Chinese Medicine

High blood pressure remedies with Traditional Chinese medicine vary from person to person. In other words, even the patients suffer from the same disease, such as high blood pressure, the remedies could be totally different.

From the point of view of TCM, the key is that we have to differentiate the patients’ syndrome first, and then decide which high blood pressure remedies work best for them. That means high blood pressure remedies with Chinese medicine are tailored just for the specific person.

From the perspective of TCM, one-size-fit-all remedies do not exist.

High blood pressure remedies and deficiency Yang

In general, primary high blood pressure is caused by deficiency of liver-kidney Yin and hyperactivity of liver Yang, for which the most adopted remedies are replenishing water (kidney) to nourish wood (liver), and calming the liver to stop the pathogenic wind.

Clinically it is rare to adopt the remedies such as Zhen Wu Tang to lower high blood pressure, which caused by deficiency of kidney Yang inducing water diffusion. To prevent rise to high blood pressure, extreme caution should be exercised when using any types of these high blood pressure remedies. Because warm-natured herbs can assist Yang making blood pressure rise, clinically we have to be very careful during a syndrome differentiation and keep in mind the key presentation of Yang deficiency as follows:

• Systemic deficiency-cold;
• Or a combination of with dizziness, edema, loose stools and so on;
• Feeble and weak pulse;
• White slippery tongue coating;
• Pale blue tongue quality.

The identification as Yang deficiency should be appropriate if the above-mentioned symptoms occur. In such a case, it makes sense to adopt the high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs.

Why high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs works?

Clinically, the adoption of high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs is aiming at the pathogenesis of deficiency of kidney Yang inducing water diffusion. These high blood pressure remedies warm Yang for diuresis, disperse the haze, excite the heart Yang, control the water diffusion, so that bring Yin and Yang back to balance, in turn blood pressure lowers to normal accordingly.

Although the cases are extremely rare, nothing but high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs must be adopted once Yang deficiency occurs.

High blood pressure remedies and drugs of suppressing hyperactive Yang

Is it necessary to add drugs of suppressing hyperactive Yang with the purpose of lowering blood pressure during high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs? Clinically herbs used for suppressing hyperactive Yang can lower blood pressure as well, such as

• Shi Jue Ming (Concha haliotidis);
• Mu Li (Ostreae Concha);
• Long Gu (Fossilia Ossis Mastodi);
• Ling Ci Shi (Magnetite);
• Dai Zhe Shi (Haematitum);
• Zhen Zhu Mu (Nacre concha margaritifera usta).

But during the high blood pressure remedies, it is wise not to use those drugs impairing the stomach, multiple drugs and in large dosage just in case to prevent adverse reactions to spleen and stomach. Cold-natured drugs in large dosage, such as Shi Jue Ming (Concha haliotidis), Mu Li (Ostreae Concha), Zhen Zhu Mu (Nacre concha margaritifera usta) etc., would suppress and upset the stomach, which in turn leads to appetite loss.

Therefore, it is necessary to add appropriate drugs of suppressing hyperactive Yang during high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs. Furthermore, the combination of descending drugs like Niu Xi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) can complement each other to help lower high blood pressure.

High blood pressure remedies and drugs of repressing liver and clearing gall

Is it necessary to add drugs of repressing liver and clearing gall during high blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs? Clinically the using of warm-natured drugs can warm Yang for diuresis to bring back the balance of Yin and Yang, in turn to lower high blood pressure accordingly.

The practice, blending cold-natured drugs of repressing liver and clearing gall into only warm-natured drugs, does not make sense at all. It is very wrong idea too to add cold-bitter natured drugs such as Long Dan Cao (Gentianae Radix) just intended to restrict the dispersing power of warm-natured drugs.

Case of high blood pressure remedies

Huang, female, 49 years old.

The patient has the medical history of high blood pressure. Blood pressure keeps at 170 ~ 190/90-110mmHg. Drugs such as compound Apocynum and reserpine etc. has been used but failed to bring blood pressure back to normal. During past six months, she had the following symptoms:

• Dejected spirit;
• Dizziness;
• General fatigue;
• Cold body;
• Lower extremity edema;
• Less urine than ever;
• Appetite loss;
• Deep weak thready pulse;
• Enlarged tongue with pale moist coating.

From these symptoms, the patient can be diagnosed with Qi deficiency of lung-spleen and deficiency of kidney Yang. The high blood pressure remedies should adopt formulas based on Zhen Wu Tang as follows:

• Zhi Fu Zi (Aconiti Radix lateralis preparata)10g;
• Hong Shen (Red Ginseng Radix) 6g;
• Fu Ling (Poria) 20g;
• Bai Zhu (Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma) 10g;
• Bai Shao (Paeoniae Radix alba) 10g;
• Sheng Huang Qi (Astragalus Radix) 15g;
• Niu Xi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) 10g;
• Ling Ci Shi (Magnetite) 15g;
• Sheng Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens) 3 slices.

Each dose per day, 2 trial doses first.

After two doses, the patient was getting better and she said there was a very warm feeling all over the body. And other symptoms also improved, such as increased appetite, increased urine, edema going down, blood pressure 150/80mmHg, stronger pulse, thin white tongue coating with medium saliva. Since the drugs took effect, another five doses continued.

After 5 doses, the patient told that all symptoms seemed gone, with blood pressure 135/75mmHg. Then it was time to stop the drugs.

In the follow-up after six months, the patient told that blood pressure was normal and did not took other antihypertensive drugs any more.

High blood pressure remedies with warm-natured herbs works in this rare case, which reminds us once again that primary high blood pressure is not always caused by deficiency of liver-kidney Yin and hyperactivity of liver Yang, and different high blood pressure remedies should be adopted in different people.