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Can qigong lower blood pressure and improve balance?

Trials suggest qigong, especially the Baduanjin set, may improve balance in older adults. Its blood pressure effect is smaller and less certain.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Early evidence: qigong may improve balance in older adults and lower blood pressure by a modest amount, but the trials are small. Evidence grade C (Limited). Balance: meta-analyses of mostly low-quality trials in older adults (B); blood pressure: small trials at high risk of bias, judged on a surrogate marker (C); the weaker claim sets the grade.

Key takeaways

  • Pooled trials show qigong lowers the top blood pressure number by about 9 to 11 mmHg [1][2].
  • Across 17 trials of Baduanjin, a qigong set, older adults improved on a standard balance test [3].
  • A 2025 review of 40 studies linked Baduanjin to a lower risk of falls, but most of those studies were rated low quality [4].
  • Blood pressure is a marker, not a heart outcome: the Cochrane review found very limited evidence that qigong prevents heart disease [5].

The short version

Qigong may improve balance in older adults [3] and may lower blood pressure by a modest amount [1][2]. The balance evidence is the stronger of the two, and most of it tests Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese exercise also called Eight Brocades [6][3]. Both findings are early: the reviews rate much of the trial evidence as low quality [6][4].

What the studies show

Qigong combines physical exercise, mind regulation and breathing control [5].

A 2021 review of seven trials with 370 people found qigong lowered the top (systolic) blood pressure number by about 11 mmHg and the bottom (diastolic) number by about 7 mmHg, compared with control groups [1]. A second 2021 meta-analysis of 14 studies with 829 people found smaller drops, about 9 mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic, compared with no exercise [2]. A 2015 review of 20 trials with 2,349 people reported larger drops, but said the risk of bias was generally high [7].

A Baduanjin-only review of 14 trials with 1,058 people found drops of about 8.5 mmHg systolic and 4.7 mmHg diastolic, and rated the evidence low certainty [6].

For balance training and older adults, a 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 trials with 1,267 people found Baduanjin raised scores on the Berg Balance Scale, a standard balance test, by about 4.8 points [3]. A 2025 review of 40 studies found Baduanjin improved static and dynamic balance and reduced the risk of falls, though the reviewers rated most studies as low quality [4].

Single trials point the same way. In a 2025 trial of 60 older adults, eight weeks of Baduanjin improved balance and the Timed Up and Go test more than general activity advice did [8]. In a 2021 trial of 58 people with chronic stroke, Baduanjin improved balance more than conventional fitness training after eight weeks [9].

A 2019 review of qigong in older adults found better physical ability, and a favourable balance effect that was not statistically significant overall [10]. A 2022 review of adults aged 65 and over reported that long-term Baduanjin may also reduce falls [11].

The nuances

The balance review covers only older adults and only Baduanjin, so the result may not carry over to other qigong styles [3].

Many trials were unblinded or had short follow-up, and the reviews rate their evidence low certainty [4][6].

Blood pressure is a marker, not a heart outcome. The 2015 Cochrane review found very limited evidence that qigong prevents cardiovascular disease, and it could not pool the small, high-risk trials [5]. Two older trials reported statistically significant effects on death and stroke 20 to 30 years later, but the review could not attribute these to qigong [5].

Safety: the 2015 hypertension review reported no serious adverse events [7], and the 2019 review found no significant adverse events [10]. But the 2015 Cochrane review found that none of its trials reported adverse events at all [5], so side effects are poorly recorded.

Upper limits and toxic doses were not reported in the reviews' abstracts [1][4]. In the 2015 review, adding qigong to blood pressure drugs lowered pressure further than the drugs alone; its abstract reports no drug interactions [7].

Pregnancy: a 2025 trial in 102 pregnant women found Baduanjin reduced anxiety and stress, but its abstract reports no safety data, and no breastfeeding data were found [12]. The stroke trial enrolled people with chronic stroke [9]. People who take blood pressure medicine, or who have dizziness or balance problems, should talk to a doctor before starting.

What this means for you

If balance is your goal, Baduanjin is the best-studied option. The 2025 review found gains began at about 12 weeks of practice, and that 30 to 49 minutes, five to seven times a week, worked best [4].

For blood pressure, the findings are encouraging but early. Talk to your doctor before changing any blood pressure treatment. For the full list of studies and safety notes, see the Qigong and Tai Chi pages.

Go deeper

  • Qigong — Qigong may improve balance in older adults, mainly the Baduanjin set, and may lower blood pressure by about 9 to 11 mmHg on the top number.
  • Balance Training — Balance and functional exercise probably reduces falls in older adults, by about a quarter in large reviews.

References

  1. Effects of qigong on systolic and diastolic blood pressure lowering: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.. BMC Complement Med Ther, 2021.
  2. The Effects of Qigong for Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2021.
  3. The effect of Baduanjin on the balancing ability of older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Front Med (Lausanne), 2022.
  4. Optimal exercise parameters of Baduanjin for balance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Front Public Health, 2025.
  5. Qigong for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015.
  6. The effectiveness of Baduanjin exercise for hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. BMC Complement Med Ther, 2020.
  7. Qigong for hypertension: a systematic review.. Medicine (Baltimore), 2015.
  8. The effect of Baduanjin exercise training on balance and fall risk in elderly individuals: A randomized controlled trial.. Medicine (Baltimore), 2025.
  9. Baduanjin Qigong Improves Balance, Leg Strength, and Mobility in Individuals With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Study.. Neurorehabil Neural Repair, 2021.
  10. Physical and Psychological Health Outcomes of Qigong Exercise in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Am J Chin Med, 2019.
  11. Baduanjin Exercise for Adults Aged 65 Years and Older: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.. J Appl Gerontol, 2022.
  12. Effects of qigong for physical and psychological well-being in pregnancy: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.. Complement Ther Med, 2025.