Physiological and Biochemical Outcomes of Herbal Medicine Use in the Treatment of Hypertension

Complementing herbs with anti-hypertensive drugs is a standard health treatment for those with uncontrolled high blood pressure. This review compares the effects of completing different types of herbs with anti-hypertensive drugs on the physiological and biochemical outcomes such as blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip circumference, glucose levels, hemoglobin level, and lipid profiles. Ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPMs) help detect blood pressure variations and serve as a cardiovascular risk marker for hypertension patients. In the clinical practice guidelines, ABPMs are included in diagnosing and managing isolated office hypertension among pregnant women with masked or labile hypertension, as the figure denotes blood pressure readings over 24 h. Point-of-care (PoC) testing devices provide rapid results and information at the location and time of care, the measuring procedure of which can even be done at home. This practice eliminates negative biases, and PoC equipment is capable of chalking up measurements as accurate as those of laboratory-based biochemical analyzers. PoC reduces cost, waiting time, and the necessity for multiple visits improves quality of life (QoL) and increases accessibility of people living in remote areas to medical testing. However, taking ABPMs in actual clinical settings and PoC technology are grossly underutilized in the Asian regions. Hence, this chapter will review evidence of complementing herbal medicine with anti-hypertension therapies and the physiological and biochemical outcomes using ABPMs and PoC devices.