A drug used under the brand name Hemangeol to treat infantile hemangioma (a benign blood vessel tumor). Propranolol hydrochloride is also used under other brand names to treat high blood pressure, including before surgery for pheochromocytoma, and to treat chest pain (angina), abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), and several other conditions. It is also being studied in the treatment of other conditions and types of cancer. Propranolol hydrochloride blocks certain receptors on nerve cells and causes blood vessels to relax and dilate (widen). This allows blood to flow more easily and lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Propranolol hydrochloride may also help shrink certain types of vascular tumors. It is a type of beta blocker.