Does clove increase or decrease blood pressure: composition and application

According to statistics, half of the population after forty years suffers from high blood pressure. However, hypertension can also occur in young people. Therefore, at the moment, the issue of combating this problem is extremely relevant. People faced with such a disease are forced to “sit” on pills. However, everyone knows that such drugs cannot be called useful. After all, by lowering blood pressure, they negatively affect other organs.

Serious excesses of these indicators can only be normalized with the help of medications. However, folk remedies can also be used as a preventive measure and to combat moderate hypertension. Our grandmothers used them, and they are considered the safest. Cloves are considered one of the effective remedies against this pathology. However, this seemingly harmless spice for high blood pressure can also have the opposite effect. Therefore, before using it, you need to familiarize yourself with all the pitfalls.

What happens when pressure rises

Before you begin to study the effect of cloves on blood pressure, you need to understand why it increases. This will give an idea of what measures need to be taken to normalize the condition.

As pressure increases, blood vessels narrow. At the same time, the blood often thickens. Thus, the heart has to exert more effort to push blood through the vessels.

The very fact of increased pressure is due to complex processes in which special hormones are released, as well as increased activity of the heart muscle. Under normal conditions this does not happen.

Various factors can provoke an increase in blood pressure. These can be either serious illnesses or external influences.

External factors are considered the least dangerous. However, with prolonged exposure there is a risk of developing serious diseases. External factors include poor nutrition, obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, stress, overload of the body, both physically and mentally, drinking large quantities of caffeine-containing drinks, as well as an incorrect daily routine.

External factors can cause hypertension, which subsequently often develops into chronic hypertension. Therefore, it is very important to eliminate them in a timely manner.

Hypertension can also be a symptom of disease. In this case, this condition will be chronic and require constant adjustment. Increased blood pressure can be caused by various heart diseases, kidney failure, respiratory tract pathologies, endocrine abnormalities, diabetes mellitus, tumor neoplasms, anemia, and hypertension.

Most diseases that cause high blood pressure are life-threatening. Therefore, if they occur, you need to consult a doctor promptly.

It is worth noting that hypertension is observed in at least 40 percent of the population of our planet. This is due to the frequent influence of external factors and the large number of people suffering from diseases leading to hypertension.

Composition and benefits of cloves

Many people are not even aware of the variety of components and healing properties of cloves. It is a popular and universal remedy for the treatment of many diseases. Cloves contain a high content of useful microelements, vitamin complexes, as well as organic acids, for example, folic acid, which is very important for all women, it contains fiber, retinol and choline.

All these components give cloves the following properties:

relieving unpleasant symptoms;
destruction of pathogenic bacteria;
restoration of tissues and cells;
normalization of the affected nervous system.

This is the general effect of cloves on the body. But, as you know, it is also useful for blood pressure.

Norms and deviations of blood pressure parameters

Millions of people die every year from complications resulting from hypertension. Interestingly, in countries where there is a large percentage of obese people, this number is especially high.

There are several stages of hypertension. And knowing their limits, you can determine the degree of danger of such a pathological phenomenon.

Degrees of increased pressure:

Hypertension is considered to be blood pressure that exceeds the limits of 120/80. However, readings of 130/90 are not considered hypertension. This state rather precedes it.
The first degree of hypertension is treatable, but quickly progresses, flowing into the second. In this case, the pressure will fluctuate in the range from 140/90 to 159/99.
The second degree of hypertension is more dangerous. In this case, the pressure has a negative impact on internal organs, and the risk of stroke increases significantly. This stage cannot be completely cured and is characterized by unpleasant symptoms. In this case, blood pressure will fluctuate between 160/100-179/109.
The third degree is the most dangerous. It often leads to very serious complications, fraught with the most unpleasant consequences. In this case, it is impossible to do without serious medications and a complete overhaul of your lifestyle. At this stage, pressure can reach 180/110.

The most dangerous are the second and third degrees. Such hypertension can lead to heart failure, heart attack and stroke, angina pectoris, loss of vision, hypertensive crisis and other diseases.

If blood pressure is elevated to levels characteristic of the first and second stages, folk remedies should not be taken. They will not give tangible results.

If your blood pressure is in the pre-hypertensive or first hypertensive stages, then home remedies may have a positive effect. However, in this case you need to reconsider your lifestyle.

Recipes to lower blood pressure

Clove infusion is recommended to be taken for hypotension to normalize blood pressure.
Such recipes do not exist. You can prepare decoctions and infusions from the spice buds, this will improve your digestion. Be careful if you have gastritis with increased secretion; cloves can provoke an exacerbation. If you happen to be treated for helminthic infestation or protozoan infestation (giardiasis), be sure to consult your doctor at what stage of deworming you should take medications with cloves (capsules or dietary supplements containing cloves).

You should not try to treat high blood pressure with cloves - you are not trying to shout to a distant interlocutor over a megaphone, but prefer the telephone.

In addition, if you miss the time to adequately treat hypertension, you increase the risk of fatal complications such as heart attack and stroke.

What effect does clove have on blood pressure?

Carnation is a tree-like plant with buds resembling small carnations. They have a pronounced sharp aroma and bright taste.

This product is often used as a spice. Its specific aroma helps improve the taste of canned foods, baked goods, as well as unusual main courses and some drinks.

In addition, some folk recipes suggest using cloves for blood pressure. However, to understand how effective such remedies are, it is necessary to understand what effects they have on the body.

Why cloves help with hypertension:

This spice has the ability to thin the blood. Thanks to this, it is easier for it to flow through the vessels and there is less stress on the heart.
Blood purification is another beneficial property of cloves. This action affects the biochemical processes of increasing pressure.
When consuming medicines made from cloves, blood circulation increases. Thanks to this, the heart and other organs begin to be better supplied with oxygen.
This remedy strengthens the heart muscle. This has a positive effect on her work.
This drug also copes with inflammation of the respiratory organs. But it is precisely such pathologies that contribute to increased blood pressure.
Cloves also improve the general condition of the body: promote good digestion and fight pathogens.

At first glance, it may seem that these properties cannot have an effect on high blood pressure. But if you look at why and how hypertension develops, you can understand that positive results can be achieved with its help. After all, it not only thins the blood and promotes increased circulation, which in itself leads to a decrease in blood pressure, but also affects the causes of hypertension.

However, it is worth noting that since cloves do not have a direct effect on blood pressure, it will not help normalize the condition if there is a strong deviation from normal values.

Moreover, if recipes with this spice are taken on a regular basis or used for minor hypertension, then it can give the best results. Judging by the reviews, some were even able to cope with the first stage of hypertension with its help.

Effect on pressure

Clove essential oil normalizes blood pressure. Cloves have a gentle effect on the body; regular use thins the blood, strengthens blood vessels, the heart, and improves blood flow.

For hypertension

Cloves contain substances that thin the blood, relieve vasospasm, which helps lower blood pressure. Effective for the prevention or treatment of the initial stage of hypertension. You should not use cloves if you have severe hypertension of unknown etiology.

To reduce blood pressure, decoctions, infusions, and tea are prepared from the spice. Taken in courses, this helps stabilize blood pressure and improves the functioning of the entire cardiovascular system.

For hypotension

Eating cloves in its pure form causes an increase in blood pressure, since the essential oil has strong tonic properties.

If you hold a couple of clove branches in your mouth for 2-4 minutes, it will have the same effect on the body as a cup of strong brewed coffee. Decoctions or clove tea are contraindicated for hypotension.

Plant composition

The beneficial properties of cloves are explained by its rich and unique composition. This product contains substances that are difficult to find in any other plants.

It is thanks to this composition that clove extract began to be added to some medications for blood pressure.

Ingredients of cloves:

Zinc;
B vitamins;
Vitamin E;
Manganese;
Sodium;
Magnesium;
Calcium;
Tannins;
Phosphorus;
Folic acid;
Retinol;
Tocopherol;
Beta carotene;
Choline;
Cellulose.

These substances are necessary for the body to function normally. Therefore, medicines with cloves also strengthen the immune system and improve general condition.

How to choose the right raw materials

Since ancient times, people have prepared medicines from herbs. At the same time, only high-quality raw materials were used for the recipes. It was collected at certain phases of the moon and suitable times of day.

Of course, nowadays such attention is not paid to the process of preparing plants for the preparation of medicines. However, it is still very important to choose high-quality raw materials.

In the case of cloves, the choice is much more difficult than with many other medicinal herbs. The fact is that this product is not sold in a pharmacy, where special requirements are imposed on the product, but in ordinary supermarkets and stores in the spice department. Therefore, producers can use low-quality, stale or damp fruits.

In order for the medicine to really have the desired effects, it is very important to choose high-quality cloves that have not lost their beneficial properties. To do this, you need to follow a few simple tips.

How to choose quality cloves:

First of all, you need to choose only whole buds and not ground seasoning. Firstly, they retain their positive qualities longer. Secondly, the quality of ground cloves cannot be checked.
It is important to pay attention to the color of the buds. They should have a reddish-brownish tint.
Fresh raw materials will have a characteristic glossy shine. Unshiny, crumpled and faded buds indicate that the carnation has been stale.
It is necessary to carefully examine the spice. It should be free of mold, dark spots and other suspicious details. The smell of a fresh product is pronounced.
You can also check the freshness of cloves by dropping them into a glass of water. Unusable buds will float horizontally. Good fruits will rise vertically, head up, or sink to the bottom.

It is very important to follow these simple rules. Otherwise, the product will not have beneficial properties. Then it will not be possible to prepare medicine from it.

When buying cloves for preparing blood pressure remedies, it is important to pay attention to the expiration dates. Since old raw materials have a poor composition.

How to select and store?

Not everyone knows how to correctly choose and store such a useful spice for humans. When growing a plant yourself or purchasing it on the market, you should check the quality of the product for further storage in an airtight container.

The first way to check is to throw the bud into water. A good product will float vertically, a bad one will take a horizontal position.

The second method is more accessible: crush or grind a clove bud. When dried properly, it will make a characteristic sound - crackling. And if you crush it, having previously wrapped it in a sheet of paper, the protruding spots of oil will indicate its high quality.

Rules for using cloves for blood pressure

Homemade preparations also have a pronounced effect. Therefore, there are some rules for their reception. Failure to do so may cause the medicine to have the opposite effect.

Rules for using clove preparations:

Cloves have a tonic effect. Therefore, its use before bed in most cases leads to insomnia. The last dose of the drug based on it should occur 2-4 hours before bedtime.
When taking medications with cloves, you need to pay attention to the characteristics of your body. People who are prone to heartburn need to take the product half an hour after meals, and for those who do not suffer from this problem, it is better to take it an hour before meals.
Clove products should be introduced into your diet gradually. You need to start taking it with small volumes, gradually increasing the dosage.
Treatment of hypertension with cloves should be done on a regular basis. In this case, it will help to finally normalize the condition.
It is very important to strictly follow the recipe and dosage when preparing the folk remedy. This is especially true for clove-based blood pressure medications.

When treating hypertension with cloves, you need to understand that such drugs cannot completely replace medications for very high blood pressure. However, as a maintenance or preventive drug, such folk recipes can give good results.

Also, when using such medications, it is necessary to follow the basic rules for maintaining normal blood pressure. That is, you need to eat right, adhere to a healthy lifestyle, avoid stress and include moderate physical activity in your daily routine.

How to choose a spice?

To get the most benefit from the plant, you will need to choose a quality product. Treatment of hypertension with cloves can be successful if you use the spice whole, without grinding it - this way its beneficial qualities are better preserved. Pay attention to the color shades of the bud: it should be red-brown with an oily sheen. Is the bud withered and wrinkled? This means that the plant is no longer suitable for use, the benefits of its use are minimal.

Recipes for blood pressure

Quite effective medications for hypertension can be prepared from cloves. However, it is very important to adhere to the exact recipe. At the same time, there are quite a lot of options for preparing such products.

Recipes for clove remedies for hypertension:

To prepare the first remedy, you will need half a 300-gram cup of boiling water and 15 clove buds. The raw materials for preparing the product must be washed with clean water. After this, the cloves are poured with boiling water and infused for at least 3 hours. However, traditional healers recommend brewing this “tea” at night and leaving it in a thermos until the morning. You need to drink the resulting amount throughout the day, in small sips before meals.
The following recipe contains 20 buds of raw material and 2 cups of water. To prepare the product, rinse the buds and place them in a small saucepan and add water. You need to boil the mixture until the volume of water in the saucepan is reduced by half. After this, the product must be turned off and poured into a dark container. Take the medicine one teaspoon half an hour before meals three times a day.
The following recipe is considered the safest, as it involves gradually increasing the dose of cloves. On the first day, at night you need to brew 4 buds of the spice in a cup of water. Over the next day, you need to drink the product, consuming it in small portions. The next day you need to take 5 buds. Thus, every day you need to increase the dose of seasoning by one bud until the number of units of raw materials reaches 15 pieces. After this, you need to take a break and repeat the treatment if necessary.
You can also prepare a multi-component remedy, which in addition to cloves will include cinnamon and almonds. To do this, you need to put 4 buds of cloves, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and five almonds chopped with a knife into a cup. This mixture is poured with boiling water and then infused for forty minutes. You need to drink the “potion” during the day.
You can take a clove-based remedy along with other blood pressure medications. To do this, you need to add only 7 fragrant buds per liter of boiling water. This product is infused for 24 hours, stored in the refrigerator and drunk the next day.

All the recipes described are popular and have good reviews. However, people who adhere to traditional medicine are advised to start taking such drugs with small dosages.

Recipes for increasing blood pressure

Some people claim from their own experience that cloves help them with blood pressure. It is enough to chew a few clove buds and you will get the effect of... a cup of coffee. It is quite possible, given some of the tonic effects of the spice on the nervous system. Most likely, massage of biologically active points using clove oil will normalize low blood pressure.

Remember that when buds are boiled, their healing properties are lost, essential oils evaporate, and vitamins are destroyed by boiling. Extraction with hot water of 95-96 degrees when steaming in a thermos is more effective. Perhaps this way you will be able to raise your low blood pressure to normal levels.

How not to harm yourself

You can often see the question of whether cloves increase or decrease blood pressure. And for good reason! After all, this well-known spice can miraculously both increase and decrease blood pressure. Therefore, when using it, both hypertensive and hypotensive patients need to be very careful.

The effect of cloves on blood pressure will depend on how it is taken. That is why it is so important to strictly follow the recipe for preparing medications for hypertension.

The medications described above actually lower blood pressure. After all, it is in small concentrations that cloves have a blood pressure-lowering effect.

However, cloves can also increase blood pressure. Hypotonic patients are encouraged to take a few buds of dry cloves in the morning. Moreover, those who have tried this method not only assure that it is very effective, but also assure that cloves are no worse tonic than coffee. It is also recommended to add this spice to strong black tea with milk to increase blood pressure.

Many people believe that cloves normalize blood pressure due to the fact that it helps improve all basic processes in the body. Thanks to this, balance is restored. However, this effect can only be achieved by regularly taking clove products in small quantities.

Also very popular is mulled wine made with cloves and some other spices. It is believed that its consumption in moderate quantities also has a beneficial effect on the body, thinning the blood, normalizing metabolism and strengthening blood vessels.

Thus, in order not to harm themselves, people prone to hypertension need to use weak clove-based remedies, prepared strictly according to the recipe. They definitely shouldn’t consume the buds themselves.

How to choose a quality seasoning

Spice buds are dried under normal conditions, but when overdried they lose their aroma and beneficial properties. An overdried bud is more brittle. You can check the quality of spices in a simple way. Throw a few buds into a glass of water. A high-quality carnation will sink to the bottom or float with the bud up and the stem down. Dry cloves float horizontally.

Nowadays, treatment based on evidence-based medicine is becoming increasingly relevant. Be careful, do not let yourself be deceived or misled, especially when it comes to your health or that of your loved ones.

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Contraindications to taking such drugs

Before using any folk remedies, you must ensure that there are no contraindications to all of their ingredients. In this case - to cloves.

Contraindications to the use of cloves:

Lactation;
Pregnancy period;
Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract;
Gastritis and ulcers;
Allergic reaction to cloves;
Children under 12 years of age;
Pathologies of the liver and gall bladder.

You need to understand that these contraindications apply specifically to taking clove preparations. They do not concern the addition of this component to canned food, baked goods and main courses. Since in this case its concentration is small.

In any case, before starting to take such drugs, you should consult your doctor. Most modern specialists support the initiative to take herbal medicine. However, only if they are truly effective and have the correct composition.

Recipes based on cloves for high and low blood pressure

In order for the pressure to normalize, you can use traditional methods.

Clove decoction for low blood pressure

To prepare the decoction, 40 buds are poured into 4 glasses of just boiled water and simmered over low heat until the liquid is reduced to half a liter. The cooled broth is filtered and taken one spoon in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Mulled mustard wine to increase blood pressure

Mulled wine is mostly boiled, but it would be more effective not to boil it, but to let it sit for several weeks in a dark place. Thus, all vitamins, microelements, and fragrant aroma will be preserved. To prepare it, you need to purchase half a liter of red wine and add cloves (5 buds), you can add a little cinnamon. The bottle is closed with a tight lid and infused for 3 weeks. Drink a teaspoon with tea 1 to 3 times a day.

Clove medicine for lowering blood pressure

You can also normalize your blood pressure by taking clove medicine. To prepare it, 6 cloves are ground into powder, juice from half a lemon or orange, a tablespoon of natural honey, and two teaspoons of hibiscus tea are added to it. Leave it for 2 hours, and after the time is up, everything is drunk.

Clove infusion

In order for blood pressure to increase, you should prepare an infusion of the spice. To do this, pour boiling water over 20 buds and wrap them tightly in a towel, leaving them like this for 12 hours in a dark place. Drink the infusion immediately after waking up on an empty stomach. This remedy helps well with pressure surges.

Essential oils for hypotension

Clove essential oil will help increase blood pressure and improve your general condition. To do this, just drop a few drops onto a scarf and breathe in for 3-45 minutes.

Other medicinal properties of cloves

Cloves can do more than just lower blood pressure. This amazing spice also has a number of other therapeutic properties. Therefore, its use is indicated for a number of diseases.

Other beneficial properties of cloves:

For inflammatory diseases of the throat, cloves can have an excellent therapeutic effect. To do this, add half a teaspoon of this spice powder to a cup of warm milk.
The spice also helps fight dental diseases. Chewing it strengthens teeth, fights caries, eliminates bad breath, and also has a whitening effect.
Arthritis and arthrosis can be treated with massage with the oil of this plant. However, such physiotherapeutic procedures should not be used during an exacerbation.
To start the fat burning process, you need to drink a drink made from a piece of ginger and two clove buds before exercise.
Honey and cloves are an excellent combination for treating respiratory diseases. You can also use inhalations with clove oil.
For infectious diseases of the oral cavity and sore throat, it is useful to gargle with an infusion of clove buds. For a more pronounced effect, you can add a little sea salt to the product.
To get an antihelminthic effect from cloves, you need to take a teaspoon of its powder with a glass of water.
Using compresses with clove oil, you can get rid of a number of dermatological diseases.

This plant also has antimicrobial, analgesic, immunomodulatory, sedative and cleansing effects. That is why it is so valued in folk medicine.

You can find advice on how to treat cancer and tuberculosis with cloves. However, doctors consider this method not only ineffective, but also dangerous. After all, any delay in these diseases significantly complicates treatment.

General rules of treatment

Do not forget that the properties of the plant are useful, but in everything you need to know when to stop.

Start treatment with small doses and gradually increase. If new unpleasant symptoms or allergic manifestations are detected, you must completely stop taking the medication.
Start the healing process with tea, then move on to decoctions, then to tinctures.
Do not use the plant just before bed - the spice has a stimulating effect, do it a couple of hours before bed.
Drink the decoctions without interrupting the cycle or skipping days. The effectiveness can be assessed a few days after starting to take the drug.

It is important to adhere to general rules and recommendations regarding the use of this spice. Do not use cloves if there are contraindications, otherwise you will not get a therapeutic effect, but will only worsen your health.

Symptoms of high blood pressure

Blood pressure medications should only be taken if such a problem really exists. Uncontrolled use of such drugs can lead to aggravation of the situation.

Usually, to detect the fact of an increase in indicators, a tonometer device is used. However, hypertension is easy to recognize without the use of devices. After all, she has pronounced symptoms.

Signs of hypertension:

As blood pressure rises, a person begins to experience a lack of oxygen. He may even experience shortness of breath.
Semi-fainting and fainting is a common occurrence with a serious increase in indicators.
In such a situation, “goosebumps” may appear before your eyes. Vision is temporarily impaired and problems with focusing occur.
An increase in heart rate may also occur. In this case, pounding in the ears occurs.
Another symptom of this problem is the occurrence of migraines.
Nausea and vomiting are present in second-degree hypertension.
A sudden loss of strength may also indicate increased blood pressure.
Another common symptom is loss of concentration.

These symptoms usually indicate a serious excess of normal blood pressure. However, to ensure the accuracy of your assumptions, you need to use a tonometer.

If hypertension is present, these signs are accompanied by other symptoms. In this case, the patient will constantly experience discomfort without taking medications.

Symptoms of hypertension:

Increased sweating. This condition is called secondary hyperhidrosis.
The patient's body swells. This especially often affects the face.
The fingers of the extremities become cold and numb.
Chronic fatigue syndrome appears. It is expressed in symptoms such as irritability and constant drowsiness.
Sharp pressure surges are observed.

In the second and third degrees of hypertension, a hypertensive crisis may occur. In this case, the symptoms described above worsen, and a feeling of unreasonable fear appears.

Drawing conclusions

To summarize, I would like to dot all the i’s regarding the effectiveness of clove medications for hypertension. After all, medical opinions differ on this matter.

Cloves can really normalize blood pressure. However, it does not have a quick effect. Its effect is cumulative. That is, in order to achieve positive results, such drugs must be taken continuously for a long time.

At the same time, at the second and third stages of hypertension, drugs based on this spice will not give the expected effect. In such cases, it is necessary to take stronger medications prescribed by the doctor.

Interestingly, cloves also have properties that increase blood pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly follow the recipe when preparing preparations based on it and consult a specialist.

In order for taking clove remedies to have the desired effect in prehypertensive conditions and first degree hypertension, you need to change your lifestyle. It is very important to maintain normal weight, give up smoking and alcohol, not eat fatty, salty, smoked foods, increase your physical activity and avoid stressful situations. It is also necessary to be examined and treated for concomitant diseases in a timely manner.

Principles of treatment with cloves

For hypertension, cloves can lower blood pressure at the initial stage of the disease, provided that it is used in small doses. During treatment, it is important to start with the lowest possible dose and then gradually increase it. It would be optimal to first add the plant little by little to tea, and when the body gets used to it, start drinking infusions and decoctions. If, after taking a spice in any form, a deterioration in well-being occurs, then the course of treatment must be stopped and some alternative options must be selected.

It is optimal to use the spice two to three hours before bedtime; it is better not to do this immediately before falling asleep, as there is a risk of insomnia due to the stimulating effect. Decoctions and infusions of cloves are taken in courses, but it is not recommended to violate the dosage or skip doses, otherwise the remedy may not work.

It is important to remember that herbal preparations have a cumulative effect and do not act quickly. Therefore, the first results should be expected some time after the start of the course.

It is important to know that for hypertensive patients, cloves in their pure form can be dangerous. The fact is that this plant can both lower and increase blood pressure, the effect depends on the dosage, method of preparation and many other factors. For example, pure cloves will increase blood pressure, but decoctions and infusions from it will do the opposite. But for people with high blood pressure, it is extremely important to strictly follow the recipe for preparing herbal remedies and in no case exceed the specified dosage, otherwise you can harm your body and provoke a sharp rise in pressure. Hypotonic patients can use the plant in its pure form. To normalize blood pressure, it is enough for them to chew 5 branches, and their well-being will significantly improve.

Before using folk remedies, it is advisable to first consult with your doctor. It is he who can recommend the appropriate dosage and tell you whether this option for normalizing blood pressure is even suitable in this case. It is better not to resort to uncontrolled treatment, since at best it will not bring any benefit, and at worst, it may even turn out to be dangerous.