How to Use Natural Diuretics to Treat High Blood Pressure

Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor is likely to put you on several prescription medications that will help to lower it. Among the types of medications usually prescribed are diuretics, which aid in getting rid of excess fluid buildup, due to such factors as too much salt in the diet. Diuretics cause you to urinate and eliminate water retention. Like any prescription drug, however, they carry certain unpleasant side-effects. If you want to try natural diuretics instead, there are some alternatives to conventional medications. Always check with your doctor before using them, however.

Instructions

1

Eat watermelon. It is a delicious way to get rid of water retention. Watermelon is a large, seasonal fruit with a hard green rind and flesh that is red, pink or orange. Since watermelons are 92% water, they aid in increasing urination. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can eat watermelon without any problem.

2

Drink a cup of parsley tea twice daily. Parsley is an herb that comes from a biennial plant with feathery green leaves that originated in the Mediterranean region of the world. It is commonly used for culinary purposes, but has also been employed for medicinal purposes, including ridding the body of excess fluid. You should not take parsley if you have kidney disease or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Check with your doctor before taking parsley, if you are taking a prescription drug, to avoid the risk of interactions. .

3

Eliminate excess fluid in your body by drinking cranberry juice daily. Native to the Northern Hemisphere, cranberries come from the red berries of a small shrub.Make sure that the cranberry juice you get is 100% juice and that it doesn't have sugar in it. You should avoid drinking cranberry juice, if you are on warfarin, as interactions have been reported.

4

Consider sipping 3 cups of green tea each day to help eliminate fluid. Green tea, made from the leaves of the tea plant known as Camellia sinensis, has long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its diuretic properties and for treating other health conditions. You should not drink green tea if you suffer from kidney problems, heart disease, ulcers, are pregnant, breastfeeding or have an anxiety disorder.

5

Drink at least six to eight 8-ounce glasses of distilled water per day to get rid of fluid in your body. People often forget the health benefits of water, including its use as a natural diuretic.