Can "seeking truth" antihypertensive tea really "lower blood pressure"? Let's see what's in your tea.

Some hypertensive patients don't take medicine according to the doctor's advice after being diagnosed with hypertension, but they are superstitious about some "magic antihypertensive drugs", such as antihypertensive tea. Many people think that medicine and food are homologous, and drinking tea is like drinking water. Drinking it every day can play a good role in lowering blood pressure. More importantly, I stopped taking medicine and only drank tea, hoping to lower my blood pressure in this "healthy" way.

The so-called antihypertensive tea refers to Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, hawthorn tea, Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. , chrysanthemum tea, apocynum tea tea and Panax notoginseng tea, all of which claim to have the auxiliary antihypertensive effect. In addition, there are some plant tea drinks mixed with Chinese herbal medicines. Clearly tell everyone that antihypertensive tea can't reduce blood pressure!

Four reasons why antihypertensive tea can't reduce blood pressure.

1. Lack of intervention on the three main mechanisms of hypertension and the basic reasons of lowering blood pressure. The main mechanism of hypertension is: the sympathetic nervous system is over-excited, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is over-activated, and the renal sodium excretion ability is reduced. So far, we haven't seen any antihypertensive tea that can effectively interfere with the scientific research of these three mechanisms.

2. Up to now, there is no reliable clinical report and research to prove the curative effect of antihypertensive tea on hypertension. It must be emphasized that some components in antihypertensive tea may have antihypertensive effect, but antihypertensive tea cannot lower blood pressure (placebo effect is not excluded). This is because the effective concentration of the extracted components with antihypertensive effect far exceeds that of the corresponding components in antihypertensive tea.

3. There is no medical literature or guide, expert knowledge or suggestion related to hypertension to recommend antihypertensive tea for antihypertensive treatment or adjuvant treatment.

4. Lack of evidence. The former US Food and Drug Administration pointed out in the Adjustment Plan of Functional Scope of Health Food (Draft for Comment): "According to the clinical diagnostic criteria of hypertension in China, hypertension can be diagnosed if systolic blood pressure is higher than 65438 0 40 mg/Hg or diastolic blood pressure is higher than 90mg/Hg. Since functional health food is suitable for patients with hypertension, that is, the applicable population belongs to the category of patients, such people should go to the hospital for treatment. Therefore, this function is not suitable as a health care function. "

Hypertension is an important risk factor of acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and it is risky to set up auxiliary antihypertensive function of health food. If consumers don't know this kind of products clearly enough and use them improperly, it is easy to be dangerous.

Relationship between tea polyphenols and blood pressure

The main chemical component of tea is tea polyphenols. Epidemiological evidence shows that there is an inverse relationship between tea polyphenols intake and cardiovascular diseases. According to the research, in animal experiments, tea polyphenols can promote the formation of NO in vascular endothelial cells and affect the expression of interleukin -6(IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase -9(MMP-9 mrna) in macrophages. Tea polyphenols can inhibit the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme. Therefore, in theory, tea polyphenols have antihypertensive effect. However, related studies can't confirm that tea polyphenols can lower blood pressure. After intravenous injection of 10mg/mL tea polyphenols 1 ~ 3 ml in rabbits, the systolic blood pressure decreased 6 times (9% ~ 20%), increased 2 times (13% and 20%), and remained unchanged for 3 times. Diastolic blood pressure increased twice (20% and 140%) and remained unchanged for nine times.

Some studies have also observed that tea polyphenols have antihypertensive effect. For example, tea polyphenols solution can reduce the arterial blood pressure of rabbits to some extent, but it is concentration-dependent, and its optimal antihypertensive concentration is 32 g/L. Spontaneously hypertensive rats were given tea polyphenols solution for 8 weeks, and its concentration reached 18g/kg/ day, and their blood pressure was reduced to some extent. The existing research shows that the safe oral dose of tea polyphenols should not exceed 0.242g each time, otherwise there will be side effects. When any tea leaves are directly brewed into tea drinks, the content of tea polyphenols in the water cup is less than 0.005g! We can't help asking: Can you accept the large dose of tea polyphenols given in animal experiments? How many Jin of tea do you make every day? Even if the money is not bad, it is unrealistic to do so.

The "hypotensive" effect of various teas

Shouwucha

Polygonum multiflorum Thunb can improve sleep and reduce blood lipid because it contains lecithin, chrysophanol, emodin, rhein and other enkun substances, which can combine with cholesterol and reduce the reabsorption of cholesterol in the intestine. But not just Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Tea is also Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. There is no evidence of effective antihypertensive treatment. If improving sleep can lower blood pressure, then sleeping pills become antihypertensive drugs.

It must also be pointed out that Polygonum multiflorum Thunb has certain toxic and side effects, and oral administration of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb and its prescription preparations may cause liver injury, and excessive and long-term continuous medication may increase this risk.

Chrysanthemum Tea

In fact, studies have shown that the vasodilation effect of Flos Chrysanthemi Indici extract is partly dependent on endothelium and partly independent of endothelium. But this is only an animal experiment, and there is little research on replacing chrysanthemum tea with wild chrysanthemum extract. More studies have proved that Flos Chrysanthemi Indici extract has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and has immune and cardiovascular protective effects. Obviously, the treatment of hypertension with chrysanthemum tea lacks sufficient theoretical support and scientific evidence of clinical research.

hawthorn tea

Contains flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, maslinic acid, etc.). ), fatty acids, vitamin C, inorganic salts, etc. Hawthorn flavonoids can promote fat digestion, increase the secretion of digestive enzymes in the stomach and promote digestion. Hawthorn flavonoids can regulate gastrointestinal function to some extent. More than 30 kinds of flavonoids isolated from hawthorn may have some health-care effects (such as lowering blood fat), but there is no evidence of basic research and clinical research on dilating blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

Sanqicha

Panax notoginseng is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicine health products in recent two years. Panax notoginseng is an excellent traditional Chinese medicine with physiological activities in cardiovascular system, nervous system, immune system, substance metabolism system, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and anti-tumor. However, it is not reliable to use Panax notoginseng tea instead of western medicine to lower blood pressure. At present, there is no evidence of basic research and clinical research on lowering blood pressure of Panax notoginseng (dilating small blood vessels and improving microcirculation are not enough to lower blood pressure), and there is no reliable clinical report and research to prove its curative effect on hypertension.

Apocynum tea

Some sellers claim that "Apocynum venetum" is a magical plant from Lop Nur, Xinjiang. Taking it every day can lower blood pressure and treat chest tightness and chest pain. Patients with hypertension and coronary heart disease can even drink apocynum tea every day without taking medicine. Many old people listened to the propaganda and began to drink apocynum tea every day. Many people even stop taking medicine.

Apocynum venetum is a kind of herb, which has certain effect on controlling blood pressure. It has been used in clinic since 1960s and 1970s. At that time, it was used to treat headache, dizziness and other symptoms similar to hypertension caused by hyperactivity of liver yang, which had a certain relieving effect. The compound apocynum venetum preparation sold in the market contains: apocynum venetum leaf 218.5g, Flos Chrysanthemi Indici1710.0g, Radix Stephaniae Tetrandrae184.2g, magnesium trisilicate15g, dihydralazine sulfate10.6g. This unique compound preparation composed of Chinese and western medicines was born in the special period of 1970s.

To treat hypertension, compound apocynum venetum tablets can be used, but apocynum tea can't.

Duzhongcha

Saccharides, alkaloids, chlorogenic acid and aucubin in bark and leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. All of them have different degrees of antihypertensive effect. Processing and formulation of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. It has a certain effect on lowering blood pressure. Water decoction has stronger antihypertensive effect than alcohol extract and Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Leaves have a better antihypertensive effect than bark. Clinical use of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. extract can reduce blood pressure of patients with hypertension and improve symptoms such as dizziness and insomnia. The effects of 10% Eucommia tincture (Eucommia extract), reserpine, reserpine combined with hydralazine were compared, and it was found that Eucommia ulmoides had the worst antihypertensive effect.

Although the effective components and extracts of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. It has a certain antihypertensive effect, but it doesn't mean Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Tea also has antihypertensive effect. At present, there is no reliable clinical report and research to prove the curative effect of Eucommia ulmoides Tea on hypertension.

In addition, Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea, Luding tea, Mulberry leaf tea, Lingzhi tea and Lotus leaf tea all claim to be antihypertensive tea. Interested readers can compare the above four reasons and the conclusion is self-evident.

Text/Chen Luyuan, Chief Physician of Cardiology Department of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital

Typesetting /ZR

Proofreading/Yu Yunxi