Hibiscus Flower 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Hibiscus Flower – 100 g ($12.99), 50 g ($8.99), 25 g ($5.99)

Benefits:
Antioxidants  Antioxidants are molecules that help protect against compounds called free radicals, which can damage your cells (2). Hibiscus is rich in powerful antioxidants and may therefore help prevent damage and disease caused by the buildup of free radicals. One study in people with Marfan syndrome, a disorder that affects connective tissue, found that an infusion of hibiscus extract reduced oxidative stress and increased antioxidant levels in the blood (3). An animal study had similar findings, showing that hibiscus extract helped protect against cell damage in rats (4). However, these studies used concentrated doses of hibiscus extract rather than hibiscus tea. More research is needed to determine how antioxidants in hibiscus tea may affect humans.

Blood Pressure  One of the most impressive and well-known benefits of hibiscus tea is that it may help lower blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can place extra strain on the heart and cause it to weaken. High blood pressure is also associated with an increased risk of heart disease (5). Several studies have found that hibiscus tea may lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In one small study, 46 people with high blood pressure consumed either hibiscus tea or a placebo. After 1 month, those who drank hibiscus tea had a greater decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure than those who took the placebo (6). A 2015 review of five studies found that hibiscus tea decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 7.58 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and 3.53 mmHg, respectively (7). While hibiscus tea may be a safe and natural way to help lower blood pressure, it is not recommended for those who are taking medications to treat high blood pressure, as it may interact with these drugs (8).

Blood Fat Levels  In addition to lowering blood pressure, some studies have found that hibiscus tea may help improve blood fat levels, which can be another risk factor for heart disease (9). In a small 2009 study, 60 people with diabetes consumed either hibiscus tea or black tea. After 1 month, those who drank hibiscus tea had increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and decreased levels of total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides (10).

Another older study in people with metabolic syndrome found that taking 100 mg of hibiscus extract daily was associated with decreased total cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol (11). A 2022 review found that hibiscus tea could reduce levels of LDL cholesterol more effectively than other types of tea or a placebo (12). However, other studies have produced conflicting results regarding hibiscus tea’s effects on blood cholesterol.

In fact, a review of 7 studies with a total of 362 participants concluded that hibiscus tea did not significantly reduce total cholesterol or triglyceride levels (13). Most studies showing a benefit of hibiscus tea on blood fat levels have been limited to people with specific health conditions, such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes. More large-scale studies examining the effects of hibiscus tea on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels are needed to determine its potential effects in the general population.

Liver   Your liver has several functions — such as producing proteins, secreting bile, and breaking down fat — that are essential to your overall health (14). Studies have shown that hibiscus may promote liver health and help keep your liver working efficiently.

A small 2014 study in 19 people with overweight found that taking hibiscus extract for 12 weeks improved liver steatosis. This condition is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver, which can lead to liver failure (15). A study in hamsters also demonstrated the potential liver-protecting properties of hibiscus extract, showing that treatment with hibiscus decreased markers of liver damage (16). In 2022, another animal study reported that hibiscus helped improve fatty liver disease in rats fed a high fat diet (17). However, all these studies assessed the effects of hibiscus extract rather than hibiscus tea. Further research is necessary to find out how hibiscus tea affects liver health in humans.

Weight Loss  Several Studies Suggest that hibiscus may be associated with weight loss and could help protect against obesity. In one small 2014 study, 36 participants with overweight consumed either hibiscus extract or a placebo. After 12 weeks, those who had taken hibiscus had reductions in body weight, body fat, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio (15). An animal study had similar findings, suggesting that hibiscus extract could help reduce body weight and appetite by preventing the accumulation of fat cells (18). Current research is limited to studies using concentrated doses of hibiscus extract. More studies are needed to determine how hibiscus tea may influence weight loss in humans.

Cancer  Hibiscus is high in polyphenols, which are compounds that have been shown to possess powerful anticancer properties (19, 20). Test-tube studies have found impressive results regarding the potential effects of hibiscus extract on cancer cells. In one test-tube study, hibiscus extract impaired cell growth and reduced the invasiveness of mouth and plasma cell cancers (21).

Another test-tube study reported that hibiscus prevented human prostate cancer cells from spreading (22). Hibiscus has also been shown to inhibit the growth of other types of cancer cells in test-tube studies, including breast, stomach, and skin cancer (23, 24, 25). Research in humans is needed to evaluate the potential effect of hibiscus on cancer. Probably due, at least in part, to the antioxidants in hibiscus, it has been the subject of some introductory cancer research. While, like most natural cancer treatment research, this idea is in its infancy, there is some evidence to support the anticancer power of hibiscus.

In a lab, hibiscus causes apoptosis (cell death) in leukemia cells. (12, 13) While the mechanisms behind this aren’t clear yet, this could be a promising step in the fight against leukemia, which affects about a quarter of the children and adolescents currently living with cancer. The same results seem to occur when eight different kinds of gastric carcinoma cells are exposed to hibiscus tea extract, according to research conducted at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan. (14)

Anti-Bacterial  Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that can cause a variety of infections, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections.

Some test-tube studies have found that, in addition to having antioxidant and anticancer properties, hibiscus could help protect against bacterial infections. In fact, one test-tube study found that hibiscus extract inhibited the activity of E. coli, a strain of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as cramping, gas, and diarrhea (26). Another test-tube study showed that the extract fought eight strains of bacteria and was as effective as some medications used to treat bacterial infections (27). However, no human studies have looked at the antibacterial effects of hibiscus tea, so it is still unclear how these results may translate to humans.

Blood Pressure  Several studies have found that hibiscus lowers blood pressure significantly, even in patients with certain health conditions that increase the risk of high blood pressure.

A 2013 review by the University of Arizona discovered that hibiscus is used in 10 or more countries as normal treatment for hypertension without any reported adverse events or side effects — except in extremely high doses. The study led these researchers to state that “hibiscus is promising as treatment for hypertension.” They did point out, however, that high-quality studies (known in the scientific community as the “gold standard”) are needed to strengthen the existing evidence supporting hibiscus on high blood pressure. (2) Hibiscus can lower blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive animal and human models. (3, 4)

Of significant note is the fact that these results extend to diabetic patients. After about four weeks, researchers conducting multiple trials have found that blood pressure is positively impacted by daily intake of hibiscus. One study specifically mentions three glasses of tea each day as the chosen dosage. (5, 6)  A study in Nigeria discovered hibiscus tea to be more effective than hydrochlorothiazide, a common blood-pressure lowering medication, at decreasing blood pressure. The most significant finding was that hibiscus tea, unlike its study counterpart, hydrochlorothiazide, did not cause electrolyte imbalance. (7)

Cholesterol, Triglycerides  Blood pressure isn’t the only heart disease risk factor for which hibiscus tea benefits you. It may also help people with dyslipidemia manage their cholesterol and high triglycerides. These two heart disease risk factors are part of the greater cluster of symptoms known as metabolic syndrome, which also points to an elevated risk of diabetes and stroke. In a study published in Phytomedicine, scientists recommend the use of hibiscus extracts to naturally lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in patients with metabolic syndrome. (8) Like with blood pressure, hibiscus’s ability to reduce high “blood lipids” also extends to those with diabetes. A 2009 study had diabetes patients consume hibiscus twice a day for a month and found a significant increase in HDL (“good”) cholesterol and decrease in overall cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides. (9)

Oxidative Stress  Hibiscus is full of antioxidants that fight free radical damage caused by poor diet and constant exposure to dangerous chemicals. These are found mainly in the anthocyanins of the plant, the natural pigments that give this flower its red color, as shown in rat models. (10) A small human research study discovered that supplementing with hibiscus increased antioxidant load in the bloodstream and reduced compounds that can contribute to oxidative stress that damages cells. Because subjects had elevated amounts of hippuric acid, the conclusion of the study suggests that the polyphenols (antioxidants) of hibiscus must have been significantly transformed by the gut microbiome. (11)

Obesity  Put some red hibiscus tea next to the bottle of red wine if you’re looking for a drink to help reduce obesity risk. While those antioxidants are working to protect your cells, those and other compounds found in hibiscus have the potential to encourage weight loss and minimize other related risks, as shown in research on rats. (15) Human and animal studies have found a link between hibiscus tea and an increased metabolism. Hibiscus extract may even inhibit you from absorbing as much starch and sucrose as you might from a typical meal. (16, 17) Consuming hibiscus at least once a day may also help you fight insulin resistance, a common marker of prediabetes and various other conditions. In fact, it can even help in maintaining healthy blood sugar in diabetes patients, which means it may help reduce every symptom in the metabolic syndrome cluster. (18)

Another disease connected to obesity (and diet) is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This disease is identified as a buildup of extra fat cells within the liver, not caused by alcohol use. Common causes of NAFLD include obesity, poor eating habits, diabetes and dyslipidemia. In both animals and humans, studies have shown hibiscus benefits the liver by reducing the risk of this fatty buildup, which can potentially lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure if left untreated. (19, 20)

Antidepressant  If you suffer from or are at risk for depression, you may want to consider trying hibiscus tea as one natural way to combat these sometimes debilitating signs of depression, such as fatigue, feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest in hobbies and more. This, too, is a brand new area of study, but animal studies that examine the improvement in depression symptoms have found that hibiscus flowers have specific bioflavonoids that might help as one natural remedy for depression. (21, 22)

Staph Infection Remedy  At least one type of hibiscus displays antibacterial power, too. At least one lab study has found that extracts of Hibiscus rosa sinensis, a less common but still useful hibiscus plant sometimes used to make tea, might have serious MRSA-killing potential. (23) MRSA is a bacteria that causes over 90,000 staph infections in the U.S. each year. Prevention and treatment of staph infection are vital, as they are linked to serious problems like abscesses, sepsis and pneumonia. (24)

Kidney Stones  Because it functions as a diuretic, hibiscus has also turned the heads of those studying the health of the kidney and urinary systems. Initial animal testing suggests that hibiscus presents what is known as an “anti-urolithiatic property,” meaning that it may lower the instance of compounds that form kidney stones. (25)

Botanical Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa
English: Jamaican Sorrel
Ayurvedic: Ambashtthaki.
Also, known as: Semparuthi, Hibiskus Mei gui qie, Shan qie zi, karkade, Oseille de Guinee, Hibiscus, Roselle, Sabdariffa-Eibisch, Karcade; Roozera, Rosela, Vinagreira, Rosa de Jamaica, Hawaiian Hibiscus, and shoeblackplant, Roselle, ,Natal Sorrel, Red Sorrel, Sivappu Kashmakki, Pulichai-keerai, Gogu, Seemai, Kaseru, Laal-ambaadi, Patavaa, and Patsan, and Sembaruthi.
Origin: Egypt
Harvested: Cultivated
Parts Used: Flower

General Information:
The genus Hibiscus includes more than 300 species of annual or perennial herbs, shrubs or trees. An erect annual herb grows up to 5-8 feet tall with lobed leaves and white or yellow flowers with dark centers. The fleshy red sepals are surrounded by an outer row of bracts. The leaves are alternate, 5-10cm long, green with reddish veins and long or short petioles. The leaves of young seedlings and upper leaves of older plants are simple, lower leaves are deeply 3-7 lobed; the margins are toothed. Flowers, borne singly in the leaf axils, are up to 10 cm wide, yellow or buff with a rose or maroon eye, and turn pink as they wither at the end of the day. At this time, the typically red calyx, consisting of five large sepals with a collar of 8-10 slim, pointed bracts around the base, begins to enlarge, becomes fleshy, crisp but juicy, 3-5 cm long and fully encloses the velvety capsule, 1-2 cm long, which is green when immature, five valved, with each valve containing 2-4 kidney-shaped, light-brown seeds, 2-4 mm long and minutely downy. The capsule turns brown and splits open when mature and dry. The calyx, stems, and leaves are acid and closely resemble the cranberry in flavor. Seeds are mostly directly sown into the fields, but plants can also be grown from transplanted seedlings or even cuttings.
Tea and various cold drinks are very popular in African and Latin American countries. The seeds are eaten roasted or ground in meals, while the leaves and shoots are eaten raw or cooked, or as a sour-flavored vegetable or condiment but its main use is as a natural food color and sweet-sour flavor in herbal teas. In some countries the leaves are eaten green or dried, cooked with onions and groundnuts, while the cooked leaves are eaten as vegetables as well. The seeds are roasted or ground into a powder and used in meals, such as oily soups and sauces. Hibiscus is one of the most key species grown commercially as a fiber plant and became increasingly important in India after independence and partition with Pakistan, where the most key jute growing areas are. It is used as jute, additional in making clothing, linen, fishing nets, ropes, and similar products.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. SO you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.