INTRODUCTION

Hypertension or also known as high blood pressure a very common and

serious condition that can lead to or complicate many health problems1. Known for

being a silent killer because it has no significant symptoms until develops a serious

complications2.

According to the World Health Organization that hypertension cause one of

the eight deaths making it the third leading killer in the world. It is recorded that

among one billion hypertensive four million of it dies annually as a direct result of

hypertension3.

Hypertension is defined as Systolic blood pressure higher than 140 mmHg

or diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mmHg is based on two or more reading

taken two or more visit after an initial screening4. It is the level of arterial blood

pressure associated with doubling of long term cardiovascular risk5.

Research has found alternative therapies to be successfully help reduce

high blood pressure including diet, exercise, stress management, supplements

and herbs. There are alternative medicines that offers effective way in decreasing

the rising number of people experiencing hypertension like herbal drugs with

Garlic, Ginger, Barberry and Rouwolfia6.

Allium sativum also known as garlic has long been used as a treatment to

any cardiovascular diseases especially hyperlipidemia and also has been reported

to have hypotensive action. Garlic contains allicin that gives off its characteristic
odor and healing benefits. It is thought to increase nitric oxide production that

resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilatation7.

Zingiber officinale also known as ginger a root crop commonly used in Asian

cooking. According to some research it improve blood circulation and relaxes

muscles surrounding blood vessels. Some of experiment using ginger crude

extract to some experimental animals shown a similar effect seen in Verapamil a

known hypertension medicine. They believe that it helps lowering blood pressure

by blocking the voltage dependent calcium channels8. This mechanism of action

may partly involve the serotonergic antagonistic property of ginger9.

Cymbopogon citratus or lemon grass is commonly used as an aromatic

drink and cooking. It is also used as a treatment in various diseases in folk

medicines10. It is widely utilized as antiseptic, anti-fever, ant dyspeptic,

carminative, and anti-inflammatory medicine in South Africa, Asia and West Africa.

It is also a febrifuge, analgesic, and spasmolytic, antipyretic, diuretic, tranquilizer

and stomachic agent11-12.

Some investigations have been carried out showing its potential source of

hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic substances which help lower the risk of

hypertension13. Its extracts contains flavonoids and alkaloids an anti-hypertensive

compounds14.

Citrofortunella microcarpa or calamansi has been known not only for its

refreshing juices and flavors but also for its medical uses15. Researcher found that

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Citrofortunella microcarpa has hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and anti-oxidative

effects that has big help in lowering blood pressure and glucose level16.

With this we aim to produce bio-mixture formula in order to provide a low

cost treatment for hypertension.

Objectives of the Study

Generally, this study aims to provide the best alternative herbal formulation.

Specifically aims to:

1. To produce six (6) sets of bi-mixture formula to the following plants:

Allium sativum (Garlic), Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass/ Tanglad),

Citrofortunella microcarpa (Calamansi), and Zingiber officinale (Ginger),

and

2. Determine the most effective bi-mixture formula through phytochemical

analysis.

Significance of the Study

In this study this will serve as an alternative treatment for those who have

hypertension. To provide a cheaper and safest treatment that a Filipino citizen may

have.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study limits only on producing six (6) sets of bi-mixture formula of the

following selected plants: Allium sativum (Garlic), Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon

grass/ Tanglad), Citrofortunella microcarpa (Calamansi), and Zingiber officinale

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(Ginger). Also it limits only in the determination of phytochemical components

present in the mixture that contributes to the lowering of blood pressure for

hypertension treatment.

Background of the Study

Preventing hypertension nowadays has to do with good life style such as

eating healthier diet, quitting smoking and getting more exercise. Treatment with

medication is also recommend to lower blood pressure to less than 130/180 in

people older than age 65 and those with risk factors such as diabetes and high

cholesterol. Currently, there are some of herbal medicines that has been known to

give remedy for hypertension.

Unfortunately, in the local areas people tend to do trial and error treatment

using various herbal plants. With this the efficiency of their medicinal treatment

procedures are delaying the relief towards the patients.

Therefore, as a young researcher we’re going to provide efficient mixtures

of herbal plants that will definitely remedy this kind of illness.

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 MATERIALS AND METHOD

Collection of Plants

The plant materials Allium sativum (Garlic), Cymbopogon citratus

(Tanglad), Citrofortunella microcarpa (Lemon) and Zingiber officianale (Ginger)

will be collected at Iligan city.

Cleaning of Plants

After collecting the plants needed it has to be properly cleaned. Cleaning,

washing, peeling and stripping leaves from stem are done manually to get proper

results.

Drying of Plants

Drying are necessary to remove the water content of the plant. Drying

should be done immediate to avoid spoilage of plant. Sun- drying or air- drying

will be used as a method in drying plant materials. Plants will be placed on a

drying frame or stand for two weeks to ensure proper drying (Banu and

Catherine, 2015).

Powdering the Plant Materials

After drying, it will be powdered through a miller, and weighed through a

top loader balance, and will be stored in an air tight container.

Extract Preparation

About 250g of the powdered material will be soaked with

95% methanol into Erlenmeyer flask up to 1000 mL for 72 hours. The mixture will

5
be stirred every 18 hours using a glass rod. The supernatant will be filtered using
Whatman filter paper number 1 and the residue will be discarded. The filtrate will
be then subjected to the rotary evaporator at a temperature less than 45 degree
Celsius under a reduced pressure. The residue will be stored in an air tight
container at 4 degrees Celsius until used (Barua et al., 2010).

Preparation of Six Sets of Bi-mixture Formula

250 ppm of each extract will be used for preparation of Bi-

mixture formula. Each 1 ppm is equal 1 mg/L, so 250 ppm is equal to 250 mg of
extract per liter of water. For the formulation of Bi-mixture 250 ppm of two extract
is equal to 500 ppm.

Set 1, a combination of Allium sativum (Garlic) and Zingiber

officianale (Ginger). Set 2, Cymbopogon citratus (Tanglad) and Citrofortunella
microcarpa (Lemon). Set 3, Allium sativum (Ginger) and Cymbopogon citratus
(Tanglad). Set 4, Zingiber officianale (Ginger) and Citrofortunella microcarpa
(Lemon). Set 5, Cymbopogon citratus (Tanglad) and Zingiber officianale
(Ginger). Set 6, Citrofortunella microcarpa (Lemon) and Allium sativum (Garlic).

Each bi-mixture formula contains 500 ppm that will be diluted

with distilled water to have 500 ppm concentration that will subjected to
phytochemical screening.

Phytochemical Screening

Freshly made Bi-mixture formula will be subjected to

standard screening test using phytochemical analysis. To know which of the six
mixtures are effective in lowering of blood pressure. Determining the
phytochemical components present in the mixture that can contribute in lowering
high blood pressure.

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 The six bi-mixture formula will send into the Mindanao State
University – Iligan Institute of Technology Chemistry Laboratory for
phytochemical screening.

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 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Diseases and complications in our body starts to exist the moment that we

neglect to maintain a proper healthy lifestyle. Hypertension is one of the most

common medical problems that is evident today. This condition cannot be

diagnosed at early stages due to insufficient symptoms that are easy to be

observed by people. However, even if this condition is mildly noticeable this has

been one of the leading cause of heart attacks, stroke, kidney diseases tagging it

as a “The silent killer” (Siyad, 2011).

Hypertension: The Silent Killer

Hypertension or commonly known as high blood pressure is a common

condition in which the long-term force of the blood against the artery walls is very

high. This means that the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood

vessels are high enough to cause serious medical problems.

Symptoms with regards to this condition is very tricky and yet very alarming

when diagnosed. Common scenarios of diagnosing hypertension are found out in

a stage where the condition progresses sufficiently enough to cause damage. That

is why people having this kind of condition are at risk any time since complications

due to hypertension are working silently targeting your cardiovascular and internal

organs such as kidneys (NIH, 2010).

Hypertension is one of the global health concern as per the World Health

Organization stated. They also highlight that this is caused due to the growth of

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processed food industry which is in demand worldwide. With this, it is empirically

evident that more and more people are having this kind of this condition. With this

regard, treatment for this condition is truly a must. Patients undergo different kind

of medications, alternative medical procedures and even take their illness to native

faith healers in order to remedy their situation as due to financial constraints.

Hence, researchers up to this date is on the verge of recreating, manufacturing

and innovating medicines and treatment procedures that will be able to conquer

this condition while having their pockets enough to sustain their daily needs.

Herbal Remedies for Hypertension

Hypertension are very dangerous condition that heart diseases and stroke.

It can also lead to other conditions like kidney failure, kidney diseases and

blindness. Many conventional antihypertensive has side effects. Herbal medicines

used in some developing countries has better body acceptance and less side

effects. There are lot of herbal plants that had been studied to help reduce of

hypertension and hypotension condition (WHO, 2005).

Conventional treatment for hypertension and other cardio vascular have

been invented by still it can’t completely reduce the number patient diagnosed

annually. Researchers found out that alternative medicine can be a great help in

reducing this condition. Together with proper exercise, proper diet and with this

herb can be a great therapy to reduce hypertension. There are many herbal drugs

like Punarnava, Barberry, Rouwolfia, Garlic, Ginger, Ginseng and Arjuna which

can safely use for the treatment of hypertension (Holm, et. al., 2006).

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Garlic for Hypertenson

Herbs and dietary supplement shows significant effect against

hypertension. Dried Garlic or Allium sativum had shown beneficial lipid effects in

some major trials. It shows great beneficial effect but it also inhibits platelet

aggregation and can cause significant anticoagulation. There is a need for

definitive research on the potential risks and benefits of these compounds,

including appropriate dosages and formulations, and delineation of adverse events

and interactions (Kaplan, 2002).

Garlic has shown effect on lowering hypertension and blood pressure

similar with some prescribe medicines. S-allylcysteine a known compound in some

Hypertensive medicines are found in aged garlic extract that does not shows

harmful effect if interacted with BP reducing meds. Garlic-derived polysulfides

stimulate the production of the vascular gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S)

and enhance the regulation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO), which induce smooth

muscle cell relaxation, vasodilation, and BP reduction. Sulfur deficiency might play

a part in the etiology of hypertension, and could be alleviated with supplementation

of organosulfur compounds derived from garlic (Agrawal, et. al., 2010).

Garlic shows adverse effect in lowering blood pressure. Patients with stage

1 hypertension were group into seven (7) groups with 30 patients each group. 1 st

-5th groups were given with tablets made of garlic every day. The 6 th and 7th groups

were given with tablet atenolol and placebo. After 24 days of monitoring the 1 st –

5th groups shows a significant decrease of blood pressures compared with the 6 th

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– 7th group who were given with atenolol and placebo (Tabassum and Ahmad,

2011)

Ginger as Antihypertensive Treatment

Hypertension and other coronary diseases leads to death. Ginger are

known as ancient treatment for variety of ailments. 120 outpatient were divided

into three (3) groups with 40 patient per group. It was divided into three (3) studies,

first were given ginger, the 2nd group with ginger and a prescribed meds and the

last group with only prescribed meds taken every day for a month. After a month

long monitored medication all three (3) groups shows a significant decrease in their

blood pressure. This shows that ginger has great help in lowering blood pressure

(Fugh-Berman, 2005).

Zingiber officinale or ginger has been traditionally as herbal medicine. It

contains several constituents such as gingerol, gingerdiol, gingerdione, beta-

carotene, capsaicin, caffeic acid and curumin. 60 patients with hypertension male

and female were divided into three (3) groups with 20 patient each group were

tested. It can be concluded that consumption of ZO at doses employed in this

study, has a blood pressure lowering effect and this effect is dose-dependent

(Ghayur and Gilani, 2005).

Zingiber officinale also known as ginger been known for its medicinal

purposes. According to animal studies ginger has the potential to offer a natural

alternative dietary supplementation to conventional anti-hypertensive agents, but

still there is not enough evidence supporting this claim and current limited evidence

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is controversial. More human trials studying the effect of ginger on hypertensive

patients using different dosage of a standardized extract are needed (Figueirinha,

et. al., 2008).

Lemon Grass

Lemon Grass also called citronella, is a tall, stalky plant. It is used as a folk

remedy to promote sleep, relieve pain and boost immunity (Sawyer, 1982). In the

Philippines, especially in the locality of Iligan City lemon grass known as Tanglad

is used as a spices to dishes with soup.

With its abundance in the local areas this plant is convenient to examine in

order to magnify its potential use not just in cooking but also in treating medical

conditions like hypertension. According to Olsen, Lemon grass has many potential

benefits like it has antioxidant properties. The presence of chlorogenic acid,

isoorientin and swetiajaponin helps in preventing dysfunction of cells inside the

coronary arteries. Anti-inflammatory properties are also present in this plant due

to the presence of citral and geranial which is said to help stop the release of

certain inflammation-causing marker in the body (Viana, et. al., 2000).

With respect in treating hypertension, lemon grass is also a potential defender

for patients since this plant lowers high systolic blood pressures and help regulate

cholesterol level in the body. This potential benefit coming from lemon grass is

dependent to the dosage the patient is taking making this plant susceptible to

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various examinations and experimental procedures to ensure right dosage of

treatment that is needed for people suffering from hypertension.

According to Shaikh (2019) lemongrass has good amounts of vitamins A and

C as well as zinc. It also has magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron and

potassium. The potassium content of lemon grass is the one that helps regulate

blood pressure (Adejuwon and Esther, 2007). In addition, drinking a glass of lemon

grass juice in the morning helps lower high blood pressure and boost blood

circulation in the body.

Calamansi

Calamansi is a fruit grown all over South East Asia and it is very popular in the

Philippines. It is known for its richness in Vitamin C and are commonly prepared

as thirst quenchers in many local areas. Being packed with Vitamin C Calamansi

is used to treat colds, flu and fever. It also helps strengthen the immune system. It

will help protect the body from infections and maintain healthy bones and teeth

and quicken the ability of the body to regenerate or repair wounds (Onabanjo, et.

al., 1993).

In its involvement in treating hypertension, studies found out that calamansi

may help control high blood pressure and so it helps lessen the probability of

hypertension to occur. It also helps in reducing cholesterol level inside our body

(Monte, et. al., 2017). With this, many people had made calamansi as part of their

diet because of its health benefits.

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