01 Introduction

Chronic diseases like hypertension, or high blood pressure, are increasingly common among older adults. In China, nearly everyone over sixty faces blood pressure issues. Many people focus on health revitalization and become anxious over slight fluctuations in their blood pressure.

Interestingly, traditional herbal medicine does not prioritize blood pressure readings in treating hypertension. In fact, the concept of hypertension doesn’t exist in traditional herbal medicine. So, what does it focus on?

02 Herbal vs. Western Medicine

In modern China, traditional herbal medicine has been significantly influenced by technology and westernization. The education model in herbal medicine universities today only partially reflects traditional practices.

When seeking treatment at a herbal medicine hospital, patients undergo procedures similar to those in western hospitals. Besides traditional diagnostic methods like looking, smelling, asking, and feeling the pulse (wen-wen-wang-qie), herbal doctors also refer to instrument examination results for diagnosis.

In contrast, during the pure traditional herbal medicine era, practitioners relied solely on observation, smell, questioning, and palpation, using tools like a pulse pillow and silver needles. Traditional herbal medicine emphasizes the dialectical treatment of vital yuanqi, blood, yin, and yang. Modern practitioners, however, often rely on test report data, unlike ancient practitioners who used traditional methods exclusively.

Dr. Guo Yaning suggests that traditional herbal medicine practitioners should observe the five movements and six qi of their patients, using instrument examinations as auxiliary references.

According to Dr. Guo, over-the-counter Chinese patent medicines should not be considered true herbal medicine. These products result from clinical trials combining herbal and Western medicine, often differing from traditional efficacy.

For example, the traditional herbal medicine Yu-ping-feng-san, created by Wei Yilin in the Yuan Dynasty, is meant to block wind and cold, enhancing lung function and wei-qi (defensive vital yuanqi). It is particularly beneficial for the elderly or those recovering from serious illness, improving immunity and resistance. However, modern Chinese patent medicines labeled Yu-ping-feng-san claim to cure colds causing sweating, which deviates from its original purpose. Using these patent medicines to cure a cold is less effective than a bowl of ginger soup. Thus, traditional herbal medicine and Western medicine should not be mixed, as they are fundamentally different systems.

Dr. Guo, after thirty years of practice, concluded that combining herbal and Western medicine is ineffective.

03 Causes of Hypertension

How do traditional herbal medicine practitioners view high blood pressure without Western influence?

Ordinary people might think, “My blood pressure is high, and I have tinnitus.” These are just symptoms. Practitioners analyze the underlying causes. Western medicine attributes high blood pressure to blood viscosity, caused by high-fat and high-calorie diets. But why does only one person in a family develop high blood pressure despite eating the same food?

Western medicine’s analysis stops here, leaving scientists to explore further, often attributing it to cellular issues like damaged mitochondria. However, this still doesn’t explain why mitochondria are damaged.

Dr. Guo notes that while science progresses, nature changes faster, and technology struggles to keep up. For chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, Western medicine has made little progress, often only managing symptoms with drugs rather than curing them. Traditional herbal medicine also has a low cure rate for these diseases, as only a small portion of its treatment ideas are correct.

04 The Herbal View of Hypertension

What is the correct approach in traditional herbal medicine?

First, strengthen the body and nourish the spleen and stomach using Wu-xing-jian-pi-san, then add cooling and fire-reducing ingredients like corn silk. Pharmacologically, this calms the liver, promotes bile secretion, relieves heat, and promotes urination.

In traditional herbal medicine, hypertension is often diagnosed as hyperactivity of liver yang. According to The Theory of Vital Yuanqi Circulation by Huang Yuanyu, vital yuanqi is generated by the pi-subsystem. The liver helps yuanqi rise towards the heart, then it descends to the lungs and finally to the kidneys, where excess yuanqi is stored. This normal circulation ensures health.

However, in hyperactivity of liver yang, this pattern is disrupted. Instead of moving towards the heart, the vital yuanqi dissipates elsewhere, breaking the normal circulation.

(To be continued)