Discover how to use essential oils for blood pressure, how they work and a few recipes you can follow to get your blood pressure under control.
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure refers to the pressure of circulating blood on the walls of the blood vessels. It is expressed in terms of the systolic pressure (maximum during one heart beat) over diastolic pressure (minimum in between two heart beats). The normal blood pressure in an adult is approximately 120/80 mmHg.
Together with body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiratory rate, blood pressure is one of the most important signs that indicate the status of the body’s life-sustaining functions.
Blood pressure that is low is known as hypotension while blood pressure that is consistently high is known as high blood pressure or hypertension. High blood pressure is common among many people and is a high risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney failure, among others.
Below, take a look at some of the studies carried out on aroma therapy and essential oils for blood pressure:
Research on Essential Oils for Blood Pressure
Study One: Essential oils may have relaxation effects for controlling hypertension (1)
Study Two: A study shows that aroma massage was effective in reducing home SBP and immediate office BP before and after the intervention as well as increasing sleep quality in middle-aged women with hypertension (2)
Study Three: Aroma therapy foot massage significantly decreased the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and increased the mental health of men and women (3)
Top 10 Essential Oils for Blood Pressure
1. Sweet Marjoram
2. Ylang Ylang
3. Valerian Root
4. Jasmine
5. Clary Sage
6. Rose
7. Hyssop
8. Geranium
9. Lavender
10. Melissa
Essential Oil Recipes for Blood Pressure
Please note that if you suffer from hypertension, consult your doctor before using essential oils and never forego conventional treatment for natural alternatives as high blood pressure is known to be a serious and fatal condition that can lead to severe complications including stroke, kidney failure and more. Here are two essential oil recipes for blood pressure management:
1. Roller Blend for High Blood Pressure
What you need
- 7 drops ylang ylang
- 5 drops Melissa
- 5 drops sweet marjoram
- Fractionated coconut oil
- 10 ml roller bottle
Method
- Remove the roller ball from the bottle and add the essential oil drop by drop.
- Top with fractionated coconut oil then push the roller ball firmly back on.
- Put on the cap and shake gently to combine.
- Roll the blend over your heart and on your feet at night time.
2. Hypertension Support Diffuser Blend
What you need
- 3 drops lavender
- 2 drops clary sage
- 2 drops ylang ylang
- 1 drop geranium
- 1 drop marjoram
- Non – plastic cold air diffuser
Method
Add the oils to your diffuser, with about 70 – 90 ml of water (follow the manufacturer’s instructions). Diffuse at least once a day for 15 minutes while relaxing.
References
(1) In-Hee Kim, 1 Chan Kim, 2 Kayeon Seong, 1 Myung-Haeng Hur, 1 ,* Heon Man Lim, 3 and Myeong Soo Lee 4 Essential Oil Inhalation on Blood Pressure and Salivary Cortisol Levels in Prehypertensive and Hypertensive Subjects. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012; 2012: 984203.
(2) Myeong-Sook Ju, 1 Sahng Lee, 2 Ikyul Bae, 3 Myung-Haeng Hur, 4 ,* Kayeon Seong, 4 and Myeong Soo Lee 5 Effects of Aroma Massage on Home Blood Pressure, Ambulatory Blood Pressure, and Sleep Quality in Middle-Aged Women with Hypertension. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013; 2013: 403251.(3) Eguchi E1, Funakubo N1, Tomooka K2, Ohira T3, Ogino K1, Tanigawa T2. The Effects of Aroma Foot Massage on Blood Pressure and Anxiety in Japanese Community-Dwelling Men and Women: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 24;11(3):e0151712. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151712. eCollection 2016.
Caution
If you are new to essential oils, please read the article: Caution and Safety when using Essential Oils
