10+ Natural Ways To Lower Blood Pressure

by Skye Macfarlane on Mar 16, 2026 0 comments

High blood pressure is often called the ‘silent killer’ because many people feel totally fine, while their arteries are quietly dealing with extra strain. According to the Heart Foundation, one in three Kiwis has high blood pressure, many of them without even knowing it. Given how common it is, you may be looking for natural ways to lower blood pressure. Here, we share some simple swaps, lifestyle changes and plants you can incorporate into your day-to-day to help support healthy blood pressure.

What is high blood pressure?

As you age, your arteries naturally lose elasticity. Add in decades of stress, processed food, sitting, poor sleep and maybe a few Friday night drinks, and the pressure builds. To picture what happens in your body when you have high blood pressure, it can help to imagine your arteries are like flexible garden hoses.

Blood pressure rises when:

The ‘hoses’ get stiffer or narrower. This can occur due to inflammation, aging, and atherosclerosis.
Your nervous system is in a fight-or-flight state. Excess stress hormones tighten your blood vessels, which affects how the blood flows.
Your body holds onto more fluid volume. This can happen when your kidneys are overtaxed or your salt balance is impaired.
Inflammation and metabolic dysfunction creep in over time.

When your arteries stiffen, the same volume of blood creates more force. That force is what we measure as blood pressure. The good news, though, is that blood vessels are dynamic tissues; they respond to what you do. Lowering blood pressure naturally is basically just relaxing the 'hoses', reducing the extra volume and calming the alarm systems.

1. Make salt reduction sneakier

You might be surprised to learn that most sodium in your diet doesn’t actually come from the salt shaker. Instead, it tends to come from processed and packaged foods. The NZ Heart Foundation is quite clear on this point: lowering sodium intake can help lower blood pressure.

Rather than trying to eliminate salt (which is both difficult and unnecessary), it can be more effective to make a few simple swaps that quietly reduce your intake. For example, you could switch packet soups for homemade versions, choose fresh cuts of meat instead of processed meats like ham or salami, and look for low-sodium versions of sauces such as soy sauce, stock, and tomato sauce. Even small changes like rinsing canned beans or opting for unsalted nuts can reduce your overall sodium intake.

2. Walk

Regular movement helps blood vessels function better, reducing pressure over time. The usual 20-30 minutes a day of movement stands, but maybe break it up throughout the day if that's easier to maintain. A twenty-minute walk after dinner not only helps digestion and blood sugar balancing, but it’s also a natural way to lower blood pressure over time.

3. Increase potassium-rich foods

Potassium helps to counterbalance sodium and supports healthy vascular tone. So try to add in more potassium-rich foods like bananas, kiwifruit, leafy greens and beans. Note: if you have kidney disease or are on certain medications, check with your health professional before increasing potassium too much.

4. Watch your alcohol consumption

Alcohol can push blood pressure up, especially with a higher intake. Even a simple pattern change like instigating alcohol free days can show up in blood pressure readings, making it a great way to lower blood pressure naturally.

5. Improve your sleep hygiene

As you know, poor sleep can make everything worse, including blood pressure. Short and restless sleep increases your stress hormones, and increased stress hormones worsen your ability to regulate your blood pressure. Focusing on your sleep hygiene is a great way to work on lowering your blood pressure naturally.

🌿Related: 8 Incredible Herbs To Help With Sleep

6. Reduce stress

Chronic stress keeps your blood vessels tight. It also means you might turn more regularly to indulgences like salty, delicious chips or wine, which in turn increases blood pressure. Trying to focus on more stress reduction strategies, like meditation, deep breathing and a sleep routine, is a simple, natural way to lower blood pressure. Nervine supportive herbs like chamomile, Californian poppy, lemon balm and St. John's wort can really help your nervous system.

Plants can act as a natural way to lower blood pressure

7. Garlic

Allicin, a compound found in garlic, helps to increase nitric oxide bioavailability. This compound helps your blood vessels dilate, allowing easier blood flow and less pressure. It also helps with endothelial function, which is the inner lining of your blood vessels. It can also help with platelet clumping, so basically supporting reduced blood clot formation.

Multiple studies on garlic have shown a modest average reduction in blood pressure, particularly in people who have high blood pressure. You can obviously add more garlic to your food, but note that cooking reduces its allicin levels. If that does not appeal, you can take therapeutic standardised garlic in a soft gel capsule or tablet.

Note: as allicin can reduce platelet formation (blood clots), so people who are on blood thinners need to be careful and thoughtfully monitored if they introduce high-dose garlic.

8. Hawthorn

Traditionally used for centuries for cardiovascular support, hawthorn helps to relax blood vessels, which helps with blood flow. It also provides antioxidant support for the endothelial cells and helps to improve your microcirculation. So all in all makes things flow easier. It is a gentle modulator (balancer) relaxing your vessels.

9. Hibiscus

Hibiscus contains anthocyanins and polyphenols that support your antioxidant intake and endothelial health. Similar to hibiscus, elderberry is also rich in the same anthocyanins and antioxidant compounds that can support vascular health (as an antioxidant layer).

10. Olive leaf

Olives form a large part of the Mediterranean diet, which is well established for supporting heart health. Oleuropein, one of the key compounds in olive leaf, has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to reduce inflammation, protect heart tissue, support healthy cholesterol levels and help guard against artery damage. Oleuropein can also help with endothelial function and provide antioxidant support.

11. Turmeric

Low-grade chronic inflammation contributes to vascular stiffness, but turmeric can help with inflammation management. By incorporating turmeric into your diet and health support plan, you can reduce inflammation and its burden on your body. One easy way to incorporate turmeric into your everyday is by using our Anti-Flam Tonic, which contains organic, New Zealand-grown turmeric, as well as other anti-inflammatory herbs.

Your heart will thank you for bringing in a few blood pressure supportive actions, especially given that prevention is key. Please note that if you are on blood pressure medications, it is important to let your health professional know before you start changing things, and that you continue to monitor your blood pressure to make sure it is at the right level for you.

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