**5.1 Blood pressure-lowering effect**

Ginger has been used for a long time to treat a variety of ailments, including hypertension. The crude extract of ginger induced a dose-dependent (0.3–3 mg/kg) fall in the arterial blood pressure of anesthetized rats and a cardio depressant activity in guinea pigs. The blood-pressure-lowering effect of ginger is mediated through blockade of voltage-dependent calcium channels [57]. Another study found that aqueous ginger extract reduces blood pressure by a dual inhibitory effect mediated by muscarinic receptor stimulation and Ca++ channel blocking, and this work provides a solid mechanistic basis for the use of ginger in hypertension and palpitations [57]. The effect of ginger tea on blood pressure of hypertensive individuals has been studied to determine and compare the mean arterial pressure, median number of hypertensive episodes of the respondents with and without intake of ginger tea. From the fifth to the eighth week, when the participants began drinking 10 g of ginger tea twice a day, their average mean arterial pressure dropped to 94.804 mmHg [58].
