Evidence on the use of alternative substances and therapies in hypertension.

Objective: Review of some of the best-known biological and non-biological complementary/alternative therapies/medicines (CAM) and their relationship with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension (HT).
Search Strategy: Narrative review assessing a recent series of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials published in recent years, focusing on the effects of CAM on BP and HT.
Selection of Studies: We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, obtaining a total of 4336 articles, finally limiting the search to 181 after applying filters.
Synthesis of Results: Some studies on biological therapies show some usefulness in BP reduction with an adequate benefit-risk balance, although there is a scarcity of high-quality trials that support these results. Some mind-body therapies have shown hypothetical benefit; in contrast, others lack robust evidence.
Conclusions: Although some therapies present a reasonable risk-benefit ratio, they should in no case replace pharmacological treatment when indicated.
(Copyright © 2023. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)