Understanding Hypotension: Causes, Symptoms, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Remedies

Hypotension is a general term for the condition of low blood pressure. It can be divided into "orthostatic hypotension" and "spontaneous hypotension". The former is temporary, while the latter is persistent. In general, when the highest blood pressure value in the body is less than 100-110mmHg, it can be called hypotension. However, this is a strict criterion for hypotension as of the time of writing. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that this condition is mainly caused by congenital deficiency, insufficiency of vital energy and qi, or aging and decline of the body, deficiency of essence and qi, and damage from medication, resulting in insufficient yang qi and loss of nourishment, or deficiency of essence and blood, leading to lack of nourishment. Hypotension belongs to the category of "dizziness," "fainting syndrome," and "deficiency fatigue" in traditional Chinese medicine. The basic pathological mechanism of this condition is mainly deficiency of yang qi, but it can also be combined with deficiency and excess, phlegm stagnation, and stasis, involving the spleen, kidneys, heart, liver, and lungs. According to clinical manifestations, it can be divided into types such as deficiency of kidney yang, deficiency of heart and spleen, and deficiency of middle qi.

Clinical manifestations of hypotension with deficiency of kidney yang: dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, forgetfulness, sore lower back and weak legs, pale or dark complexion, fatigue and drowsiness, aversion to cold and cold limbs, frequent nocturia, pale and swollen tongue with thin white coating, and deep and thin pulse.

Below are recommended Chinese herbal diet formulas for the treatment of hypotension with deficiency of kidney yang. Please refer to them after a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis.

1. Horny Goat Weed Wine

[Formula]: 30g horny goat weed, 500ml white wine.
[Effect]: Tonifying qi and warming yang.
[Method]: Put the horny goat weed in the white wine, seal it, and soak for 7 days.
[Usage]: Drink on an empty stomach in the morning and evening, about 15ml each time. Continue until blood pressure returns to normal or symptoms disappear, then continue for another month to consolidate the therapeutic effect.

2. Deer Antler Egg
[Formula]: 0.3g deer antler powder, 1 egg.
[Effect]: Tonifying the kidneys and nourishing essence.
[Method]: Put the deer antler powder into the egg and steam until cooked.
[Usage]: Take one deer antler egg every morning for 15-20 consecutive days.

3. Braised Oxtail in Clay Pot
[Formula]: 1000g oxtail with skin, 300g boneless chicken meat, 10g dried scallops, 30g cooked ham, 1500g chicken broth, 30g lard.
[Effect]: Tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang.
[Method]: Singe the oxtail to remove fine hairs, wash it clean, and chop it into sections. Cut the ham into slices, remove the tendons from the dried scallops and wash them, soak the boneless chicken meat in water. Heat the lard in the pot, add 10g Sichuan peppercorns and 10g scallions, 5g ginger (lightly crushed), stir-fry until fragrant, pour in the oxtail sections, stir-fry over high heat until the blood water is completely evaporated, add cooking wine, continue stir-frying until the oxtail sections are completely raw, remove the oxtail sections from the pot, wash them with water, and drain the moisture. Place the clay pot on the fire, pour in the chicken broth, add 5g scallions, 10g ginger, cooking wine, salt, then put the oxtail sections, ham slices, dried scallops, and boneless chicken meat into the pot, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer on low heat for 4 hours (add...
[Usage]: Serve as a side dish with meals.

4. Double Whips Yang-Tonifying Decoction
[Formula]: 10g goji berries, 10g dodder seeds, 10g dog penis, 6g cistanche, 100g bullwhip, 100g beef, 50g chicken meat.
[Effect]: Tonifying the kidneys and yang, nourishing essence and marrow.
[Method]: Soak the bullwhip in water until it expands, remove the skin, cut it in half, remove the urethra, wash it with clean water, then soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes, brush and wash it clean. Rinse the beef and put it in boiling water to blanch and remove the blood water, then rinse it with cold water. Put the bullwhip, dog penis, and beef in a pot with water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, add Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, cooking wine, and chicken meat, bring to a boil again, then simmer over low heat until the bullwhip...
[Usage]: Can be eaten with meals or consumed separately, drink the broth.

5. Restoration Decoction
[Formula]: 50g Chinese yam, 20g cistanche, 10g dodder seeds, 2 walnuts, 500g lean lamb, 1 lamb spine, rice.
[Effect]: Warming and tonifying kidney yang.
[Method]: Chop the lamb spine into several sections, blanch the lean lamb in boiling water to remove the blood water, cut it into pieces, put the Chinese yam, cistanche, dodder seeds, and walnuts in a cloth bag and tie it, lightly crush the ginger and white part of scallions. Put all the ingredients and rice into a clay pot at the same time, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cooking wine, simmer on low heat until the meat is tender. Add pepper powder, salt, and other seasonings.
[Usage]: Take twice daily, consume the meat and drink the broth.

Other Chinese herbal diet therapies for different types of hypotension: deficiency of heart and spleen, deficiency of middle qi.