If you haven’t been drinking hibiscus tea you may want to start now.
There are several health benefits this tea may provide you and if you keep reading, you’ll get to find out what they are! But firstly what is hibiscus tea?
What is hibiscus tea?
This tea is a type of herbal tea made from soaking some parts of the hibiscus plant in hot water. It is red in color and has a sweet and tart flavor similar that of cranberry. You can consume it hot or cold depending on your choice of temperature.
The Benefits
Some health benefits are:
1 . May lower high blood pressure
High blood pressure is no joke. Many adults in the U.S deal with this health issue. The scary thing about high blood pressure is the fact that it usually leads to chronic health problems such as, stroke, heart failure, heart attack,and kidney diseases. Some clinical tests were performed and they showed that hibiscus tea was able lower blood pressure in humans.
Although, according to NCCIH, this tea and other herbal remedies only reduce blood pressure by a very small percentage. And those diagnosed with high BP should not use it as a substitute for high blood pressure medications.
2 . May boost liver health
As the liver performs several activities such as protein production, bile secretion and breaking-down of fats, some studies have Interestingly shown hibiscus to help promote liver health and increase it’s work efficiency.
Also one study done in 2015 showed 19 overweight people take hibiscus extract for 12 weeks and found it to improve their liver steatosis (a condition where fat has accumulated in the liver and could lead to liver failure).
Although, these research buttresses the effects of hibiscus extracts rather than hibiscus tea. Which means more research needs to be done to find out how hibiscus tea can affect your liver health.
3 . May lower cholesterol
One big health problem that affects many adults today is High cholesterol. It can easily contribute to serious diseases like heart attack and stroke. Though some clinical studies have shown that hibiscus could lower cholesterol levels, other studies have shown very little.
According to Czerwony, hibiscus tea may help maintain cholesterol levels but yet again, more research needs to be carried out to be positive.
4 . Fight bacteria
Many people believe hibiscus tea could help decrease the growth of bacteria. Due to hibiscus tea having antioxidants and anticancer properties, it could help protect you against bacterial infection. A test-tube study found hibiscus extract was able to limit the activity of E. coli bacteria.
However, there is still need for human test to fully see it’s sterile ability function in a person.
5 . Promotes weight loss
Many studies have shown a positive impact on weight loss which can help prevent obesity, but the thing is, these studies focus on it’s extract only.
6 . May fight skin soreness
According to Czerwony, several studies in animals and a few small human studies showed it’s ability to fight sensitivity.
Inflammations tend to play a role in the development of several illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, heart hibiscus, so hibiscus tea may offer helpful anti-inflammatory effects, but more research is needed to be done.
7 . Packed with antioxidants
Hibiscus is high in antioxidants properties which may help prevent damage and diseases caused by the buildup of free radicals.
Take away
Hibiscus tea is a herbal tea that consists of many potential health benefits, it contains a delicious flavor and is also easy to prepare.
Many studies such as the animal and test-tube, have indicated that hibiscus may aid in weight loss, help reduce growth of cancer cells, and even aid in weight loss.
But because most of the recent research focused mainly on vial and animal studies in hibiscus extract, there is still need for more research to really determine how the benefit may apply to those who drink hibiscus tea.
