Abstract
Hypertension is highly prevalent among the Lebanese adult population and is indeed the major cause of mortality in Lebanon. Traditional use of antihypertensive medicinal plants has long been practiced. The aim of this study is to document this traditional knowledge and clinically test the antihypertensive capacity of three of the most commonly used wild plant species Mentha longifolia, Viola odorata and Urtica dioica. Ethno-pharmacological data was collected by personal interviews with herbalists and traditional healers using a semi structured survey questionnaire and assessing relative frequency of citation (RFC). The clinical study was conducted by a randomized, blind, placebo-controlled trial in 29 subjects with mild hypertension distributed in four groups, three plant extract treatments and one placebo. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) as well as mean arterial blood pressures (MAP) were monitored at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16 during the treatment with 300 mL/day of plant extract. Results showed that M. longifolia, U. dioica and V. odorata exhibited the highest values of RCF (0.95) followed by Allium ampeloprasum (0.94), Apium graveolens (0.92) and Crataegus azarolus (0.90). The clinical trial revealed dose- and duration-dependent significant reductions in SBP, DBP and MAP of subjects treated with M. longifolia, U. dioica or V. odorata. Our findings indicate that extracts of these plants present an effective, safe and promising potential as a phyto-therapuetical approach for the treatment of mild hypertension. More research on the phytochemistry, pharmacological effects and the underlying mechanisms is necessary.
Highlights
Hypertension (HTN), commonly known as high blood pressure, remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other conditions including stroke, kidney failure, dementia, premature death and disability [1]
The value of relative frequency of citation (RFC) of most (19 out of 26) plants fell in the 0.72–0.95 range, with M. longifolia, U. dioica and V. odorata recording the highest values (0.95)
This study presents the first scientific evidence regarding the antihypertensive effects of M
Summary
Hypertension (HTN), commonly known as high blood pressure, remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other conditions including stroke, kidney failure, dementia, premature death and disability [1]. Accumulating evidence argues that high systolic blood pressure (SBP) (≥140 mm Hg) is responsible for 143 million disabilities as well as 14% of total deaths, mostly due to CVD [2,3,4]. This is Biomolecules 2019, 9, 292; doi:10.3390/biom9070292 www.mdpi.com/journal/biomolecules. In Lebanon, several studies have emphasized the extent of the burden of HTN with a prevalence of 36.9% [6], 29.3% [7] or 31.2% [8] among adults. The control rate is reported at only
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