The use of condiments and spices as an aid in the treatment of hypertensive adults: an integrative review of the literature

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the scientific evidence available in the literature about the main condiments and spices used as an aid in the treatment of adults with hypertension. Methods: An integrative literature review study that followed the six-step strategy with identification of the theme, elaboration of the research question, sampling, inclusion and exclusion criteria, categorization of studies, evaluation of included articles, interpretation of results and synthesis of knowledge. The searches took place in August 2021 in the PubMed, BVS, Embase and CINHAL databases, the descriptors used were; “Hypertension OR Arterial Pressure” AND “Condiments” OR “Spices”. In the search, 1,510 studies were identified, removal of: 1,361 duplicate articles, 1,301 due to exclusion criteria, 5 due to inaccessibility in full and 41 removed for not answering the guiding question. Results: The sample consisted of 14 articles, with two publications with more than 10 years, all others with less than 10 years of publication, most published in Asia, found three levels of evidence (II, III and VI). Conclusion: Although promising studies have been observed regarding the use of condiments and spices for the control of BP, more studies with a greater number of participants would be necessary in order to strengthen the recommendation of such substances in the control of BP in hypertension.