Chinese Medicine Gem

Although the disease of high blood pressure is not documented in any traditional Chinese medicine books, other relevant symptoms, which mentioned in Chinese ancient literature such as “Head wind”, “Headache”, “Vertigo,” “Liver wind”, “Liver-yang” and so on, to some extent are the modern equivalent of high blood pressure.

Symptoms of high blood pressure

From the point of view of Chinese medicine, the following symptoms can be regularly found on high blood pressure patients.

• Headaches;
• Fullness in head;
• Dizziness;
• Feeling heavy in head;
• Palpitations;
• Insomnia;
• Vertigo;
• Chest tightness;
• Fullness and discomfort in chest;
• Stiffness of the neck;
• Numbness of tongue;
• Pain on lower waist;
• Hemianesthesia;
• Facial paralysis;
• Hemiplegia.

Chinese medicine thinks that each above-mentioned symptom of high blood pressure might have a different etiology and pathogenesis, while different symptoms could be caused by the same etiology and pathogenesis.

Types of high blood pressure in western medication

High blood pressure can be mainly classified into two types, either essential (primary) or secondary.

• Essential or primary high blood pressure is the most commonly seen one, which finds no medical cause to explain the raised blood pressure.
• Secondary high blood pressure refers that the high blood pressure is triggered by another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).

High blood pressure, from the perspective of Chinese medicine, is caused by the imbalance between Yin and Yang in human body. Based on this theory, to help new learners and patients to understand the treatment of high blood pressure, usually it can be mainly classified into six types.

High blood pressure type one in TCM: Yang hyperactivity

Symptoms:

• Fullness in head;
• Headaches;
• Red face;
• Irritability
• Stringy pulse.

Treatment: Tranquilizing liver Yang and clearing heat-fire.

High blood pressure type two in TCM: Yin deficiency and Yang hyperactivity

Symptoms:

• Vertigo;
• Headaches;
• Fullness in head;
• Palpitations;
• Insomnia;
• Bleary;
• Poor memory;
• Dry mouth;
• Red face;
• Thready and stringy pulse;
• Red tongue.

Treatment: Nourishing Yin for suppressing hyperactive Yang.

High blood pressure type three in TCM: Deficiency of both Yin and Yang

Symptoms:

• Vertigo;
• Headaches;
• Fullness in head;
• Cold extremities;
• Weakness of legs;
• Palpitation;
• Bleary;
• Hard to fall asleep;
• Too many dreams, too little sleep;
• Excessive internal heat;
• Tinnitus;
• Dry mouth;
• Red face;
• Excessive urination at night;
• Shortness of breath;
• Bouts of jumpy/twitchy muscles;
• Thready and stringy pulse;
• Red tongue or pale fat tongue.

Treatment: Nourishing Yin for assisting Yang

High blood pressure type four in TCM: Yin deficiency

Symptoms:

• Vertigo;
• Cold extremities;
• Frequent urination;
• Weakness of legs;
• Tinnitus;
• Deep, thready and stringy pulse;
• Pale or fat tongue.

Treatment: Tonifying Yang and benefiting Qi

High blood pressure type five in TCM: Accumulation of turbid phlegm

Symptoms:

• Vertigo;
• Headaches or feeling extremely heavy in head;
• Chest tightness;
• Palpitations;
• Obesity and lazy;
• Eat less and sleepy;
• Spit from time to time;
• Sputum from time to time;
• Fat tongue with white greasy coating.

Treatment: Dispelling pathogenic wind and eliminating phlegm.

High blood pressure type six in TCM: Obstruction of collaterals by blood stasis

Symptoms:

• Vertigo;
• Headaches;
• Palpitations;
• Forgetfulness;
• Lack of energy;
• Blue face or lip;
• Dark tongue with purpura or petechia.

Treatment: Promoting blood circulation for removing blood stasis.

The causes of high blood pressure are complicated as well even from the point of view of Chinese medicine. Although the above-mentioned types about high blood pressure are far from a comprehensive way and pinpoint treatment,  high blood pressure types in TCM do offer us a map to understand this disease better and locate the treatment for high blood pressure conveniently.