Claim: A Facebook group claims they sell the solution to hypertension which is the Brahmi medication.
Verdict: FALSE. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts, there is no cure for hypertension yet.
Full Text
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension, also known as High Blood Pressure (HBP), is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high (140/90mmHg or higher). It is common but can be fatal if not treated. People with High blood pressure may not have symptoms, so the only way to know is to check their blood pressure.
A Facebook Page, Life & Food, shared a post on its page wondering why many Nigerians still believe the lie “hypertension has no cure,” asserting they have the cure to the disease.
The post was shared with a link and a 46 seconds video explaining how hypertension can lead to stroke and partial blindness. The narrator says that the “permanent solution” is in the link attached to the post.
The Facebook post, as of March 3, 2023, had garnered 517 likes, 127 comments and 145,000 views.
The post-high engagement and its possibility of influencing the public’s health decision prompted DUBAWA to verify the claim.
Verification
We first followed the link attached to the post, which led to a website, Healthier Living. The blog explains the story of a man with three years of hypertension until he was introduced to “Brahmi Medication.”
DUBAWA researched Brahmi and discovered that it is also called Bacopa monnieri. Ayurvedic medical practitioners have used the medication for centuries. It is used for improving memory, reducing anxiety, and treating epilepsy.
Although Brahmi may help reduce blood pressure in animals with HBP levels, more human research is required to confirm this fact.
According to The National Kidney Foundation, there is no cure for HBP, but it can be controlled by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Experts’ opinion
A medical expert at the Federal Medical Center Jabi, Tessy Ahmadu, stated that hypertension comes with age, can be hereditary and sometimes comes with pregnancy. She noted, “as we get older, the vessels become weaker.”
Although studies show Brahmi might have worked on animals, it still needs to be tested on humans to know the right dosage or prescriptions.
When asked if there’s a permanent solution to hypertension, Ms Ahmadu said there is none.
Doctor Amosu Opeyemi, a medical expert at Rufina Catholic Medical Center, Ogun State, expressed his view on hypertension and said, “while there is no direct cause for hypertension, there are risk factors responsible for it. There is some modifiable hypertension which means you can adjust or influence them, an example is genetics. However, the non-modifiable ones are only managed. Examples of people who could have it are smokers and people with high cholesterol.”
When asked if there’s a cure for hypertension, he said, “There is no permanent cure yet. There’s definitely a lot of ongoing research, but it can be managed with blood pressure-lowering drug usage, reducing salt intake, and exercising more. Do not let anyone deceive you on a cure. It can only be managed.”
Conclusion
While Brahmi could be used to lessen animal blood pressure levels, more research must be conducted on humans. So far, there is no cure for hypertension.
