Table 1.
Summary of studies on the hypotensive effects of celery.
| Author | Total (n) | Gender (n) | Age | Study design | Celery administration | Results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Administration form | Dosage | Duration | Decrease in blood pressure (mmHg) | Hypertension-related key findings | ||||||
| Control group | Intervention group | Systolic (mmHg) | Diastolic (mmHg) | |||||||||
| Animal studies | ||||||||||||
| Moghadam et al. [16] | 54 | 54 | — | N/A | Experimental | G6 (PC): spironolactone G7, 8 (NC): NS 0.9% and liquid paraffin |
G1, 2, 3: hexanic extract G4: methanolic extract G5: aqueous-ethanolic extracts G9: NS 0.9% and hexanic extract |
G1: 100 mg/kg G2: 200 mg/kg G3, 4, 5: 300 mg/kg G9: 0.5 ml of NS (0.9%), then 300 mg/kg |
3 weeks | G3: 38 mmHg G4: 24 mmHg G5: 23 mmHg |
N/A | (i) All types of celery extracts cause a reduction in SBP and increased HR in hypertensive groups but not the normotensive group (ii) Hexanic extract contains 3.7 to 4 more n-butylphthalide content than methanolic and aqueous-ethanolic extract, respectively |
| Sohrabi et al. [19] | 105 | 105 | — | N/A | Experimental | — | Ethanolic celery seed extract | 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/ml | N/A | — | — | (i) Celery seed extract has endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effects in rat's aortic rings (ii) There are two possible relaxation mechanisms: inhibition of calcium influx into smooth muscle cells and activation of voltage-dependent potassium channels |
| Tashakori-Sabzevar et al. [15] | 30 | 30 | — | N/A | Experimental | Nifedipine (calcium blocker agent) | Hexanic extract | 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 mg/kg | N/A | Dose 12.5 mg/kg: 69.5% reduction in normotensive groups and 34.6% in hypertensive groups |
Dose 12.5 mg/kg: 80% reduction in normotensive groups and 37.6% in hypertensive groups |
(i) Hexanic extract contains more n-butylphthalide than aqueous-ethanolic extract (ii) Hexanic celery extract significantly reduces SBP, DBP, MABP, and HR in normotensive and hypertensive groups (iii) Involved mechanisms in celery's hypotensive effect are vasodilation effect via blocking calcium channels and bradycardia induction (iv) Celery's hexanic extract and nifedipine have a similar effect on BP but not HR |
| Dianat et al. [17] | 40 | 40 | — | N/A | Experimental | 1: tap water 2: fructose extract |
Methanol celery leaf extract | 100 and 200 mg/kg | 7 weeks | N/A | N/A | (i) There is a significant reduction in SBP in groups receiving fructose and celery extract in comparison with fructose group (ii) No significant HR alteration in any group |
| Rosa and Rivai [18] | 25 | 25 | — | 2-3 months | Experimental | NC: distilled water PC: 8% NaCl and 0.05% prednisone |
Celery (whole plant)+garlic (whole) | 185 mg/200 g BW, 370 mg/200 g BW, 740 mg/200 g BW | 3 weeks | Dose 185 mg 35.16 Dose 370 mg 26.71 Dose 740 mg 45.44 |
Dose 185 mg 34.73 Dose 370 mg 28.16 Dose 740 mg 38.85 |
(i) Hypotension effect of combined celery and garlic is significant, and it relies heavily on dose and duration of the treatment |
| Human studies | ||||||||||||
| Azizah et al. [9] | 24 | 16 | 8 | 40-50 years old | Quasiexperiment using the form of pretest and posttest control group design | No treatment | Celery juice | N/A | N/A | 17.58 | 7.08 | (i) Significant effect of celery juice on hypertension patients was found (ii) Celery juice has a strong tolerance to SBP and moderate closeness to DBP |
| Gautam [20] | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Crossover placebo controlled | Placebo | Celery seed extract | N/A | N/A | 11.17 | 8.005 | (i) Significant decrease in BP was found with difference related to gender. Females show a higher response in lowering BP |
| Ahmad and Rahman [21] | 36 | 9 | 27 | >55 years old | Quantitative experimental study using the form of pretest and posttest nonequivalent control group design | Placebo | Celery extract | N/A | 30 days | 12.7 | 7.7 | (i) Celery extract has a significant reduction in SBP and DBP in elderly with hypertension |
| Shayani Rad et al. [22] | 52 | 26 | 26 | 29-63 years old | Randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, clinical trial | Placebo | Ethanolic celery seed extract | 1.34 g extract/day | 4 weeks | 11 | 8 | (i) There is a significant decrease in both SBP and DBP after celery extract treatment (ii) Celery is considered safe for hypertension patients with positive effect on BG and lipid profile (iii) There is no change in HR in both control and intervention groups |
| Zafar et al. [23] | 30 | — | 30 | 18-45 years old | Controlled randomized trial | No treatment | Ethanolic celery stem extract | 250 mg/day | 60 days | 19.59 | 15.12 | (i) There is a significant decrease in both SBP and DBP after celery extract treatment (ii) There is a notable change in HR |
| Shayani Rad et al. [12] | 51 | 26 | 25 | 20-70 years old | Triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover | Placebo | Ethanolic celery seed extract | 1.34 g extract/day | 4 weeks | 11.08 | 6.54 | (i) There is a significant decrease in both SBP and DBP after celery extract treatment |
| Illes [13] | 1 | 1 | — | 74 years old | Case report | — | Celery juice | 10-12 stalks | 6 months | 32 | N/A | (i) Positive response to include celery juice into daily regimen |
Abbreviations: N/A: not applicable; G: group; PC: positive control; NC: negative control; NS: normal saline; BP: blood pressure; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; HR: heart rate; BG: blood glucose; MABP: mean arterial blood pressure.