29 replies to this topic

[clathrategun]

Does anybody have any input here? My dad's blood pressure is running 160 to 200 systolic and he can't tolerate anything but the lowest dose of an ARB with complaints of dry cough, dizziness, weakness. I've started him on serrapeptase but I am hesitant to utilize nattokinase due to an isolated incident of cerebral hemorrhage when combined with aspirin.

Hydration, hibiscus, hawthorne have been employed. I'm working in magnesium, lithium (neuroprotection), piracetam (neuroprotection) and a food based multivitamin on him.

Help me save my dad's life, you smart fellows. : )

[robosapiens]

Tried Fasting?

[clathrategun]

He's stubborn as a mule, so I doubt I'd be able to get him to do that. What's the rationale behind it?

I should note that he's 150lb and 5'10, so weight isn't an issue.

[nameless]

You can try Ubiquinol (200mg/daily) + grape seed extract (MegaNatural BP), and see if that helps at all. And has your dad has tried all ace inhibitors + arbs and can't tolerate any of them? I thought ace inhibitors were the ones that caused a cough, not arbs.

What suggestions did his doc make? Another alternative, which probably isn't the greatest suggestion if your dad is sensitive to side effects, is low dose coreg.

[malbecman]

Has he tried citrulline? Usually sold as the malate salt. It's a precursor to arginine which helps with nitric oxide production which can promote blood vessel relaxation.
5-6 grams per day is usual and it doesnt even taste bad...just pretty tart.

[ta5]

It's critical that he get his bp into a safe range asap. Now is not the time to experiment with supplements. He needs to find medications that work for him. There are many different ones that work by different mechanisms, and for each mechanism there are different drugs. They can have very different side effect profiles. There are beta blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and several others. Wikipedia has a long list. Several blood pressures medications have evidence of extending lifespan or at least healthspan and being neuroprotective. I don't think the common meds are particularly bad, and at some doses maybe even good for almost anyone over a certain age. The high pressure is absolutely bad. If you need them to get the pressure down, then you need them. Just because he tried one drug that has a side effect doesn't mean you give up on drugs. That's what doctors are for, to help you work through the options. Read LEF's protocol for hypertension. After his bp is under control, then he can start experimenting with diet, supplements, and other lifestyle changes. Then, hopefully he could reduce his medications.

[niner]

I should note that he's 150lb and 5'10, so weight isn't an issue.

He's pretty close to the "magic 5 pounds"- There's a point where a relatively small weight loss translates into a substantial change in bp. If he got down to 140-145, he might see a significant drop from that. That amount of weight loss may be hard to do without drugs, though. Does he get any benefit from low dose ARBs? Which ones has he tried? How about a diuretic?

[clathrategun]

It's critical that he get his bp into a safe range asap. Now is not the time to experiment with supplements. He needs to find medications that work for him. There are many different ones that work by different mechanisms, and for each mechanism there are different drugs. They can have very different side effect profiles. There are beta blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and several others. Wikipedia has a long list. Several blood pressures medications have evidence of extending lifespan or at least healthspan and being neuroprotective. I don't think the common meds are particularly bad, and at some doses maybe even good for almost anyone over a certain age. The high pressure is absolutely bad. If you need them to get the pressure down, then you need them. Just because he tried one drug that has a side effect doesn't mean you give up on drugs. That's what doctors are for, to help you work through the options. Read LEF's protocol for hypertension. After his bp is under control, then he can start experimenting with diet, supplements, and other lifestyle changes. Then, hopefully he could reduce his medications.

Indeed. I appreciate your straightforward reply. He's tried three ACE inhibitors, 2 beta blockers, clonidine, a calcium channel blocker, hydrochlorthiazide, all with intolerable side effects. I'm having a hard time getting through to him that this must be addressed now, even if there are side effects. He takes a fraction of a Cozaar pill, after I wrote a note to his doctor that I suspected that since his dehydration had been addressed, an ARB might be less cough inducing and come with lesser side effects (dizziness, malaise) since they'd not simply exacerbate dehydration. He can't seem to tolerate much, hence supplementation and neuroprotective agents to stem the damage from the inevitable (more..) strokes.

Edited by clathrategun, 27 September 2013 - 02:09 AM.

[clathrategun]

Has he tried citrulline? Usually sold as the malate salt. It's a precursor to arginine which helps with nitric oxide production which can promote blood vessel relaxation.
5-6 grams per day is usual and it doesnt even taste bad...just pretty tart.

Interesting. He has been taking L- Arginine. Is citrulline known to be more effective? I get a pretty nice pump if I take his arginine..

I apologize if the information I'm giving here comes in bursts. It's not a simple situation.

He's pretty close to the "magic 5 pounds"- There's a point where a relatively small weight loss translates into a substantial change in bp. If he got down to 140-145, he might see a significant drop from that. That amount of weight loss may be hard to do without drugs, though. Does he get any benefit from low dose ARBs? Which ones has he tried? How about a diuretic?

I'll pass that information on. It doesn't seem like a huge amount to try to lose.

[ta5]

Indeed. I appreciate your straightforward reply. He's tried three ACE inhibitors, 2 beta blockers, clonidine, a calcium channel blocker, hydrochlorthiazide, all with intolerable side effects.

Hmm... That is quite a few things he has tried. Something doesn't add up though. Is the doc trying to use only one med? I would be incline to take as much as I could of as many different types as I could, stacking them. At a low enough dose anything is tolerable. Maybe it wouldn't be enough as monotherapy, but hopefully enough to make a dent.

Beta blockers for example, they just block adrenaline. It's really simple. It's extremely unlikely that a low dose beta blocker will have "intolerable side effects". I'm sure there's a dose he could tolerate.

If the doctor gave him a placebo, would that give him side effects too? I'm suspicious.

[clathrategun]

I'd be suspicious too.

I took Bystolic for a little while and it didn't have any side effect at all. I took it to help me gain weight. He's convinced that if he takes a beta blocker, he'll end up in the hospital.

I can't imagine the side effects are that bad, I agree. Frustrating.

[nameless]

Agreed about the low dose approach. When I started on 3.125 Coreg, it was like a sugar pill. I can't really see a person having major side effects at that dose. If it was my parent, I'd almost be tempted to literally give him sugar pills, then see if he complains.

[Darryl]

1 - Reduce dietary sodium

2 - Increase dietary potassium and magnesium. Some good sources include, palm hearts, wheat bran & germ, flax, pumpkin & sesame seeds, pistachios, almonds, cashews. On a per calorie basis Swiss chard, spinach, kale, and mushrooms are good.

3 - Hibiscus (both extract and tea), and tomatos have shown benefits. Hibiscus tea brewed from Flor de Jamaica (dried hibiscus flowers, about $8/lb, found in Latin grocers) with a squeeze of lemon and pinch of erythrytol sweetener is my evening beverage

4 - Supplements: aspirin, celery seed extract, CoQ10, taurine and long-chain fatty acids (fish oil or algal DHA) have all demonstrated benefits.

5 - Your doctor can offer drugs and side-effects.

6 - When all else fails, consider a medically supervised water-only fast at Alan Goldhamer's TrueNorth Health Center. They have by quite a margin the best results anywhere for medication resistant hypertension. This is not an easy choice, and I suggest looking at a few of Goldhamer's presentations before persuing it, but results like this aren't easily dismissed:

Patients with stage 3 hypertension (those with systolic blood pressure greater than 180 mg Hg, diastolic blood pressure greater than 110 mg Hg, or both) had an average reduction of 60/17 mm Hg at the conclusion of treatment. All of the subjects who were taking antihypertensive medication at entry (6.3% of the total sample) successfully discontinued the use of medication.

The lower BPs were maintained for months after the fast was discontinued and low fat/salt/sugar diets adopted. The water only fast is perhaps reducing medial hypertrophy (thickening of artery walls) and maladaptive metabolism in ways medication doesn't touch.

Edited by Darryl, 28 September 2013 - 01:01 AM.

[smithx]

If he hasn't tried vitamin K, he should consider it, assuming he isn't on coumadin. This should be taken with vitamin D, if his blood level is below 30ng/ml. If his blood level is 30ng/ml or higher he should still be taking at least 1000 to 2000iu of D3 per day.

Try 15mg a day of K and 5000IU of D (if his blood level is low) for a month and see what happens.

About 2 years ago my blood pressure was about 180/120 before I gave in and started taking valsartan for a couple of months.

After researching it, I started vitamin K and D, and also reduced my weight by about 5 lb. My blood pressure dropped and I tapered off the valsartan.

Today I measured my blood pressure as 118/80. I haven't taken any blood pressure medication for nearly two years.

Edited by smithx, 28 September 2013 - 01:59 AM.

[blood]

He's convinced that if he takes a beta blocker, he'll end up in the hospital.

Sounds like he maybe has picked up some irrational beliefs surrounding BP medications or maybe medications in general.

(My father always expressed terror at the thought of having to have prostate surgery - it made sense when I found out his own father died on the operating table during prostate surgery.)

Maybe you should question your father to work out exactly what his reservations are. Perhaps he had a friend/ colleague who died shortly after commencing BP meds etc.

My maternal grandmother had very high blood pressure towards the end of her life, and like your father refused to take the medications that were prescribed, saying she "didn't feel good" on them. The outcome was horrific... multiple strokes leading to an inability to talk, then an inability to walk, then complete hospitalisation, then a fairly horrific death.

Edited by blood, 28 September 2013 - 03:58 AM.

[Lovetolearn]

High doses of Taurine helped me significantly.

[livingguy]

I have been successful with the following from needing two drugs to nothing:

1) Healthy Origins Probiotic
2) Co-enzyme Q10 100mg 4 times a day
3) Fish Oil 1000mg 4 times a day
4) Taurine 4000 mg
5) Hibiscus tea
6) Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium
7) Blueberry and Pomegranate extracts
9) Vitamin d 5000 IU per day
10) Hawthorn and Motherwort

If he still needs the drug Losartan Potassium is usually very easy to tolerate with no cough.

Also I should add that for some reason Vitamin K2 (both MK4 and MK7) actually increase my BP and of some others I know. I now rely on probiotic bacteria making enough K for me. I hope

[blood]

I should note that he's 150lb and 5'10, so weight isn't an issue.

He's pretty close to the "magic 5 pounds"- There's a point where a relatively small weight loss translates into a substantial change in bp. If he got down to 140-145, he might see a significant drop from that. That amount of weight loss may be hard to do without drugs, though. Does he get any benefit from low dose ARBs? Which ones has he tried? How about a diuretic?

How do you determine where the magic 5 pounds is? Is this determined by BMI? At 140lb, his BMI would be 20.1

[malbecman]

Has he tried citrulline? Usually sold as the malate salt. It's a precursor to arginine which helps with nitric oxide production which can promote blood vessel relaxation.
5-6 grams per day is usual and it doesnt even taste bad...just pretty tart.

Interesting. He has been taking L- Arginine. Is citrulline known to be more effective? I get a pretty nice pump if I take his arginine..

I apologize if the information I'm giving here comes in bursts. It's not a simple situation.

Here's one study about citrulline supplementation, there are many others. It's not quite about blood pressure but still has something to do with the male plumbing.
These studies are also found under watermelon supplementation as watermelon contains relatively large amounts of citrulline.



Urology. 2011 Jan;77(1):119-22. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2010.08.028.
Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction.

Cormio L, De Siati M, Lorusso F, Selvaggio O, Mirabella L, Sanguedolce F, Carrieri G.

Source

Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. luigicormio@libero.it

Abstract


OBJECTIVES:

To test the efficacy and safety of oral L-citrulline supplementation in improving erection hardness in patients with mild erectile dysfunction (ED). L-arginine supplementation improves nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation and endothelial function; however, oral administration has been hampered by extensive presystemic metabolism. In contrast, L-citrulline escapes presystemic metabolism and is converted to L-arginine, thus setting the rationale for oral L-citrulline supplementation as a donor for the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway of penile erection.
METHODS:

In the present single-blind study, men with mild ED (erection hardness score of 3) received a placebo for 1 month and L-citrulline, 1.5 g/d, for another month. The erection hardness score, number of intercourses per month, treatment satisfaction, and adverse events were recorded.
RESULTS:

A total of 24 patients, mean age 56.5 ± 9.8 years, were entered and concluded the study without adverse events. The improvement in the erection hardness score from 3 (mild ED) to 4 (normal erectile function) occurred in 2 (8.3%) of the 24 men when taking placebo and 12 (50%) of the 24 men when taking L-citrulline (P < .01). The mean number of intercourses per month increased from 1.37 ± 0.93 at baseline to 1.53 ± 1.00 at the end of the placebo phase (P = .57) and 2.3 ± 1.37 at the end of the treatment phase (P < .01). All patients reporting an erection hardness score improvement from 3 to 4 reported being very satisfied.
CONCLUSIONS:

Although less effective than phosphodiesterase type-5 enzyme inhibitors, at least in the short term, L-citrulline supplementation has been proved to be safe and psychologically well accepted by patients. Its role as an alternative treatment for mild to moderate ED, particularly in patients with a psychologically fear of phosphodiesterase type-5 enzyme inhibitors, deserves further research.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID: 21195829

[shaggy]

A couple of supplements not mentioned thus far...I've been lloking at various things for pre-hypertension and Age garlic extract and Lycopene both seem to show promise in reducing systolic BP to some degree.

Not sure they would be effective for a systolic of 180 though?

Regarding drugs, must agree with the vote for Nebivolol, of all the beta blockers this seems to offer the least sides for appreciable reduction in BP.

Good luck!

[niner]

I should note that he's 150lb and 5'10, so weight isn't an issue.

He's pretty close to the "magic 5 pounds"- There's a point where a relatively small weight loss translates into a substantial change in bp. If he got down to 140-145, he might see a significant drop from that. That amount of weight loss may be hard to do without drugs, though. Does he get any benefit from low dose ARBs? Which ones has he tried? How about a diuretic?

How do you determine where the magic 5 pounds is? Is this determined by BMI? At 140lb, his BMI would be 20.1

Well, that's where it was for me, and I'm 5'10.5". I had been on a low dose of Diovan (which was very effective with no side effects, in my experience), and after losing some weight I was able to stop the bp meds. I haven't used them in a number of years now. My doctor told me about the "magic 5 pounds" thing. He's seen the effect multiple times. I'd guess it was related to body fat percentage.

[hav]

Here's a study relating blood pressure to bmi in lean populations... figure 2 for men over 55 shows a general downward trend in bp as bmi drops with what looks like the steepest slopes just below 23 and 20:

http://hyper.ahajour.../30/6/1511.full

 bp_bmi.jpg   127.72KB   33 downloads

Howard

[blood]

I should note that he's 150lb and 5'10, so weight isn't an issue.

He's pretty close to the "magic 5 pounds"- There's a point where a relatively small weight loss translates into a substantial change in bp. If he got down to 140-145, he might see a significant drop from that. That amount of weight loss may be hard to do without drugs, though. Does he get any benefit from low dose ARBs? Which ones has he tried? How about a diuretic?

How do you determine where the magic 5 pounds is? Is this determined by BMI? At 140lb, his BMI would be 20.1

Well, that's where it was for me, and I'm 5'10.5". I had been on a low dose of Diovan (which was very effective with no side effects, in my experience), and after losing some weight I was able to stop the bp meds. I haven't used them in a number of years now. My doctor told me about the "magic 5 pounds" thing. He's seen the effect multiple times. I'd guess it was related to body fat percentage.

Sigh, I'll need to lose another 17 pounds to get to a BMI of around 20.

Here's a study relating blood pressure to bmi in lean populations... figure 2 for men over 55 shows a general downward trend in bp as bmi drops with what looks like the steepest slopes just below 23 and 20:

http://hyper.ahajour.../30/6/1511.full

 bp_bmi.jpg   127.72KB   33 downloads

Howard

Very interesting - thank you for posting this.

[niner]

Here's a study relating blood pressure to bmi in lean populations... figure 2 for men over 55 shows a general downward trend in bp as bmi drops with what looks like the steepest slopes just below 23 and 20:

 bp_bmi.jpg   127.72KB   33 downloads

Thanks, Howard. It shows the trend I'd expect. Since it's a population average, taken from lean normotensive Africans & Caribbeans, it might miss effects that show up in hypertensive people, and the effects might be different for Caucasians and/or Asians.

[blood]

Here's a study relating blood pressure to bmi in lean populations... figure 2 for men over 55 shows a general downward trend in bp as bmi drops with what looks like the steepest slopes just below 23 and 20:

 bp_bmi.jpg   127.72KB   33 downloads

Thanks, Howard. It shows the trend I'd expect. Since it's a population average, taken from lean normotensive Africans & Caribbeans, it might miss effects that show up in hypertensive people, and the effects might be different for Caucasians and/or Asians.

I'm curious to know what your BP was when you decided to start on the valsartan?

On a perfect day (relaxed, stress free), my BP is 115-120/75-80.

On a day where I am stressed, exhausted, didn't eat the right foods, whatever, my BP can go to 135/90 and stay there all day. On these days I can feel that something is off. But it isn't technically hypertension, I think these figures are classified as prehypertension? Would a doctor be willing to prescribe drugs for BP at this level (at least for a short period while lifestyle changes can be implemented)?

[hfritz]

Some people naturally have high blood pressure genetically due to calcium issues but even those people if they excercise enough eat right and keep their fat levels down will go back to normal range.

[ta5]

Melatonin may have some benefit. Here are 23 studies on Melatonin and hypertension.

There's good evidence it can lower night-time blood pressure. Night-time pressure should normally go down, and for some people it doesn't or not as much as it should. Also, time-release Melatonin worked where fast-release did not: "Add-on controlled-release melatonin to antihypertensive therapy is effective and safe in ameliorating nocturnal hypertension, whereas fast-release melatonin is ineffective."

[niner]

I'm curious to know what your BP was when you decided to start on the valsartan?

On a perfect day (relaxed, stress free), my BP is 115-120/75-80.

On a day where I am stressed, exhausted, didn't eat the right foods, whatever, my BP can go to 135/90 and stay there all day. On these days I can feel that something is off. But it isn't technically hypertension, I think these figures are classified as prehypertension? Would a doctor be willing to prescribe drugs for BP at this level (at least for a short period while lifestyle changes can be implemented)?

My systolic pressure was 140, maybe a little more, on a consistent basis. After three months of clocking in at this level, my doctor suggested medication. I found the valsartan (40mg) to have no side effects and it was very effective against my bp. I suspect that a lot of doctors would be willing to try and ARB if you're consistently 135/90. Some may encourage lifestyle modification as a first step, but ARBs have a lot to recommend them, like reduced rate of Alzheimers.

[blood]

I'm curious to know what your BP was when you decided to start on the valsartan?

On a perfect day (relaxed, stress free), my BP is 115-120/75-80.

On a day where I am stressed, exhausted, didn't eat the right foods, whatever, my BP can go to 135/90 and stay there all day. On these days I can feel that something is off. But it isn't technically hypertension, I think these figures are classified as prehypertension? Would a doctor be willing to prescribe drugs for BP at this level (at least for a short period while lifestyle changes can be implemented)?

My systolic pressure was 140, maybe a little more, on a consistent basis. After three months of clocking in at this level, my doctor suggested medication. I found the valsartan (40mg) to have no side effects and it was very effective against my bp. I suspect that a lot of doctors would be willing to try and ARB if you're consistently 135/90. Some may encourage lifestyle modification as a first step, but ARBs have a lot to recommend them, like reduced rate of Alzheimers.

I've obtained some valsarten, but haven't started taking it yet.

I noticed that my blood pressure dropped when I skipped my Effexor dose for a few days, making me suspect that the Effexor is contributing to my high-ish blood pressure. Supposedly in most people Exffexor will cause a predictable but trivial increases in blood pressure (presumably due to inhibition of norepinephrine re-uptake); but in a very small number of people, it can apparently induce quite large increases (increases in systolic blood pressure of 20 points or more have been reported in some case histories). I'll lower my Effexor dose by two thirds for a few weeks; then depending on results, add in the valsarten. Annoyingly, my Doctor has never bothered to check my BP while on Effexor; something he should have done (according to best practice for that drug). I had to find this out for myself. You can never do too much research. :/

Edited by blood, 22 October 2013 - 06:22 AM.

[blood]

European olive leaf extract seems to give a decent bp reduction (probably a case of fiddling while Rome is burning, if your systolic bp is 160, though...):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21036583

Phytomedicine. 2011 Feb 15;18(4):251-8. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.08.016. Epub 2010 Oct 30.

Olive (Olea europaea) leaf extract effective in patients with stage-1 hypertension: comparison with Captopril.

Susalit E, Agus N, Effendi I, Tjandrawinata RR, Nofiarny D, Perrinjaquet-Moccetti T, Verbruggen M.

Source
Nephrology & Hypertension Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia/Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Jl. Diponegoro 71, Jakarta 10430, Indonesia.

Abstract

A double-blind, randomized, parallel and active-controlled clinical study was conducted to evaluate the anti-hypertensive effect as well as the tolerability of Olive leaf extract in comparison with Captopril in patients with stage-1 hypertension. Additionally, this study also investigated the hypolipidemic effects of Olive leaf extract in such patients. It consisted of a run-in period of 4 weeks continued subsequently by an 8-week treatment period. Olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf extract (EFLA(®)943) was given orally at the dose of 500 mg twice daily in a flat-dose manner throughout the 8 weeks. Captopril was given at the dosage regimen of 12.5 mg twice daily at start. After 2 weeks, if necessary, the dose of Captopril would be titrated to 25 mg twice daily, based on subject's response to treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint was reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) from baseline to week-8 of treatment. The secondary efficacy endpoints were SBP as well as diastolic blood pressure (DBP) changes at every time-point evaluation and lipid profile improvement. Evaluation of BP was performed every week for 8 weeks of treatment; while of lipid profile at a 4-week interval. Mean SBP at baseline was 149.3±5.58 mmHg in Olive group and 148.4±5.56 mmHg in Captopril group; and mean DBPs were 93.9±4.51 and 93.8±4.88 mmHg, respectively. After 8 weeks of treatment, both groups experienced a significant reduction of SBP as well as DBP from baseline; while such reductions were not significantly different between groups. Means of SBP reduction from baseline to the end of study were -11.5±8.5 and -13.7±7.6 mmHg in Olive and Captopril groups, respectively; and those of DBP were -4.8±5.5 and -6.4±5.2 mmHg, respectively. A significant reduction of triglyceride level was observed in Olive group, but not in Captopril group. In conclusion, Olive (Olea europaea) leaf extract, at the dosage regimen of 500 mg twice daily, was similarly effective in lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressures in subjects with stage-1 hypertension as Captopril, given at its effective dose of 12.5-25 mg twice daily.

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Mild bp reduction from small doses of green coffee bean extract:

Hypertens Res. 2005 Sep;28(9):711-8.

Antihypertensive effect of green coffee bean extract on mildly hypertensive subjects.

Kozuma K, Tsuchiya S, Kohori J, Hase T, Tokimitsu I.

Source
Health Care Research Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. kouzuma.kazuya@kao.co.jp

Abstract

A water-soluble green coffee bean extract (GCE) has been shown to be effective against hypertension in both spontaneously hypertensive rats and humans. This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study evaluated the dose-response relationship of GCE in 117 male volunteers with mild hypertension. Subjects were randomized into four groups: a placebo and three drug groups that received 46 mg, 93 mg, or 185 mg of GCE once a day. After 28 days, systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the placebo, 46 mg, 93 mg, and 185 mg groups was reduced by -1.3+/-3.0 mmHg, -3.2+/-4.6 mmHg, -4.7+/-4.5 mmHg, and -5.6+/-4.2 mmHg from the baseline, respectively. The decreases in SBP in the 93 mg group (p<0.05) and the 185 mg group (p<0.01) were statistically significant compared with the placebo group. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the placebo, 46 mg, 93 mg, and 185 mg groups was reduced by -0.8+/-3.1 mmHg, -2.9+/-2.9 mmHg, -3.2+/-3.2 mmHg, and -3.9+/-2.8 mmHg from the baseline, respectively, and significant effects were observed in the 93 mg group (p<0.05) and the 185 mg group (p<0.01) compared with the placebo group. Both blood pressures were significantly reduced in a dose-related manner by GCE (p<0.001). Adverse effects caused by GCE were not observed. The results suggested that daily use of GCE has a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild hypertension.

PMID: 16419643 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]