Chinese Herbs for Hypertension
High Blood Pressure Management Aided By Traditional Chinese Medicine
Nov 15, 2007
Hypertension is a problem for many people, In addition to hereditary factors, stressful lifestyles and poor diet can contribute to high blood pressure. Traditional Chinese Medicine combines Western theory and classical Chinese assessments to treat hypertension. While there are some basic dietary recommendations that can be tried, seriously high blood pressure should be evaluated by a physician. A qualified TCM practitioner can be of great help with hypertension cases.
How TCM Sees Hypertension
TCM assessment tends to be more descriptive and colorful than western medicine. Imagine being diagnosed as having Liver Fire Upward Blazing. And yet, this assessment paints a picture of an angry, explosive personality who easily goes red in the face. It might otherwise be known as the heart attack waiting to happen. And it would be a pattern that is often associated with high blood pressure.
But other people may develop hypertension from a different Chinese pattern-Deficiency or Vacuity of Yin. Most people understand the concept of Yin (feminine) and Yang (masculine) being in balance. The person who has Deficiency of Yin will be one who has plenty of nervous energy but underlying that they feel completely exhausted.
There are other TCM patterns that can result in hypertension, but the following information will be helpful no matter what Chinese medicine patterns a person shows.
Using Foods to Control High Blood Pressure
A multi-level approach can be used to combine western diagnosis with traditional Chinese concepts.
- Eat foods that are known to lower blood pressure. Foods that are shown to reduce hypertension include seaweeds, mung beans, hawthorn fruit, bananas and persimmon. Making a tomato and celery soup or steamed clams may also help get those numbers down.
- Eat foods that lower cholesterol. High cholesterol levels are often linked to hypertension so foods that either help lower cholesterol or are themselves low in cholesterol should be chosen. This true from both the TCM perspective and the western view. For high cholesterol, the recommendations are similar east and west. A diet with less animal based protein, substituting vegetable oils such as sesame or olive oil instead of animal fats is the starting point. The good news for mushroom lovers-shiitake mushrooms help lower cholesterol.
- Eat foods to ‘soften’ the blood vessels. This is the Chinese way of saying reverse arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Some choices here include the kelp, sea grasses, mung bean sprouts, and fruits.
- Drink Chrysanthemum Flower Tea which appears to help lower blood pressure
- One other thing to consider, Traditional Chinese Medical theory indicates that for certain types of hypertension, the Liver Fire type, celery is very helpful as it aids the liver. This is somewhat at odds with western medicine where the amount of sodium in celery is a concern in cases of high blood pressure, but it has worked for many years in China.
When Diet is Not Enough
These dietary suggestions are not a substitute for individual assessment by a qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. For people already taking blood pressure medication, the TCM practitioner should be told about those medications so that a formula can be designed that will work in synergy with those medications. At the same time the physician involved should be made aware of the herbal formula so that the two practitioners can work together to help control the client’s hypertension.
Reference:
- Lu, Henry C. Chinese System of Food Cures. Sterling Publishing Co. NY.1986
There are many other health issues that may be helped using Traditional Chinese Medicine
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