Can Celery Seed Extract Lower High Blood Pressure?
One of the major hot topics within health media today is high blood pressure. While magazines, talk shows and other forms of media continually explain the dangers of high blood pressure, how many of you actually know what blood pressure is? The official definition of high blood pressure is when you have a systolic pressure of 120 or greater and a diastolic pressure of 139 or greater, which is written as 120/139 mmHg.
Blood pressure is the medical term used to describe the amount of force that is being pushed against your artery walls when your heart pumps blood throughout your circulatory system. I personally find the circulatory system one of the most interesting systems in the human body, and one of the main reasons is your blood pressure can dramatically change based on what your emotional state, bodily temperature, foods you consume and your activity level.
Because your blood pressure can be significantly altered based on what you consume, how does celery seed interact with your blood pressure? While preliminary evidence suggests this extract does not have a negative effect on your blood pressure, if you currently have high blood pressure you should discuss this extract with your doctor to deem its safety.
Before heading off into the scientific data of celery seed extract and your blood pressure, let’s discuss exactly what celery seed extract is. The primary active compounds in this extract include courmarins, linoleic acid, flavonoids and volatile oils. Perhaps one of the most active of these compounds are the flavonoids. Flavonoids are naturally occurring antioxidants found in plants, and it is suggested by the University of Maryland Medical Center that these compoudns help protect your body from free radical damage. Coumarins are responsible for thinning your blood and linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid used by your body to control blood pressure as well as monitoring cholesterol levels.
Upon first glance, it seems that these compounds will actually benefit your blood pressure, as well as promote overall bodily health. However, what does science have to say?
I located a study published in the Pharmacognosy Magazine, and this 2009 article found that celery seed extract is able to maintain healthy cholesterol levels as it has a direct effect on blood lipid levels, or prostaglandin. Another study published in the Integrative Medicine Communications found that when lab animals consumed celery seed extract for a period of four weeks, they experienced a 12 percent loss in overall blood pressure. While there is no solid scientific data performed on humans, preliminary evidence suggests that celery seed extract may help directly control high blood pressure as well as indirectly affecting blood pressure through cholesterol control.
So you’re interested in taking celery seed extract for its potential health benefits – how much should you take? Upon publication of this article, there is no official recommended dosage of celery seed extract for blood pressure reduction, however, the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests consuming up to ½ teaspoon of this extract up to 3 times per day. However, you must consume ample water as celery seed extract is a diuretic, thus you will expel a higher percentage of fluid while on this supplement.
References:
University of Maryland Medical Center – Celery Seed
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/celery-seed-000231.htm
Pharmacognosy Magazine – Hypolipidemic Effects of Seed…
http://www.phcog.com/article.asp?issn=0973-1296;year=2009;volume=5;issue=20;spage=301;epage=305;aulast=Mansi
