Is it possible that something as simple as hibiscus tea can lower blood pressure as effectively as pharmaceutical drugs?
Hibiscus tea is a mega popular beverage worldwide. The ruby-colored, tangy drink is known as "Jamaica" in Mexico and also found in Red Zinger tea. Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)has been for centuries by African and Asian as a medical treatment. In the late 1990s, Iranian researchers clinically demonstrated the effectiveness of this treatment.
For proof of its efficacy, two studies compared with hibiscus tea directly to pharmaceutical blood pressure drugs. In 2004, Mexican researchers assigned 75 adults with high blood pressure to take either 25 mg of a prescription blood-pressure drug twice per day, or to drink tea made from 10 g (about 5 teaspoons) of crushed dried hibiscus once per day. After four weeks, blood pressure had dropped by 11 percent in both groups. In 2007, the US researchers conducted a follow-up study, this time using a commonly prescribed blood-pressure drug as a comparison. Once again, hibiscus performed comparably to the drug, reducing blood pressure in hypertension patients in average of 14 percent, compared with 15 percent for prescription.
May also prevent high blood pressure, heart attacks
In a random, double-blind study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2010, McKay and colleagues assigned 65 adults between the ages of 30 and 70, all of them suffering from either pre-hypertension or mild hypertension, to drink 240 mL of either hibiscus tea or a placebo three times per day. None of the participants were taking any blood pressure drugs. After six weeks, systolic blood pressure dropped seven points in the hibiscus group, compared with only one point in the placebo group. Once again, the improvement seen was comparable to that provided by pharmaceutical drugs.
It’s been shown the even modest decreases in blood pressure can reduce the risk for heart attack and heart disease. The fact that a simple tea produces the same results as a costly pharmaceutical with virtually none of the side effects simply amazes me. This is further proof that pharmaceutical companies are simply out to make money and could care less about the health and well-being of the end users.
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