Approximately one out of three adults in the United States suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a major risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke and kidney disease, high blood pressure can lower your life expectancy. While conventional treatment includes medication and lifestyle changes, the herb chanca piedra may offer help for people with mild hypertension and salt-sensitivity. Consult a physician before use, however, as the herb's safety and efficacy remain unsubstantiated.
Blood Pressure 101
As your heart pumps blood through your arteries, it exerts pressure on your arterial walls. Systolic pressure shows the pressure of blood on your arterial walls as your heart contracts in the process of pumping out blood. Diastolic pressure shows the pressure of blood against your arterial walls at a moment when your heart relaxes to allow the inflow of blood. Just as too much air pressure can damage a tire, too much blood pressure can damage your health. If your heart pumps more blood through your circulatory system than is needed to maintain a steady flow, you have high blood pressure.
About Chanca Piedra
Chanca piedra, otherwise known as Phyllanthus niruri, is a slender annual herb that reaches heights of 2 feet and bears oval leaves and small yellow flowers. Indigenous to the Indian subcontinent where it's considered a weed, chanca piedra sometimes goes by the nicknames "kidney stone tree" or "stone breaker" for its reputed effectiveness in eliminating gallstones and kidney stones. In addition to kidney stones, practitioners of human and veterinary herbal medicine use chanca piedra to treat colic, diabetes, malaria, dysentery, fever, flu and to expel worms, according to Andrew Chevallier, naturopath and author of the book "DK Natural Health Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine."
Blood Pressure Benefits
Raising the quantity of salt in the blood can elevate your kidneys' production of angiotensin II, an enzyme that causes artery walls to constrict, thus raising blood pressure. According to Phyllis A. Balch, certified nutritional consultant and author of the book "Prescription for Herbal Healing," research conducted at Toyama University in Japan shows that a compound isolated from chanca piedra works as an angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitor. The isolated compound may have the ability to reverse this salt-inducing effect, lowering blood pressure, especially among salt-sensitive people with mild hypertension.
Usage
Chanca piedra comes in tablet and tincture form under the name Phyllanthus. According to Balch, people with high blood pressure should take the tincture form and follow the directions on the label. Although generally considered safe, only use the herb under professional care.
References
- Centers for Diasease Control and Prevention: High Blood Pressure Facts
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Blood Pressure
- "DK Natural Health Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine"; Andrew Chevallier; 2000
- "Prescription for Herbal Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch; 2002
