiscus tea with the aim of blood pressure raise should be taken hot and sweet but chilled tea on the contrary lows arterial pressure.
In the course of researches of Indian doctors it has been found out that the excessive use of hibiscus tea reduces the level of estrogen among women.
The medicinal plant fireweed has a botanical name willow-herb and refers to the species Chamaenerion angustifolium. It grows all over the world. North-American Indigenous people eat raw fresh sprouts of willow-herb and use the juice of this plant for wounds and burns healing. The fireweed raises blood pressure, reduces feeling of tiredness, get rid of insomnia and headaches, toning up not only the vascular system but the entire body. The willow-herb is used as a tea for relief of indigestion as well as respiratory diseases in traditional medicine.
Such a multipurpose use of the fireweed is explained by a high content of tannin and other tanning agents, vitamin C (five times more than in citrus), polysaccharides, flavonoids (in particular, quercetin which stabilizes capillaries and large vessels), triterpenoids, coumarins and also microelements – K, Na, Ca.
Among folk remedies it’s recommended to use the tea which raises blood pressure. It contains: dog-rose fruit, nettle leaves, waybread as well as willow-herb in equal ratios (2 tbsp of ground dry raw material for 500 ml of boiled water).
Don’t forget that not only strong tea raises blood pressure but salty food, dessert and sufficient amount of ordinary tap water.