030226 – Chinese Foods for Longevity, High Blood Pressure 

The patient should be on a low-salt, low-fat, low-calorie diet. The blood pressure of laboratory animals goes up when they’re given a high-salt diet. And the incidence rate of hypertension among elderly people in the Tong Nan district has been found to be higher than in other regions in China. This is attributed to the fact that people in this district generally consume more salt than people in the rest of the country.

Eat more foods that can reduce blood pressure, such as apples, asparagus, celery, figs, garlic, hawthorn fruits, papaya, persimmon, and tomatoes. Also, eat more protein-rich foods such as fish and soybeans.

Cook black fungus, onions, and garlic together and eat at meals regularly. This can counteract arteriosclerosis and prevent cerebral thrombosis (the formation of a blood clot or thrombus in the brain).

Grind tea tree roots into powder. Take 20 grams of powder with water two times daily for one month as a course of treatment. Four medical colleges in China used this method to treat 140 cases of hypertension and coronary disease caused by high cholesterol levels, which produced good results.

Mixed mung bean powder with pork bile in a 1:2 ratio of mung bean powder to pork bile. Leave it to dry in the sun, and then grind into powder. Take 4 grams of powder three times daily to lower blood pressure.

Prepare seaweed and leaves to dry in the sun; then grind into powder. Take 7 grams of seaweed powder with water each day, divided into three dosages for 1 to 3 months as a course of treatment. Or, cook seaweed and eat meals regularly. Seaweed can not only reduce blood pressure, it also contains plenty of fiber good for the prevention of colon cancer.

Crush 10 fresh hawthorn fruits, add rock sugar, boil in water, and drink like tea. Or eat 10 fresh hawthorn fruits daily. hawthorn fruits can lower cholesterol levels and also soften the blood vessels and reduce blood pressure.

Eat at least three apples every day to help reduce blood pressure. Experiments have indicated that apples can raise blood pressure when it is too low, and also reduce blood pressure when it is too high. This is called “regulation of blood pressure “ in Chinese medicine.

Boil peanut stalks and leaves in water, 30 grams each, and drink like tea to reduce high blood pressure. A Chinese researcher found this to be effective in 85 percent of cases.

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Ref: 	Chinese Foods for Longevity by Dr. Henry C. Lu Ph.D. from Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He taught at Univ. of Calgary between 1968 and 1971, and has practiced Chinese medicine since 1972. The author is best known for his translation of  “Yellow Emperor’s classic of internal medicine” from Chinese to English, and the Chinese College of Acupuncture and Herbalogy he established in Vancouver and Victoria, BC Canada, for the instruction of traditional Chinese medicine.