The clinical significance and costs of herbs and food supplements used by complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used by people in the United States and other countries for the treatment of health conditions that include hypertension (HTN), cardiovascular disease (CVD), heart failure, hyperlipidemia and other condtions. The visits to CAM practitioners result in significant out-of-pocket expenses, as CAM is not covered by health insurance in the majority of cases. The reasons for this are that the products used are not closely regulated by governmental regulatory agencies and lack scientific evidence about their effectiveness and safety. The people regard these products as being 'natural' and, consequently, safe. However, there is evidence that these products can be contaminated and adulterated with other substances and could cause harm to the persons who take them. The responsibility falls on the health professionals, who should become familiar with the various CAM products, inquire their patients whether they taking any of these products and advise them accordingly. This review is based on a recent statement issued by the American Medical for the use of CAM for the treatment of HTN. For its preparation, a Medline search of the English language literature was performed between 2010 and 2014 restricted in the use of CAM for CVD and HTN, and from the 88 abstracts reviewed, 23 pertinent papers were selected. These papers together with collateral literature will be discussed in this review regarding CAM and CAM products on their effectiveness and safety for the treatment of CVD and HTN.