HERBS AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

MAY 7, 2010

"This is all we have , this moment! Within it, anything can be done if we only use it well. Why hold back?"

It is so true that we only have this moment. There is a song from "Hello, Dolly" called "It Only Takes a Moment". It is a day at a time but sometimes it is a moment at a time. Some time last week it was a Karmic Day--it started out by a patient talking about me studying in the Peruvian Amazon, followed by an email about 'Medicinal Herbs of South America'. This was followed by a email from the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. A patient then discussed working with the bushman in Grenada, West Indies. This led me to thinking about writing a book on the "Medicinal Plants of the West Indies" Medicine is my life, but I believe 'plants' are my calling.

As promised, I want to discuss some herbs used in hypertension. Ninety percent of hypertension is called essential or primary hypertension. Secondary HTN only accounts for 10% of the cases.
One of the herbs used in HTN is Indian Snakeroot, which is also called Rauwolfa (Rauwolfa serpentina). This plant belongs to the periwinkle family. I love the color periwinkle. It grows wild in India, yet many species have been found in the Congo. The plant contains alkaloids. The most important and the commonly known one is reserpine. This plant can reduce hypertension in about 40% of cases. Among the plants, it is the most well-known plant.

Mistletoe (Viscum album) can achieve a hypotensive effect in about 20%. The same can be said for olive leaves and garlic. I co-authored a paper on garlic. It is available on www.fratellonemedical.com.
When using Rauwolfa, start with small doses (under the direction of a health care practitioner). It is used in mild to moderate hypertension. It should be considered to be used a sole agent.
Back to mistletoe(Viscum album). There is Phenosol, which is a mistletoe extract produced by Madaus with a long and credible history of reducing blood pressure.
It is a gentle herb and it does not act as immediately as Rauwolfa.

A common herb sold as a tea is very effective. It is made from the flowers of the Hibiscus plant. The name is Hibiscus sabdariffa. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition 2010 concluded that a daily consumption of 3 cups of hibiscus tea effectively lowered blood pressure in pre and mildly hypertensive patients. This is realistic to incorporate into your dietary regimen. The mechanism is not well understood but relies on the phytochemical, hibiscus flavinoids. I feel this is more realistic than drinking green tea. Also, on the practice web site is another article concerning green tea (Canmilla sinensis). To achieve the many results from green tea, one must consume on an average of 30 - 42 cups/tea. I know this could not be incorportated into one's diet.

I have used motherwort, scotch broom, hawthorne and night blooming cactus for the treatment of arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation. I sometimes add Convallaria.
Convalleria is one of my favorite flowers. I will tell you about it on Sunday, May 9.

Until tomorrow...