Fact Check: Can Jinja herbal extracts cure hypertension/High Blood Pressure?

Can Jinja herbal extracts cure hypertension/ High Blood Pressure?

Claim: A reel on a social media site, facebook claims that jinja herbal (an organic extract) is used to cure high blood pressure. The said reel claims it uses plant stem cells to boost our human stem cells. It releases and multiplies our stem cells and can be used to cure high blood pressure.

The reel can be seen here

FACT CHECK:

This claim is FALSE.

What is Hypertension/ High Blood Pressure?

According to the American Heart Association, High blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, is when your blood pressure, the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high. (1)

Hypertension or high blood pressure, can be classified as Primary and secondary.

According to data provided by the World Health Organization: An estimated 1.28 billion adults aged 30–79 years worldwide have hypertension, most (two-thirds) living in low- and middle-income countries Less than half of adults (42%) with hypertension are diagnosed and treated. Approximately 1 in 5 adults (21%) with hypertension have it under control. (2)

What causes Hypertension/ High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure/hypertension, also known as essential hypertension, develops gradually over many years without a single identifiable cause. Factors that contribute to the risk of developing primary hypertension include genetics, age, race, obesity or being overweight, and lack of physical activity. Secondary hypertension occurs suddenly and is caused by an underlying condition. It tends to cause higher blood pressure than primary hypertension. Several conditions and medications can lead to secondary hypertension, including adrenal gland tumors, congenital heart defects, certain medications.

What are Jinja herbal extracts?

Jinja herbal extracts refer to botanical extracts derived from plants, herbs, or roots traditionally used in African herbal medicine. Jinja is a term that originates from Uganda, where it typically refers to a place known for its herbs or herbal remedies. These herbal extracts can vary widely in composition and properties depending on the specific plants used and the extraction methods employed. The composition of Jinja herbal extracts can vary widely depending on the specific herbs or plants used in the extraction process. Some common herbs and plants used in Jinja herbal extracts are moringa, neem, aloe vera, turmeric, ginger, etc.

Can Jinja herbal extracts cure Hypertension/High Blood Pressure?

No. Jinja herbal extracts cannot cure Hypertension/High Blood Pressure. There is no scientific evidence to prove that Jinja herbal extracts can cure High Blood Pressure.

There have been many studies done on some of the extracts of Jinja Herbal separately to see their impact on Hypertension. For example, According to a study by Aekthammarat et. al. 2020 Moringa oleifera leaf extract enhances endothelial nitric oxide production leading to the relaxation of resistance arteries and lowering of arterial blood pressure. (3)

Similarly, a study was performed by Yarmohammadi et al which showed that Neem(Azadirachta indica ) may increase the expression of Nrf2-mediated anti-oxidant enzymes and can regulate blood pressure and lipid profile. Also, neem can help inhibit vascular smooth muscle contraction by blocking calcium channels and decreasing high blood pressure.(4)

The studies show that the various ingredients/ active principals used in Jinja herbal extracts can help regulate hypertension, however, there is no scientific evidence to prove that they can cure it.

How to cure Hypertension/High Blood Pressure?

High Blood Pressure is a chronic condition and cannot be cured.

The main goal of hypertension treatment is to lower and control blood pressure to within a normal range to reduce the risk of complications such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage. The treatment to control hypertension includes lifestyle changes such as management of certain diets ( low sodium diet), exercise and physical activity, and reduced stress with some medications.

Medical Dialogues Final Take

High Blood pressure or hypertension cannot be cured. Jinja Herbal products may help in some cases to regulate blood pressure but the claim that they can cure Hypertension is false.

References:

1.https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure/what-is-high-blood-pressure.

2.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension.

3.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220307988.

4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8087850/#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20shown%20that,)%20and%20anti%2Doxidant%20effects.