The medicated diet treatment for essential hypertension

In light of its common symptoms of vertigo and headache, essential hypertension is divided in TCM into three types on the basis of the differentiation of syndromes: flaming-up of liver-fire, deficiency of both the liver-yin and the kidney-yin, and hyperactivity of yang due to yin deficiency.
1) Flaming-up of liver-fire. It is mainly manifested as distending pain in the head, dizziness, flushed face, conjunctival congestion, impetuosity and liability to anger, bitter taste, dry throat or accompanied with tinnitus, deafness, vexation, insomnia, which are aggravated by anger or overstrain, red tongue with yellow fur, wiry and rapid pulse.
2) Deficiency of the liver-yin and the kidney-yin. This type of syndrome is mainly manifested as dizziness, headache, dim eyesight, tinnitus, dry mouth, dryness in the eye, insomnia, dreaminess, feverish sensation in the palms and soles, lassitude in the loins and knees, mental tiredness, amnesia, red tongue with little fur, thready and wiry pulse or thready, wiry and rapid pulse.
3) Hyperactivity of yang due to yin deficiency. The syndrome of this type is marked by more serious distending pain in the head, occasionally flushed face, impetuosity and liability to anger, vexation, ted tongue with thin and yellow fur, wiry, thready and rapid pulse as well as the symptoms of syndrome of deficiency.

Dietetic Chinese Drugs
1) Hawthorn fruit (frucutus crataegi). The drug has the function of bring down blood pressure and is to be taken 9 to 15g per day. It is applicable to patients with essential hypertension or that accompanied with hyperlipemia and coronary heart disease.
2) Chrysanthemum flower (flos chryasnthemi). It can bring down the blood pressure and can be taken as a drink for a long time, 6 to 12g per day. This drug is applicable to essential hypertension marked by the types of flaming-up of liver-fire or of hyperactivity of yang due to yin deficiency.
3) Celery (apium). It contains apin which functions in bringing down blood pressure. Cut up 250g of fresh celery and extract its juice, which is to be taken twice a day. Or decoct not for long 30 to 60g of fresh celery for oral administration. This drug is applicable to essential hypertension manifested as the type of flaming-up of liver-fire or hyperactivity of yang due to yindeficiency.
4) Onion (bulbus allii capae). Having the function of promoting digestion, onion can prevent and treat hypertension. It can be either pounded to get its juice for drinking or eaten sautéed.
5) Garlic (bulbus allii). Garlic contains allin that can bring down blood pressure and is to be eaten raw, stewed, or cooked in gruel. It can be decocted, or pounded and made into boluses or pills for administration.
6) Carrot (radix dauxi carotae). It can be eaten taw or cooked, or be decocted, or extracted to get its juice, or decocted, for oral administration.
7) Shepherd’s purse (herba capsellae). Fresh shepherd’s purse is to be extracted to get its juice, or decocted, for oral administration. It can be eaten stir-fried, too. It is applicable to essential hypertension marked by the type of flaming-up of liver-fire. The common dosage is 30 to 60g each time.
8) Japanese sea tangle (thallus eckloniae) the laminine the drug contains can bring down blood pressure. Usually it is to be taken 15 to 60g per day. It can be eaten cooked, or decocted for oral administration, or used as an ingredient of boluses or pills or powder.
9) Straw mushroom (volva fungorum). Fresh straw mushroom should be eaten boiled or stir-fried. The common dosage is 30 to 60g each time.
10) Miscellanies. tremella (tremella), jew’s ear (auricularia), wild rice shoots (fhizoma zizaniae), apple (malum silvestre), pear (malum piri), persimmon (fructus kaki) and tangerine (fructus citri tangerinae) can be selected for eating. In addition, corn stigma (stigma maydis) decoction, when taken orally, can also bring down blood pressure and induce diuresis.

Composite Medicated Diet
1) Drink of Hawthorn Fruit and Chrysanthemum Flower (Shanzha Juhua Daichayin)
Ingredients: hawthorn fruit 12g; chrysanthemum flower 9g
Process: infuse them in boiling water for drinking.
Directions: patients with essential hypertension or accompanied with hyperlipemia, coronary heart discase can take it regularly as tea; while those with essential hypertension marked by the types of liver-fire or hyperaxtivity of yang due to yin deficiency can take it as a supplementary medicine.
2) Drinking of Chrysanthemum Flower, Sophora Flower and Green tea (Ju Huai Lucha Yin)
Ingredients: chrysanthemum folwer 3 to 6g; sophora flower 3 to 6g, green tea 3g
Process: infuse them in boiling water for drinking
Directions: its indications are the same as those of Drink of Hawthorn Fruit and Chrysanthemum Flower.
3) Thick Soup of Water Chestnut and Jellyfish Head (Xuegeng Tang)
Ingredients: water chestnut 100 to200g; jellyfish head 100 to 200g
Process: cook soup with them
Directions: to be taken twice or three times a day for the treatment of essential hypertension accompanied with syndrome of accumulation of phlegm manifested clinically as vertigo, heaviness sensation in the head, fullness and stuffiness in the chest and stomach, or vomiting, nausea, salivation, white and greasy fur, wiry and slippery pulse.
4) Soup of Tremella and Jew’s Ear (Shuang Er Tang)
Ingredients: tremella 9 to 12g; jew’s ear 9 to 12g; crystal sugar right amount
Process: first soak the first two ingredients in warm water and wash them clean; then place them in a bowl, pour water into the bowl and add in the crystal sugar; and finally steam them in a food steamer for an hour.
Directions: the tremella and the jew’s ear are for eating and the soup for drinking, once or twice per day. It is applicable to patients with essential hypertension, arteriosclerosis or that accompayied with bleeding from the eyeground, especially good for the type of deficiency of both the liver-yin and kidney-yin.
5) Decoction of Celery and Chinese-date (Qincai Dazao Tang)
Ingredients: stem of fresh celery 60g; Chinese-date 30g
Process: decoct them in a right amount of water.
Directions: to be taken twice a day over a month in succession.
6) Decoction of Hawthorn Fruit and Cassia Seed (Shanzha Jueming Tang)
Ingredients: hawthorn fruit 15 to 30g; cassia seed 15 to 30g
Process: decoct them in a right amount of water for oral administration or infuse them in boiling water for drinking.
Directions: applicable to patients with both essential hypertension and hyperlipemia accompanied with constipation. The amount of cassia seed should be reduced when the patient is free from constipation.
7) Soup of Corn Stigma and Tortoise (Yumixu Gui Tang)
Ingredients: tortoise over 500g; corn stigma 120g
Process: place the tortoise in a basin, pour in hot water; after the tortoise has discharged all its urine, wash it clean and cut off its head and feet, rid it of its internal organs; then put it in an earthenware pot together with the corn stigma and a right amount of water. Cook on a strong fire until the water comes to the boil and then cook on with a slow fire until the tortoise is well-done.
Directions: the flesh of the tortoise is for eating and the soup for drinking. It is used to treat essential hypertension manifested as the type of deficiency of both the liver-yin and the kidney-yin.
8) Gruel of Chrysanthemum Flower and Hawthorn Fruit (Juhua Shanzha Zhou)
Ingredients: dried chrysanthemum flower 9 to12g; hawthorn fruit slices 9 to12g; polished round-grained rice 45 to 60g; crystal sugar right amount
Process: Grind the first two ingredients into powder; then make gruel out of the rice, sugar and 500ml of water, when the rice begins to boil with the liquid not thick yet, mix the powder of the first two ingredients into gruel and go on cooking on a slow fire for a while; and finally when the gruel becomes thick, put out the fire and simmer it for five minutes with the pot tightly covered.
Directions: to be taken warm, once or twice a day, for patients with essential hypertension or that accompanied with hyperlipemia, coronary hear disease. Stop taking it in winter.
9) Soup of Mung Bean and Kelp (Haidai Ludou Tang)
Ingredients: mung bean 90g; kelp 45g; crystal sugar right mount
Process: cook the three ingredients together in water over a strong fire until the water comes to the boil; then cook over a slow fire until the mung bean and the kelp are well-done.
Directions: this soup is for eating. Taking it regularly can prevent essential hypertension and hyperlipemia.

Select one or two from among the recipes above that are to patients' taste. If curative, they should be taken for a long time.