A review of some common African spices with antihypertensive potential

Abstract

Hypertension is the most common non-communicable disease, with about 1.28 billion hypertensive people worldwide. It is more prevalent in men than women and more common in the elderly. Hereditary, age, obesity, lifestyle, diet, alcohol, and chronic metabolic diseases are the major risk factors of hypertension. Treating hypertension is a complex process as there are several mechanisms responsible for its pathogenesis; hence, a combination of several drugs is used for managing hypertension. Drugs used in managing hypertension are expensive and often come with associated side effects; thus, there is need for alternative means of managing this life-threatening disease. These drugs do not achieve the recommended blood pressure target in most people; more so majority of people with hypertension do not follow the treatment regimen religiously. Some Africans have been reported to become normotensive as a result of dietary consumption of spices. Several spices have been used over the years in Africa to manage hypertension. The aim of this review is to evaluate the ethnomedicinal use, bioactive phytochemical composition, bioactive compounds present, and pharmacological applications of spices commonly used in Africa for managing hypertension. Most of the plants used contained polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, anthraquinone, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and saponins. Dietary supplementation of Xylopia aethiopica and other spices in diet have been proven to significantly reduced plasma angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) than simvastatin (the reference drug). Toxicological, histological, and hematological evaluation revealed that acute and chronic consumption of most of these spices are safe. Studies have also revealed that some of the spices can be used as alternative therapy alongside usual antihypertensive medications. Practical implication:The prevalent rate of hypertension is on the increase in both the developed and developing countries. People often skip medication due to their busy schedule and anti-hypertensive potential side effects; however, this is not the case with food/spices as most people consumed them daily. Deliberate, right combinations and consistent incorporation of spices with proven anti-hypertensive potential into our diet may be of great benefit in normalizing blood pressure and mitigate other complications on the heart and vital organs.Hypertension or elevated blood pressure means the persistent force of blood against the artery wall leading to increase in blood pressure. According to World Health Organisation (WHO, 2021), blood pressure on two different days with both days exceeding 140/90 mmHg is classified as hypertension. The first (higher) number is the systolic, which is the blood pressure when the heart contracts, while the second (lower number) is the diastolic, which is the blood pressure when the heart relaxes (Ondimu et al., 2019). It is usually measured using upper arm cuff; however wrist devices are used for obese persons with extreme size of the arm (Nerenberg et al., 2018). Accordi...

Use of traditional medicine and control of hypertension in 12 African countries

“…Use of traditional medicine (TM) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa as a treatment option for a wide range of disease, 4 including for the management of hypertension. 5–7 TM encompasses different types of healthcare practices. 8 According to a recent systematic review, in sub-Saharan Africa, the most common form is biological-based (use of medicinal herbs and plants, homeopathy), followed by faith-based (prayer, spirituality), and mind–body therapies (eg, massage, meditation).…”

“…Use of traditional medicine (TM) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa as a treatment option for a wide range of disease,4 including for the management of hypertension 5–7. TM encompasses different types of healthcare practices 8.…”

Potential of Allium sativum in blood pressure control involves signaling pathways: A narrative review

“…It is based on the observation that treated rats showed more excellent S-allyl-L-cysteine cystathionine c-lyase activity in the left ventricles and higher levels of H 2 S in plasma-controlling treated animals (Seki & Hosono, 2015). Studies have also suggested that garlic and SAC showed cardioprotective effects and vasodilators affecting CSE activity and H 2 S production (Adeoye et al, 2022;Citi et al, 2021).…”

“…It is based on the observation that treated rats showed more excellent S ‐allyl‐ l ‐cysteine cystathionine c‐lyase activity in the left ventricles and higher levels of H 2 S in plasma‐controlling treated animals (Seki & Hosono, 2015). Studies have also suggested that garlic and SAC showed cardioprotective effects and vasodilators affecting CSE activity and H 2 S production (Adeoye et al., 2022; Citi et al., 2021). It is proposed that reducing the dependent H 2 S blood pressure is mainly mediated through the potassium‐sensitive sulfhydration channel (kATP) that promotes the relaxation of the sensitive channel of vascular smooth muscle cells.…”

“…Possible mechanisms of action have been proposed for garlic's effect on HTN, including blocking angiotensin II production by inhibiting ACEs (Adeoye et al., 2022). The ACE is an element of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), and ACE inhibitors are used as a medication for blood pressure control (South et al., 2020).…”