Homeopathy for High Blood Pressure?

One of the most common questions regarding high blood pressure is whether blood pressure can also be lowered with "natural" remedies. Those affected often hesitate to take the medications prescribed by their doctor, which are seen as chemical and unnatural. This is especially true given that they subjectively do not feel any discomfort. At the same time, it has been understood that persistently elevated blood pressure values are not beneficial to health - and thus they search for alternatives. The most helpful way to do something about high blood pressure by sustainably changing one's lifestyle often fails due to inner resistance. A fundamental change in diet and the thought of actually moving more is unfortunately not so easy for many to implement. In the search for simple ways to get blood pressure under control, one eventually stumbles upon homeopathic remedies. These are usually available over the counter at the pharmacy. And what is supposed to help against hypertension can be easily found out. And that too without side effects - if one believes what is often written.

But does homeopathy really help?

What is homeopathy actually?

The basic principle of homeopathy is "Similia similibus curentur," which means that similar things are treated with similar things. This means that a substance that can cause similar complaints as those described by the patient is diluted in potencies and shaken to give the body the information about what it should fight against or what the self-healing powers need to become active against. For example, Nux Vomica, the vomit nut, is used among other things for nausea. The potency system includes D- and C-potencies. For a remedy with potency D1, the so-called mother tincture is diluted in a ratio of 1:10 and dynamized with ten shakes. For D2, one-tenth of this substance is again diluted 1:10 and dynamized with 20 shakes, and so on. For C-potencies, the dilution is in a ratio of 1:100 and is shaken accordingly in 100-step increments. By the time one reaches potency D8, no pharmacologically active substance can be detected anymore.

However, this alone does not capture the fundamental idea of homeopathy in its entirety. One must detach from the conventional medical thinking that one simply gives medication Y against disease X. Rather, in homeopathy, the person is seen and treated holistically, not just their symptoms. To be successful, it requires an experienced homeopath and also a patient who is willing to engage in this process. Thus, for one person suffering from high blood pressure, the homeopathic remedy A may be "suitable" based on their complaints and personality structure, while for another affected person, who also suffers from high blood pressure but has different complaints and personality traits, it may be considered incorrect from a homeopathic perspective. The effect is therefore less generated by the remedy itself, but rather by the attention the patient receives from the practitioner.

Homeopathic remedies are usually administered in the form of drops or globules. Globules are small sugar pellets that have been sprayed with the diluted and shaken solution corresponding to the potency.

Opinions on the effectiveness of homeopathy diverge in completely opposite directions. Some believe in it, while others do not.

Science, however, agrees: Where there is nothing, nothing can work. This conclusion was reached by various studies in which neither participants nor doctors knew who was taking a homeopathic remedy and who was taking a substance labeled as a placebo from the outset. In these so-called double-blind studies, no effect of the homeopathic remedies could be recorded.

From a conventional medical perspective, homeopathy is at best attributed a placebo effect.

In the case of high blood pressure, it is therefore more dangerous than helpful to throw away the medications prescribed by the doctor and instead obtain the globules or drops found on the internet. Even experienced homeopaths do not dare to directly replace prescribed medications with homeopathic remedies. They usually begin the treatment of existing high blood pressure in parallel with conventional medical therapy. They search for the appropriate homeopathic remedy for the respective patient based on their complaint and overall picture. The patient then takes this alongside their prescribed medications. If blood pressure decreases, which is not to be expected overnight but may take several weeks or months, the doctor's prescription may be adjusted accordingly.

In addition to individual remedies, there are also various complex remedies available on the market that are supposed to work against high blood pressure. These contain various homeopathic remedies in a fixed composition.

Keeping the above-mentioned approach in homeopathy in mind, it is easy to understand why these homeopathic complex remedies can hardly help. If the remedies are taken without the empathetic homeopath, only the placebo effect remains. They somewhat contradict the holistic approach of the healing method.

Some of the complex remedies advertised as blood pressure-lowering contain homeopathic remedies in pharmacologically active dosages. This means nothing other than that active ingredients are included that may also be found in medications prescribed by doctors, but in untested compositions. Unlike these, homeopathic remedies are not tested in studies. The result can be side effects or interactions with other medications.

Caution is therefore also advised regarding the supposed lack of side effects of homeopathic remedies. As mentioned earlier, no effective substance can be detected beyond a certain potency. Conversely, this means that lower potencies, and especially the so-called mother tinctures, can indeed contain pharmacologically active ingredients. These influence the body in a completely conventional way. Strictly speaking, this is more phytotherapy - that is, herbal medicine - than homeopathy. Therefore, self-treatment with homeopathic remedies, whether single or complex preparations, is not advisable. Even if the sugar pellets or drops in most potencies do not contain a detectable active substance, the intake should be discussed with the treating physician.

Conclusion

There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies beyond a placebo effect. The actual effect comes from a good homeopath who takes the time. Especially in the case of high blood pressure, there may be psychological causes - for example, unresolved stress. Nevertheless, various products may contain pharmacologically active substances. Therefore, self-experiments - especially without consulting the treating physician - are not advisable.

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By Sabine Croci. This article is medically reviewed. Last updated (04/2024).
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Homeopathy for High Blood Pressure?

What is homeopathy actually?

Conclusion

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