Bark of Parkia biglobosa tree won’t ‘suppress’ high blood pressure

A post on the Nigeria-based Facebook page “Solarababa herbs” claims the bark of the Parkia biglobosa tree will “suppress high blood pressure”.

It describes how to prepare and take the remedy. “Boil the ingredient with water. Drink one shot (5ml) daily for two weeks.”

But will this really reduce high blood pressure? We checked.

Visit a doctor for treatment

Parkia biglobosa, known as the African locust bean tree, is a multipurpose tree legume found in many African countries.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a serious medical condition where the blood pressure is persistently raised. It increases the risk of other serious health conditions like kidney problems and heart disease.

The World Health Organization says its African region has the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world – 27% of the global 1.13 billion people affected by the condition.

We asked Jacob Awobusuyi, a professor of medicine in the faculty of clinical sciences at Lagos State University, for his opinion of the remedy in the Facebook post.

“I am not aware of this and I have no information on it,” he said. “Treating hypertension is more than just taking hypertension drugs alone. Many other things are required in the management of the condition.”

Awobusuyi said that people with high blood pressure should see a doctor for proper evaluation and to get the right treatment.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, regular blood pressure checks are the only way to know if you have hypertension. It adds that some of the ways to prevent high blood pressure are to eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, limit alcohol intake and get enough sleep.

Africa Check has debunked a similar claim that powdered avocado seed would treat high blood pressure and other diseases.