3 effective medicinal plants against hypertension

An investigation on the mechanism of action of medicinal plants that are effective in treating hypertension has discovered a strategy for drug design that had not been explored by the pharmaceutical industry.

Medicinal plants such as lavender, fennel and chamomile activate a specific potassium channel in blood vessels that favors their dilation and lowers blood pressure, according to Geoff Abbott, study director and professor at the University of California at Irvine.

Researchers have paid particular attention to how the aloperine, an alkaloid found in the root of “ku shen” (Sophora flavescens), a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.