Currants for hypertension: does it increase or decrease blood pressure?

What are the benefits of berries?

Magnesium in black currant removes stress from blood vessels and lowers blood pressure

Black currant is a storehouse of vitamins and health. It contains vitamin B, P, K, ascorbic acid, carotene, pectin, essential oil, phosphoric acid, potassium salt and iron. Currant leaves contain copper, magnesium, manganese, phytoncides, sulfur and ascorbic acid. In terms of the amount of vitamin C, currants stand out among other berries and are comparable only to rose hips. To get the daily requirement of this vitamin you need to eat 15-20 berries.

Currants are characterized by anti-inflammatory, blood purifying, diuretic, tonic and other qualities. With high blood pressure, black currant berries eliminate spasm from the walls of blood vessels. As a result, the vessels “relax” and the pressure in their cavities decreases. The effect can be achieved if you systematically consume a small amount of berries.

According to research, berries reduce blood pressure by 10-15 units. If you come across information that currants increase blood pressure, you should not believe them. You only need to pick ripe berries. However, remember that after 14 days they lose about 30% of ascorbic acid.

Does it lower or increase blood pressure?

Due to the high content of vitamin C, tannins and essential oils, which are classified as polyphenols, black currant has a hypotensive effect . The effect of reducing pressure is achieved in the following ways:

Vitamin C cleanses the blood of harmful substances and significant amounts of cholesterol and leads to a decrease in vascular tension.
Polyphenols are able to relieve spasm of the vascular wall, which ensures “relaxation” of blood vessels.

Polyphenols have unique properties. With high blood pressure, they contribute to the activation of metabolic processes in endothelial cells, stimulating the production of mediators that reduce blood pressure. With hypotension, a normal level of blood pressure, metabolic processes in the cells of the endothelial layer of blood vessels are maintained at an average level, which does not cause any changes.

The effect of currants on blood pressure

The benefits for the human body from both black and red currants are due to the abundance of vitamins P and C. They, in turn, help reduce blood pressure, which affects hypertensive patients. Although red currants lower blood pressure less effectively than black currants.

As mentioned earlier, currants affect the body as follows:

helps in curing atherosclerosis of the circulatory system;
cleanses the bloodstream;
reduces pressure in vessels at high pressure.

Black currant lowers blood pressure not only with a one-time increase in blood pressure, but also in advanced cases of hypertension, if the patient’s blood pressure does not decrease for quite a long time. With daily consumption, you can notice how currants affect blood pressure after 30 days. In addition, currants not only reduce blood pressure, but also restore the functions of the body as a whole.

In addition, thanks to the iron, zinc, potassium and manganese in the berries, hypertensive patients can cope with the manifestations of anemia. Black currant also restores function in small capillaries that die from insufficient blood flow, by normalizing blood circulation.

The healing effects of red currants

improves hematopoiesis, reduces blood viscosity;
removes excess cholesterol, clearing the lumens of blood vessels;
helps prevent atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes;
improves poor intestinal motility in old age;
removes excess fluid due to diuretic properties;
strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance;
like raspberries, it reduces fever and inflammation during colds and flu;
reduces the risk of developing cancer and diabetes.

Contraindications to the use of red currants: reduced blood clotting, viral hepatitis, acute inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract.

What to cook from currants to treat hypertension

In the summer, you should definitely enjoy fresh berries. For hypertension, it is recommended to drink freshly squeezed currant juice 3 times a day, 1/4 cup. Ideally, this regime should be followed for at least 2 weeks.

Currant jam

To be prepared for the cold season, make some jam. You need to take 5 tbsp. spoons of honey and 0.6 kg of berries. The berries are carefully ground through a sieve and mixed with honey. A teaspoon of the resulting composition is diluted in 1/5 glass of water and consumed 3 times a day. In addition, this mixture is added to tea made from currant leaves. Sometimes you should stop taking jam for a month, otherwise the body will become oversaturated with ascorbic acid.

Currant decoction

You can dry the berries for the winter. For the decoction you need to take 2 tbsp. spoons of dried berries, pour 250 ml of boiling water and put on low heat. Boil them for 10-15 minutes and leave to brew for 1 hour. Pour the cooled broth into a glass container and leave in a cool place. The decoction should be drunk 4 times a day, 1/4 cup. Course therapy with this remedy can last 4-5 weeks. Therapy with a decoction will clearly show the effect of currants on blood pressure.

Tea with currant leaves

In addition to berries, currant leaves also have an effect on hypertension. They need to be dried and used as regular tea. A decoction of currant leaves can serve as a replacement for morning coffee. Research has proven that this herbal tea stimulates no worse than coffee, and also has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole. Recipe for making blackcurrant tea for blood pressure:

you need to take 2 tbsp. spoons of ground currant leaves;
pour boiling water in a volume of 0.2 liters;
leave to infuse for 15 minutes;
to improve the taste, you can add 1 teaspoon of honey.

Tea with currant leaves normalizes blood flow and improves heart rhythm

Currant tincture with vodka

The tincture is quite easy to prepare. This drink will perfectly help with the manifestations of hypertension. In an enamel container you need to mix berries - 0.4 kg, water - 0.2 l and sugar - 0.25 kg. The mixture is brought to a boil and removed from heat after 3 minutes. The berries need to be mashed with a pestle. The cooled syrup should be mixed with 500 ml of vodka. The composition is poured into a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. The medicine must be infused for 20 days, remembering to shake it every 2-3 days. Then the tincture is filtered using gauze, bottled and tightly closed. This drink needs to be kept refrigerated. The daily dosage of the product is 30-50 ml. The tincture normalizes the digestive process, lowers blood pressure and increases immunity.

Recipes for medicines with black currant

The danger of this disease is that it can easily lead to a heart attack, stroke, or angina, which is why almost constant use of medications is required, which have certain contraindications and unpleasant side effects.
An excellent alternative to them are fresh berries, which lower blood pressure and regulate the functioning of the entire cardiovascular system. They are an invaluable source of vitamins and other substances necessary for the functioning of the entire body.

Black currants can also be consumed fresh. However, not everyone likes the taste of this berry. In addition, if the stomach has high acidity, it should not be consumed in its pure form.

There are recipes for blood pressure with currants. In this form, the taste of the product improves; in addition, such products may contain components that will increase their usefulness.

Recipes for blood pressure with currants:

Crush two tablespoons of currants with a wooden masher. Then pour a cup of hot water over the raw material. Drink this composition instead of tea three times a day after meals. You can also sweeten the drink with a teaspoon of honey.
Mix a glass of currants with half a glass of honey. Grind the ingredients with a wooden pestle until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Take 2-3 teaspoons with tea for hypertension.
You can also brew currant leaves as a tea for hypertension. To do this, two tablespoons of dry raw materials are poured with half a liter of water. Drink this drink throughout the day instead of tea. To increase its effectiveness, you can use a mixture of currants and honey.
You can also make a smoothie from foods that lower blood pressure. In addition to currants, you can take grapefruit, beets, carrots or viburnum.

Contraindications to the use of berries

Berries should not be consumed in excess by patients with hypertension, who also suffer from gastritis with high acidity, hepatitis, and gastric ulcers. If you consume berries in large quantities for a long time, blood clotting increases, since black currants contain high amounts of phenolic compounds and vitamin K. The berries are contraindicated for patients with hepatitis, although they are useful in the presence of other liver diseases.

Doctors do not recommend drinking 100% blackcurrant juice to pregnant women. It can provoke allergies in a child, however, in small volumes it can increase hemoglobin in the bloodstream.

The use of blackcurrant juice is contraindicated in case of thrombosis, as well as after the patient has suffered a stroke or heart attack.

Medicinal mixtures with currants for hypertension

Currant leaves and berries are used as part of vitamin preparations in the treatment of arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diseases of the circulatory system.

The most effective recipes:

Collection No. 1: 10 g currant leaves, 20 g clover flowers. Recommended for hypertension, accompanied by exhaustion, loss of strength, and headaches.
Collection No. 2: 50 g each of red rowan berries, rose hips, 20 g each of strawberry leaves, black currants. The decoction causes a strong diuretic effect.
Collection No. 3: 20 g of berries and leaves of currants, raspberries, lingonberries. Lowers blood pressure, maintains normal levels, cleanses the blood, removes bad cholesterol.

The preparation method is the same: take 1 tbsp for 1 glass of water. l. mixture, add water, bring to a boil, boil for 5-10 minutes. Let it brew for at least 1 hour. Drink 100 ml of the prepared decoction in the morning and evening. The course of treatment with fees is 1-1.5 months.

How to choose a berry

When buying currants on the market, you need to pay attention to the integrity, ripeness and absence of spots on the berries. Fresh blackcurrant berries have a fragrant, pleasant smell.

Frozen berries also need to be chosen carefully. The packaging must be intact and there must be no ice in the berries, as this is evidence of repeated defrosting and freezing of the product. Such berries are often spoiled and vitamins are lost. When choosing dried berries, also pay attention to their appearance, aroma, foreign specks, and the presence of any bugs.

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The black variety wins

So which variety is the healthiest? All 3 species are known in our latitudes. Red currants are very common in gardens and do not need special care. A little less known is white, but its taste will captivate you immediately after the first berry. Unlike other types, it has a pleasant sweet taste. The red and white varieties have similar properties. However, the winner is black.

Its advantage is the highest level of vitamin C and rutin. It is thanks to these substances that it is used at high temperatures, when it is recommended for consumption in the form of tea or juice. Unique properties include treating urinary tract problems. In addition to the fruits, you can use the leaves of this type of shrub to make tea - they help with kidney stones and prevent cancer.