Hibiscus Tea After A Stressful Day

Not only is the hibiscus pretty to look at but nature has given it some pretty potent medicinal properties.

Hibiscus is high in Vitamin C, calcium, iron, niacin and riboflavin. It's even more beneficial property comes from the presence of Anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown that Hibiscus tea can help decrease the levels of bad cholesterol and decrease blood pressure.

Hibiscus is in fact a large group of plants, shrubs and small trees that usually grow in tropical or subtropical parts of the world. Mostly they are grown for their flowers, but it is also a main component of many herbal teas.
Some cultures also use it as an antibiotic, antifungal and anticancer agent and as a contraceptive. The bark of the tree is used to make the famous Polynesian"grass" skirts.

In 2004 a clinical trial, published in the medical journal Phytomedicine, compared the effects of a standardized tea preparation of Hibiscus sabdariffa to the potent prescription medication captopril on mild high blood pressure. The participants took either the hibiscus tea or captopril daily for 4 weeks. The data showed that the hibiscus tea preparation was as effective as captopril in reducing blood pressure.

An earlier trial, published in the journal of Ethnopharmacology (1999), concluded that hibiscus tea significantly reduced blood pressure for those with moderate hypertension.

Similar results were found when hibiscus tea was consumed by diabetics with high blood pressure. This study, reported in 2008 in the Journal of Human Hypertension, compared hibiscus tea with black tea. Sixty non-insulin dependent diabetics were randomly assigned to drink either hibiscus or black tea twice a day for one month. Blood pressure was measured at the beginning, middle and end of the 30-day clinical trial.

As expected there was a significant drop in blood pressure for the hibiscus tea group, but blood pressure slightly increased in the black tea group, possibly because of its caffeine content.

Hibiscus tea is considered to be very safe and may also be used as a potent diuretic or "water pill." It has few interactions with medications but if you already take one or more high blood pressure medications it could cause hypotension. It also has reported anti-fertility effects and, in one study, was effective against head lice, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

The bottom line is it seems that drinking a little hibiscus tea, after a stress filled day, might be both relaxing and help lower your blood pressure a bit. In today's world, I’ll take what I can get.