Managing High Blood Pressure – Clinical Update

by Dr. Greg Fors, DC – Board Certified Neurologist DIBCN Posted On: 09/29/2009

The leading cause of death today, out-pacing all others, is cardiovascular and cerebral vascular disease, claiming well over three quarters of a million individuals each year! One of the primary risk factors for vascular disease is uncontrolled hypertension. Sadly, more than 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure and 1/3 of them don’t know it! Surprisingly only 27% of Americans with diagnosed hypertension are effectively controlling their blood pressure.(1) There are multiple reasons why hypertension is poorly controlled; chief among them is the fact that many individuals tire of the side effects of hypertension drugs.

Biospec Nutritionals now offers the ultimate nutraceutical for high blood pressure; all new Cardio-Ease with added celery seed extract standardized to 42.5% 3-n-Butylphthalide (3nB). Take a look at the new Cardio-Ease formula:

 

Cardio-Ease – 4 tablets provide:

Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine HCl)…………………………………………………………………..160 mg

Magnesium (from magnesium citrate) ………………………………………………… 400 mg

Arjuna Bark Extract (Terminalia Arjuna; standardized 10:1 extract) ……………..600 mg

Hawthorn Berry Extract (standardized to a minimum 2% vitexin and 20% procyanidins) …………………..500 mg

Celery Seed Extract (Apium Graveolens; standardized to 42.5% 3-n-Butylphthalide) …………………….300 mg

3nB is an amazing nutraceutical that lowers blood pressure, is neuroprotective and significantly increases lifespan in animal studies.(2) 3nB acts as a natural diuretic without altering the sodium to potassium ratio in the blood and acts as a vasodilator to lower blood pressure.(3) Amazingly, in animal studies 3nB has been shown to even lower cholesterol levels and reduce arterial plaque formation.(4, 5) While conventional hypertensive drugs lower blood flow to the brain causing the individuals to feel tired, dizzy, forgetful and depressed; celery seed extract is shown to be neuroprotective, enhance energy production and improve blood flow to the brain; all while helping to prevent strokes.(6, 7)

If this is not enough, 3nB is also shown to enhance detoxification and have anticancer potential in animal studies.(8) Furthermore, 3nB is effective in the management of the chronic inflammation involved in arthritis and fibromyalgia.(9) 3nB is also shown to be extremely helpful for gout by lowering the production of uric acid through inhibiting the enzyme xanthine oxidase.(10)

Of course any botanical extracts of this quality always add costs to a nutraceutical formula, but the increased benefits far out-pace any minor increase in costs. To be truly effective it is important that individuals get adequate quantities of the 3nB from celery seed extract. A recommended daily dosage of 128 mg of actual 3-n-Butylphthalide can be obtained in 4 tablets per day of Cardio-Ease (300 mg of celery seed extract at 42.5%).

Arjuna Bark, another vital ingredient in Cardio-Ease, is an Ayurvedic medicine that has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders for more than three centuries. In more recent studies, Arjuna Bark has been shown to improve vascular function even in smokers.(11) In individuals with stable angina, 500 mg daily of Arjuna Bark Extract cut angina episodes in half and significantly decreased systolic blood pressure.(12)

Also, Arjuna Bark Extract contains phytonutrients that protect against DNA damage from toxins and may help maintain healthy cholesterol. Cardio-Ease now provides the highest quality standardized 10:1 extract of Arjuna Bark to improve results. Our new 10:1 extract (600mg) is almost 4 times stronger than the 1600mg powder used in the original formula.

Along with Celery Seed 3nB and Arjuna Bark, four tablets of Cardio-Ease provides 500mg Hawthorn Berry Extract standardized to a minimum 2% vitexin and 20% procyanidins. Hawthorn decreases arterial resistance and has been shown to increase blood supply to the heart and improve circulation to the extremities. In one human study Hawthorn was able to lower the blood pressure in diabetic patients.

As with most all herbs, the botanicals contained within Cardio-Ease have not been evaluated for safety in pregnancy. It is generally recommended that it not be used during pregnancy or lactation. Another precaution would be for individuals taking the drug Coumadin (warfarin) to be closely monitored by their physician when starting to use celery extract or any other natural anti-inflammatory, for these may naturally reduce clotting time. Because high-quality botanical extracts can be so highly effective, they may interact with vasodilating medications and may potentiate or inhibit the actions of drugs used for heart failure, hypertension, angina and arrhythmias; therefore caution is advised in these individuals.

Comprehensive Approach to Essential Hypertension: It is always vital to improve diet (see www.dashforhealth.com) and effectively treat other primary causes of Hypertension; see the protocol for essential hypertension in the Protocols section of this site for details. Metabolic Syndrome is one of the leading causes of essential Hypertension and abnormal blood lipid levels, which are why they are also primary indicators of this disorder. In individuals with essential hypertension it is vital to assess them for Insulin Resistance, and if present, consider adding Glucose-IR to your regime.

Numerous studies have now demonstrated a connection between essential hypertension and systemic chronic inflammation. All individuals with essential hypertension should be assessed for this metabolic disorder; lab work such as hsCRP and fibrinogen can be very helpful. If chronic inflammation is present consider adding Inflam-Rx to their regime. To this very effective protocol always remember the importance of utilizing quality Omega-3 Fatty Acids, as found in BIOSPEC’s Super Omega-3.

1. Hyman DJ, Pavlik VN. Cleve Clin J Med. 2002 Oct; 69(10):793-9.
2. Zhang LY and Feng YP: Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao 1996;31:18-23.
3. Tsi D and Tan BKH: Phytotherapy Research 1997; 11:576-82.
4. Le QT and Elliott WJ: Clin Res 1991;39:750A.
5. Mimura Y, Kobayashi S, Naitoh T, Kimura I and Kimura M: Biol Pharm Bull 1995;18:1203-6.
6. Chong ZZ and Feng YP: Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao 1999;20:509-12.
7. Liu XG and Feng YP: Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao 1995;30:896-903.
8. Zheng G, Kenney PM, Zhang J and Lam KT: Nutr Cancer 1993;19:77-86.
9. Venkat S, Soundararajan S, ET. Al. Kovai Medical Center & Hospitals, Coimbatore, India, 1995.
10. Hu D, Huang XX and Feng YP: Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao 1996;31:13-7.
11. Bharani A et al 2004.
12. Dwivedi S et al 1994.