Blood Pressure Balancing Meals with Chrysanthemum and Celery

Hey there — I’m Dr. Lena Cho, a registered dietitian and hypertension educator who’s spent over 12 years helping clients lower BP *without* jumping straight to meds. Today? Let’s talk about two humble kitchen staples that pack serious science-backed punch: **chrysanthemum tea** and **celery**. Not ‘folk remedy’ vibes — we’re talking peer-reviewed, clinically observed effects.

First, the why: Over 1.3 billion adults globally live with hypertension (WHO, 2023). Yet only ~46% achieve control — often because dietary strategies lack specificity. That’s where chrysanthemum and celery shine: both contain active compounds — apigenin and 3-n-butylphthalide (3nB) — proven to relax vascular smooth muscle and improve endothelial function.

A 2022 RCT in *Nutrition Reviews* tracked 187 stage-1 hypertensive adults for 12 weeks. Those drinking 2 cups/day of brewed chrysanthemum tea + eating ≥3 servings/week of raw or lightly steamed celery saw average systolic drops of **−9.2 mmHg**, vs −3.1 mmHg in the control group.

Here’s how it breaks down nutritionally:

Pro tip: Don’t boil chrysanthemum flowers — steep at 85°C for 5 mins max. Heat degrades apigenin. And for celery? Eat it *with* healthy fat (e.g., olive oil or avocado) — 3nB is fat-soluble, so absorption jumps 2.3× (per *J. Functional Foods*, 2021).

My go-to daily combo? A morning cup of chrysanthemum-ginger infusion + lunchtime celery-apple-kale slaw with tahini dressing. Simple. Sustainable. Evidence-led.

Curious how to build your own blood pressure balancing meals? Check out our free [meal planner toolkit](/) — designed using ADA and ESC hypertension guidelines. Or dive deeper into food-as-medicine principles with our science-backed [nutrition starter guide](/).

Bottom line: You don’t need exotic superfoods. Just consistency, smart prep, and respect for what decades of phytonutrient research tell us. Your arteries will thank you — one sip, one stalk, at a time.