Cardiology

Effect of chicory on blood pressure

Today, many people have problems with blood pressure and are increasingly looking for folk remedies that can affect their blood vessels. One of these is chicory. The benefits and harms of this plant have long been proven by scientists. Whether chicory raises or lowers blood pressure - the issue is quite common and needs to be considered in detail.

Chicory is a herb that has a large root. Since ancient times, it has been used for medicinal purposes. This tradition is not abandoned even today, because this plant is endowed with many useful properties.

First you need to figure out what type of chicory is used for medicinal purposes. There are 2 types of plants that have succumbed to cultivation:

  1. Chicory salad.
  2. Common chicory.

The first is used for cooking, and the second is just used in medicine in the form of additives, decoctions, tinctures and coffee drinks. For the manufacture of a medicinal product, different parts of this plant are used, but it is the root that is medicinal, because it contains the greatest concentration of nutrients.

This plant is very rich in its composition. It includes the following components:

  • Inulin, which takes part in the control of blood glucose levels, and also stabilizes the heart rhythm and liver function.
  • Vitamins A, B1, B2, V12,as well as vitamin C, which play an important role in the metabolism and functioning of certain organs and systems.
  • There are various macronutrients and microelements, among which iodine, magnesium and iron are distinguished.
  • Essential oils of vegetable origin.
  • Healthy proteins.
  • Acids of organic etiology.

Inulin is considered to be the main component of chicory. The concentration of this substance in the root can reach 80%. By its structure, it is a typical polysaccharide that does not undergo decomposition under the influence of enzymes of the patient's gastrointestinal tract. That is why it is used as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes. Scientists have found an answer to the question: does inulin increase blood glucagon levels? And the answer was yes. It is also used to make fructose.

Chicory root also has other beneficial properties, some of which are worth mentioning:

  • anti-inflammatory effect;
  • sedative effect;
  • it is also used as an antipyretic for ARVI;
  • the dried root has a choleretic and diuretic effect;
  • hypnotic effect for insomnia;
  • chicory is known to be an effective hepatoprotector.

But its most important property is the ability to dilate blood vessels, which makes it useful in the treatment of hypertension. It is due to its effect on blood pressure that chicory is widely used all over the world.

Considering all the positive effects, the use of chicory for hypertension has its own contraindications. These include:

  • the presence of chronic or acute hemorrhoids;
  • the presence of stomach ulcers;
  • acute renal failure;
  • arterial hypotension;
  • acute liver disease.

It can be concluded that chicory is a very useful plant due to its limitless properties. But you should not self-medicate, and before using medicinal products based on this plant, you must consult a doctor about the presence of restrictions on therapy.

Effect of chicory on blood pressure

In the modern world, diseases of the cardiovascular system are the leading causes of death. But nature took care of humans and created plants that help to cope with many diseases. The root is useful in its plant, which is used in the treatment of various diseases.

The important advantages of this plant also include the presence of a large amount of vitamins and a caffeine deficiency, which has a detrimental effect in the presence of hypertension. Also in its composition it contains substances that have a beneficial effect on the vessels and the nervous system, problems with which give rise to arterial hypertension.

Scientists have long known how chicory affects the blood vessels of a person with hypertension:

  • First, it helps cleanse the bloodstream and arterial walls of cholesterol plaques.
  • Further, it has a vasodilating effect and strengthens their walls.
  • Last - it makes the walls more elastic and resilient.

Also in the composition of this plant is intibin, which is used in medicine as a means that dilates the vessels of the brain and prevents the development of stroke due to arterial hypertension.

Studies have shown that within a few moments after drinking one glass of chicory-based drink, the pressure drops by several divisions of mercury. From this we can conclude that medicines based on the root of this plant are very useful for people who suffer from hypertension for a long time.

Chicory for hypertension: indications and methods of application

Many people are interested in the question: is it possible to drink chicory with high blood pressure? For maximum effect, when preparing a medicinal product based on chicory, you need to take the root of this plant, chop it into small pieces and dry it. Further, this mass should be crushed on a coffee grinder and used for the preparation of medicinal products.

Chicory and its methods of application are varied, but it is worth highlighting 3 main forms of medicines:

  1. Broth. To prepare it, you need to take 100 g of the crushed root mass, pour half a liter of water and cook until boiling. Next, you need to let this mixture stand, and then strain it well. You need to drink one tablespoon three times a day after meals. The effect of using the decoction will become noticeable after a few days.
  2. The shape of the coffee drink. This type of application of chicory is known to many, because it can be found on the free sale in many supermarkets. He is very useful for patients who are forbidden to consume natural coffee, since it causes such people irreparable harm to the body. In this case, a drink made from chicory is used as a pressure reliever, and it is important not to confuse that it is not chicory that increases performance, but natural coffee. To prepare a coffee drink based on the root of this plant, you need to grind the raw materials well in a coffee grinder, the powder must be fried in a pan. Then it is poured with half a liter of water and brewed in the same way as natural coffee. To improve the taste, add nuts, honey or lemon.
  3. In the form of a tincture. To prepare it, you need to take 100 grams of chicory powder, put it in a liter vessel and fill it with vodka. This mixture should be infused in a cold place for a month. If necessary, shake it up during this period of time. After the end of the term, the tincture is consumed in 25-30 drops before meals three times a day, for several months.

For the treatment of arterial hypertension, you can also use baths with the addition of a decoction based on the root of this plant. You need to do this procedure before going to bed for several weeks, then pause. After a break, the course can be repeated. Despite the high blood pressure, chicory copes with the problem in this situation.

Scientists also noticed that chicory increases blood pressure with certain forms of its preparation, as well as when various herbs and powders are added to its composition. But this effect has not yet been officially confirmed, therefore, in case of hypotension, you need to use proven means.

Do not forget that before treatment with chicory-based products, you need to consult a therapist and a neuropathologist, who, if something happens, will be able to find moments in which the use of chicory is categorically contraindicated and can lead to serious complications. It must be remembered that human health is the highest value!