Does celery lower blood pressure?

Possibly, as a seed extract in capsules, and nobody has tested the vegetable. A 2025 meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials in 511 adults found celery preparations lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It reports the effect only as a standardized difference, 1.0 for systolic pressure (95% CI 0.14 to 1.85), so there is no figure in millimeters of mercury to give you. The trials gave capsules and decoctions, at doses from 10.55 to 2,250 mg a day for 12 to 84 days.

Unsettled. Three things keep this open. The trials disagreed with each other far more than chance allows, with heterogeneity of 94.3 percent. They were small, and several had a high risk of bias. And they tested extracts, mostly of the seed, which is a supplement and a different exposure from a stalk of celery or a glass of juice.

What the trials found

The pooled analysis

The 2025 review pooled ten trials in adults with hypertension, prediabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome or overweight. Eight of the trials, 473 people, measured systolic pressure. Systolic pressure fell by a standardized difference of 1.0 and diastolic by 0.93 (95% CI 0.33 to 1.54). Celery seed, and preparations above 1,000 mg a day, did better than other parts of the plant. Between 200 and 1,000 mg a day, the fall in diastolic pressure was not significant. The reviewers rated the certainty moderate for the trials that compared celery with no drug, and the subgroups are small.

Two trials of seed extract

A 2026 double-blind trial gave 28 people with metabolic syndrome 150 mg of celery seed a day or a placebo for 12 weeks, 14 per group. In the celery group systolic pressure went from 121.0 to 115.7 mmHg and diastolic from 82.2 to 78.5. The systolic fall was greater than with placebo. Pressure at the start was close to normal, and the trial is very small.

A triple-blind crossover trial gave 50 people with hypertension, already on their usual medicines, 1.34 g a day of celery seed extract or placebo for 4 weeks each. Blood pressure measures fell significantly during celery. The abstract does not give the size in mmHg, the full text was not available to us, and the main aim of the trial was anxiety and depression scores.

Celery as food

The only data on eating celery come from a survey. In 2,195 Americans aged 40 to 59, people who ate more cooked celery had lower blood pressure. That is one measurement in time, it shows an association and cannot show cause, and celery was not separated from the rest of the diet.

Celery juice has less still behind it. An umbrella review of 15 systematic reviews of 100 percent juice found no eligible meta-analysis for vegetable juice at all. We found no randomized trial of celery juice or celery stalks on blood pressure.

The nitrate argument

If celery works through its nitrate, as is often suggested, the nitrate trials are not encouraging for the people who most want the effect. A meta-analysis of 19 trials found inorganic nitrate lowered systolic pressure by 2.42 mmHg (95% CI 0.57 to 4.28) in healthy people. In people with hypertension the fall was 0.82 mmHg with an interval that crosses zero (95% CI -2.53 to 0.90), not significant. A dose-response meta-analysis of 75 trials in 1,823 people found each extra millimole of nitrate went with systolic pressure about 0.24 to 0.48 mmHg lower over weeks. Those trials mostly used beetroot juice or nitrate salts, and celery was not tested.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. For people with celery allergy, very small amounts matter. In low-dose food challenges in European patients, the dose of celery protein that set off a reaction in 10 percent of allergic people was in the same range as peanut and hazelnut, between 1.6 and 10.1 mg of protein. Cooking does not reliably remove the risk. In 12 patients chosen because they had reacted to celery, 6 of 11 reacted to celery cooked at 110 C for 15 minutes and 5 of 5 to celery spice. Seed extracts may carry the allergens too. If you are allergic to celery, a celery seed capsule is not a safe way round it.

Across the six trials in the meta-analysis that reported safety, celery preparations caused no more mild or severe side effects than placebo. Those trials lasted at most 84 days, so this says nothing about years of use. The highest dose tested was 2,250 mg a day, and we found no set upper limit for celery seed extract, so that is the edge of what has been tried, not a safe ceiling.

If you take blood pressure medicine, the one trial in people like you added the extract on top of their drugs for 4 weeks and cannot separate the two. We found no data on interactions between celery extract and blood pressure medicines, or on use in pregnancy. That is missing evidence, not a sign of safety, and adding an extract to treatment is a question for whoever prescribes it.

What expert bodies say

We found no position from a heart or blood pressure body on celery. The EU register of health claims holds no blood pressure claim for celery. It refused a claim that celery helps the kidneys remove water, the effect often given as the reason it should lower pressure. A refusal means the evidence did not meet the bar when it was assessed.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial of celery as people eat it, stalks or juice, with blood pressure as the main outcome. We found none.
• Results in millimeters of mercury. A pooled figure in mmHg, by dose and by part of the plant, would tell a reader whether the effect is worth a capsule.
• Larger seed extract trials in people with raised blood pressure, run long enough to see whether the fall lasts. None is running in the ClinicalTrials.gov records we searched.

More on the vegetable itself: celery page.

Sources

1. ev-celbp-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 473
   The random-effects model revealed that, celery significantly reduced SBP levels compared to the control group (SMD: −1.0; 95% CI: −1.85 to −0.14; p = 0.022), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 94.3%, p < 0.001) (Figure 3A).
   
   Who: adults aged about 50 to 70 in RCTs of celery capsules or decoctions, 12 to 84 days
   Effect: SBP SMD -1.0 (95% CI -1.85 to -0.14); I2 94.3%; GRADE moderate for non-drug control subgroup
   Certainty: Effect given as SMD, not mmHg; very high heterogeneity; small trials, several with high risk of bias.
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
2. ev-celbp-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs, subgroup analysis · n = 511
   Subgroup analysis revealed that celery seeds or celery preparations exceeding 1,000 mg/day were more effective than other parts of celery.
   
   Who: 10 RCTs of celery preparations, capsule doses from 10.55 to 2,250 mg/day
   Effect: DBP SMD -0.93 (95% CI -1.54 to -0.33); seed and >1,000 mg/day subgroups more effective; 200 to 1,000 mg/day not significant for DBP
   Certainty: Subgroups are small; seed extract is a supplement, not the vegetable.
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-celbp-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs, descriptive safety synthesis · n = 6 trials
   No significant differences were observed between celery and placebo in terms of severe adverse events, and there was no notable difference in mild adverse events between celery and control groups.
   
   Who: RCTs of celery preparations reporting adverse events or safety laboratory tests
   Effect: no significant difference in severe or mild adverse events vs placebo
   Certainty: Short trials (up to 84 days); adverse events rare and variously reported.
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
4. ev-celbp-04 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial (NCT06061926) · n = 28
   After celery seed administration, patients showed a significant decrease in their systolic blood pressure (SBP) (121.0 ± 9.7 mmHg vs. 115.7 ± 12.8 mmHg, p = 0.005)
   
   Who: patients with metabolic syndrome, celery seed 150 mg/day or placebo for 12 weeks, 14 per group
   Effect: SBP 121.0 to 115.7 mmHg (p = 0.005), DBP 82.2 to 78.5 mmHg (p = 0.013) within the celery group; greater fall than placebo for SBP (p = 0.001)
   Certainty: Very small; baseline pressure near normal; published after the corpus snapshot.
   Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2026, 19:110, Effect of Celery Seed (Apium graveolens L.) Administration on the Components of Metabolic Syndrome · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-celbp-05 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial · n = 50
   The mean reduction in blood pressure parameters was also significant during celery therapy (P < 0.001).
   
   Who: hypertensive patients on their usual drugs, celery seed extract capsules 1.34 g/day or placebo, 4 weeks each, 4-week washout
   Effect: blood pressure parameters fell significantly during celery (p < 0.001); size in mmHg not in the abstract
   Certainty: Primary outcome was anxiety and depression; BP magnitude not available (no PMC full text).
   Inflammopharmacology, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-celbp-06 · Observational data · cross-sectional analysis · n = 2,195
   Among commonly eaten cooked vegetables, tomatoes, peas, celery, and scallions related significantly inversely to BP.
   
   Who: US adults aged 40 to 59 in the INTERMAP study, four 24-hour recalls and eight BP readings
   Effect: cooked celery inversely related to BP; size for celery alone not in the abstract
   Certainty: Association only; one point in time; celery not separated from overall diet quality.
   J Hum Hypertens, 2014 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-celbp-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 19 studies
   In conclusion, inorganic nitrate can mildly reduce systolic blood pressure in healthy people, but does not have a lowering effect on blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
   
   Who: healthy and hypertensive adults in RCTs of inorganic nitrate
   Effect: healthy: SBP -2.42 mmHg (95% CI -4.28 to -0.57); hypertensive: SBP -0.82 mmHg (95% CI -2.53 to 0.90), not significant
   Certainty: Celery itself not tested; nitrate mostly from beetroot juice or salts.
   Food Funct, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-celbp-08 · Observational data · low-dose double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges · n = —
   Of the 5 foods used for challenge, 4 produced similar dose distributions, with estimated doses eliciting reactions in 10% of the allergic population (ED10), ranging from 1.6 to 10.1 mg of protein for hazelnut, peanut, and celery with overlapping 95% CIs.
   
   Who: European patients with allergy to peanut, hazelnut, celery, fish or shrimp
   Effect: ED10 1.6 to 10.1 mg protein for hazelnut, peanut and celery, overlapping 95% CIs
   Certainty: Applies to people with celery allergy; seed extracts may carry allergens too.
   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-celbp-09 · Position of an expert body · EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6622, snapshot of 2026-09-21 · n = —
   POL-HC-6622 Apium graveolens - common name : celery Used to enhance the renal elimination of water / "Used to facilitate the elimination functions of the organism" / "Used for the drainage of the organism" / "Stimulates the elimination function of the organism" / "Contributes to the functionary of the urinary tract" Non-authorised
   
   Who: foods and supplements sold in the EU
   Effect: claim status: non-authorized
   Certainty: Non-authorized means the evidence did not meet the bar at assessment; no blood pressure claim for celery exists in the register.
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6622, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
10. cel-dr-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · extraction of intervention characteristics from the nine randomized controlled trials pooled in the 2025 meta-analysis of celery preparations, reported in the results section of the review · n = 511
    Celery was administered either as capsules or as decoctions, with capsule doses ranging from 10.55 mg to 2,250 mg per day, and treatment durations varying from 12 to 84 days.
    
    Who: participants with hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, prediabetes or overweight in trials run in Iran, Indonesia and China between 2002 and 2024
    Effect: celery was given as capsules or decoctions, with capsule doses from 10.55 mg to 2,250 mg per day over 12 to 84 days; the subgroup analysis reported that celery seeds or preparations above 1,000 mg per day worked better than other parts of the plant
    Certainty: this is the description of the evidence, not a result, and it is the most useful thing on the page. Nothing here says eating celery sticks does nothing. It says nobody tested that. A milligram dose of seed extract and a stalk of celery are different exposures, and a reader who buys celery because of a headline about blood pressure is buying a food the trials did not use
    Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the fulltext
11. cel-dr-04 · Observational data · double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges with raw celery, celery cooked at 110 degrees for 15 minutes and celery spice, plus open mucosal challenge with canned celery retorted to cooking effect values of 7.45 to 76.07, with IgE immunoblot, enzyme allergosorbent test inhibition and a murine mediator release model · n = 12
    In a subset of patients with a positive DBPCFC to cooked celery, celery remains allergenic even after extended thermal treatment (76.07 min/100 degrees C).
    
    Who: patients with a history of allergic reactions to raw or to raw and cooked celery
    Effect: six of eleven patients had a positive challenge to cooked celery and five of five to celery spice; allergenicity survived in four patients even after thermal treatment equivalent to 76.07 minutes at 100 degrees; heat resistance of the allergens decreased in the order cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants, then Api g 4, then Api g 1
    Certainty: twelve patients, and they were selected for having reacted to celery already, so the proportions do not describe the general population. The number that matters is not the proportion but the fact that heating far beyond any domestic cooking did not abolish the reaction in some people. For someone without celery allergy this changes nothing at all
    Allergy, 2002 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the abstract
12. celj-daily-r3-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 1823
    Our analysis of 75 RCTs involving 1823 participants revealed that per each millimole (mmol) increase in the administered NO3 dose, both acute (WMD: 32.7µmol/L; 95%CI: 26.1, 39.4) and chronic-term (WMD: 19.6µmol/L; 95%CI: 9.95, 29.3) plasma NO3 levels increased. Per each mmol increase in NO3 intake, a reduction in systolic BP levels was observed in the acute (WMD: -0.28mmHg; 95%CI: -0.40, -0.17), short-term (WMD: -0.24mmHg; 95%CI: -0.40, -0.07), and medium-term (WMD: -0.48mmHg; 95%CI: -0.71, -0.25) periods.
    
    Who: adults in 75 RCTs
    Effect: acute plasma nitrate +32.7 umol/L per mmol; systolic -0.28 mmHg (acute), -0.24 (short-term), -0.48 (medium-term) per mmol
    Certainty: mostly beetroot juice and nitrate salts; celery nitrate varies widely, so dose from celery juice is uncertain
    Nutr J, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the abstract
13. celj-daily-r3-06 · Observational data · umbrella review · n = 15 reviews
    No eligible studies for vegetable juice were found.
    
    Who: 15 systematic reviews with 51 meta-analyses of 100% juice
    Effect: no eligible meta-analysis for vegetable juice
    Certainty: gap finding, not an effect estimate
    Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the abstract