Which Tea Is Best For Blood Pressure
Theres just something about making a cup of tea that makes you pause and relax. That in itself probably accounts for at least some of its blood pressure reducing action.
But its really the polyphenols in tea that make it so good for your heart and blood pressure. True tea includes black and green tea, as well as white, yellow, and oolong teas. They all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea tends to get all of the glory, but really, all of these teas are good for you. They simply differ in the way the plant is grown and how the leaves are processed.
- They all have polyphenol antioxidants. However, green tea has more epigallocatechin-3-gallate , whereas black tea is a rich source of theaflavins.
- They all have L-theanine, a compound that brings about a relaxed, but alert state.
- Black tea is highest in caffeine, whereas green tea and the other true teas tend to be lower.
- Studies show drinking about two cups of either green or black tea each day can lower your blood pressure.
Herbal teas are not part of the same tea family, so theyre not considered true teas. That doesnt mean theyre not good for you though! Herbal teas have no caffeine or L-theanine, but they do have antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They also provide various health benefits, depending on the herb or plant used to make the tea.
Organic Loose Leaf Hibiscus Tea
When you buy loose leaf hibiscus tea, you can buy it in bulk and you can also easily brew tea for a larger group of people with a kettle or a french press. You can also make your own herbal tea blend by mixing the dried hibiscus flowers with other herbs.
I have come across a disturbing fact that, when buying loose leaf hibiscus tea, people sometimes find animal feces mixed with their product. This can be very disgusting and unhygienic.
The companies that are making hibiscus tea should have strict quality control to detect if there is anything that doesnt belong within the product.
Next, I will introduce the brand of loose leaf hibiscus, which offers a product that goes through strict quality control, and in my opinion, has the highest and most consistent quality.
How Much Hibiscus To Lower Blood Pressure
Approximately one out of every three adults in the United States has elevated blood pressure, a condition called hypertension, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Though numerous antihypertensive prescription medications are available, treatment with a natural supplement called hibiscus may also help lower your blood pressure levels. Dried flowers from the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant are usually prepared as a medicinal tea.
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Contains Compounds That May Help Prevent Cancer
Hibiscus is high in polyphenols, which are compounds that have been shown to possess powerful anti-cancer properties .
Test-tube studies have found impressive results regarding the potential effect 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 (
18 ).
Keep in mind that these were test-tube studies using high amounts of hibiscus extract. Research in humans is needed to evaluate the effect of hibiscus tea on cancer.
Summary Test-tube studies have found that hibiscus extract reduces the growth and spread of plasma, mouth, prostate and stomach cancer cells. Human studies are needed to evaluate the effect of hibiscus tea.
Hibiscus Tea For High Blood Pressure In People With Type 2 Diabetes
People with diabetes often develop high blood pressure, and this can be difficult to treat. The effects of hibiscus sour tea were compared with black tea in 60 people with both diabetes and untreated hypertension.
Half were asked to drink hibiscus tea, and half were asked to drink black tea twice a day for one month.
In those drinking hibiscus tea, blood pressure decreased by an average of -21.7/1.1 mmHg, while in those drinking black tea, systolic blood pressure increased by an average of +8.7/3.3 mmHg.
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Side Effects Of Drinking Hibiscus Tea In Relation To Blood Pressure
Hibiscus tea is the most traditional and natural remedy for lowering high blood pressure without any known side effects. Again, you must be consistent in drinking hibiscus tea to get the desired results. If consistency is not maintained, your blood pressure may start rising again after four to five days.
Hibiscus Tea Versus A Thiazide Diuretic
The blood pressure lowering effects of Hibiscus tea were also compared to those of the thiazide diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide, in 75 people with mild to moderate hypertension.
One group drank hibiscus tea every morning before breakfast, one group were started on hydrochlorothiazide while a third group took placebo. After 4 weeks, both the hydrochlorothiazide and the hibiscus tea reduced blood pressure significantly more than placebo.
Overall, hibiscus tea was more effective than the thiazide diuretic in treating mild to moderate hypertension, and the effects showed a longer duration of action after treatment was stopped.
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Your Digestive System Will Thank You For Drinking Hibiscus Tea Every Day
Drinking hibiscus tea every day could help solve some of your tummy troubles by promoting digestive health.
Your digestive system might not be the most glamorous part of your body, but itâs definitely important to take steps to maintain a regular digestive system. And while being regular might sound boring in other aspects of life, anyone whoâs ever struggled with an irregular digestive system knows that âboringâ is exactly what you want. Registered dietician Natalie Rizzo told O, The Oprah Magazine that hibiscus tea is basically flavored water, which means that it carries some of the same benefits as drinking water every day. âDrinking ample amounts of water helps you stay regular, prevents constipation, and aids in digestion,â Rizzo explained.
Registered dietician Maggie Michalczyk echoed Rizzoâs sentiments, explaining to O, The Oprah Magazine how drinking hibiscus tea could improve your digestive system. âDiuretics increase the amount of water and salt expelled from the body as urine,â Michalczyk explained. She continued, saying, âHibiscus tea has been shown to work as a natural diuretic, pulling salt out of the body which is a mechanism by which blood pressure is reduced.â
How To Make Hibiscus Tea
Heres a classic spin to your otherwise mundane tea. Hibiscus tea has several health benefits. You can get dried hibiscus flowers easily from departmental stores or online portals. If you find them in your garden, nothing like it. The red color in the tea is because of these flowers. So, without any further ado, lets take a look at how to prepare it.
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Sipping Hibiscus Tea Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Ah, tea for us tea-lovers, its like a hug in a cup. But tea brings with it many more benefits than just simply pleasure. Different types of tea offer different sorts of therapeutic benefits and medicinal properties. According to research, the lovely Hibiscus sabdariffa plant also offers some interesting benefits for those who suffer from hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure.
One study from late 2008 by Diane L. McKay, PhD, of Tufts University in Boston, indicates that people with the highest blood pressure at the start of the six-week study benefited the most from drinking three cups of herbal tea containing hibiscus each day. This study included 65 healthy men and women with modestly elevated blood pressure. Dr. McKay told the American Heart Association that overall, drinking hibiscus tea blends lowered systolic blood pressure — the top number in the blood pressure reading — by an average of 7 points. That was significantly more than the 1-point drop observed in people who were given a placebo in the form of hibiscus-flavored water.
How much to take?
How It Works
Effectiveness
Hibiscus Flower Tea
Sounds Great Now What Is The Best Way To Try These Teas To Lower High Blood Pressure
Ok, now that you know some of the ingredients – what next? How much should you drink? Tea is an ideal water substitute, so sipping on tea throughout the day ensures you have these beneficial compounds in your bloodstream at all times. Most studies show 3-5 cups as the ideal “sweet” spot for measurable benefits.
To make it easy for you, we created a sampler specifically designed with all the ingredients mentioned above. And as a thank you for signing up, we’ll offer you 15% off.
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Changes In Life Habits
1. Physical activity helps the heart to use oxygen better, so it will not need to pump blood so hard. Do any cardio exercise, at least every other day for 30 minutes, and it can be a brisk walk, run, and the like.
2.Deep breathing and practicing yoga reduces the level of stress hormones, which raises the level of renin, a kidney enzyme that increases blood pressure. Try a meditative exercise for at least 5 minutes in the evening and in the morning: breathe deeply so that your stomach expands as much as possible, and then exhale and release tension.
3.Work a little less If you work more than 41 hours a week, you have a 15 percent higher risk of developing hypertension, according to a large study by the University of Irvine in California. It may be difficult to work less in difficult times when it comes to the economy but try to at least take an hour to exercise and eat healthy food as often as possible.
4. Relax with music The study found that listening to music for 30 minutes a day with slow breathing can reduce upper blood pressure by as much as 3.2 in one week, and by 4.4 in a month!
5. Get rid of snoring It is time to finally listen to your partner and stop snoring because loud snoring is one of the main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. The University of Alabama has found that those who suffer from sleep apnea have higher levels of aldosterone, a hormone that increases blood pressure.
Dietary changes
How Much Hibiscus Tea To Lower Blood Pressure
It is important to confirm the right amount of hibiscus tea dosage for lowering blood pressure. Hibiscus is easily available, and a natural way would be to use dried flowers from the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant to prepare the herbal or medicinal tea.
We must take into consideration overall health status, weight, and age before deciding the amount of hibiscus tea to drink for the desired effect of lowering blood pressure. The best person to guide you on dosage would be your medical practitioner.
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Hibiscus Tea Is Loaded With Antioxidants
This caffeine-free beverage is a great source of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals and reduce oxidative damage, says Maggie Michalczyk, RD.
Free radicals and oxidative damage attack your cells and exacerbate the aging process , while also raising your risk for illness and disease. Various studies have shown links between free radical damage and prevalence of dementia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, among others, so you want to keep those bad boys away as best as possible. The high dose of antioxidants in hibiscus tea might be able to slow this process, lower inflammation in the body, and keep your skin looking dewy and youthful.
Improves All Of The Benefits Of Herbal Tea
In a lot of ways, amla improves all of the benefits of herbal tea.
Because herbal teas are great antioxidants, but amla is even better at fighting oxidative stress in your body, taking herbal tea with amla boosts the antioxidant power of herbal teas.
It also helps you fight off free radicals and inflammation more effectively than herbal teas alone.
Add in the antiviral properties and antibacterial properties of amla, the weight loss benefits of amla, and the fact that it’s been shown to improve your health in the long term, and you’ve got a perfect complement to a natural tea.
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Hibiscus Benefit #: Immune System
Hibiscus is high in vitamin C , and it appears to strengthen the body against both bacterial and fungal infections.
A variety of studies have shown that hibiscus can:
- Inhibit the growth of MRSA, which is a dangerous form of staph
- Inhibit the growth of Candida, which can infect the gut, mouth, and vagina
- Inhibit the growth of E. coli, which is a potentially deadly food-borne bacteria
Diet For People With Hypertension
If you want to regulate your blood pressure and improve your health in general, it is very important to change your eating habits.
For breakfast, prepare oatmeal, a rich meal full of easily digestible fiber and low in sodium and lipids.
From fruits and vegetables, pomegranate, bananas, spinach, broccoli, tomato, carrot, radish, zucchini are of great help
When it comes to meat, eat poultry and fish rich in omega-3 fats.
Soy isoflavones increase the production of enzymes responsible for creating nitrogen oxides that dilate blood vessels and lower tension. Therefore, include soy products on your menu.
Experts recommend that you eat at least one or two cubes of quality dark chocolate every day because its ingredients cause dilation of blood vessels.
Find chocolate that has a high percentage of cocoa and as little sugar as possible.
Do not salt food too much because it retains fluid inside the body which drastically raises the pressure in the bloodstream.
When it comes to choosing oils for cooking, buy sesame or olive oil.
Use them without heat treatment for salads or just a few drops for baking never fry food in deep fat.
If you want to learn more about lose weight advantages for blood pressure and heart in general, and to dedicate yourself to healthy eating forever, we have great tips and solutions for you on these pages.
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Hibiscus Tea Side Effects
Drinking hibiscus tea is expected to be safe for most people. It’s widely available in supermarkets and health food stores and online. While I don’t have BP problems, I’ve drunk it for years without any problems. For those who are not healthy, here are some things to consider. This list is not complete:
- Start with just 1 cup per day. This should reduce any GI problems you may have.
- If you’re pregnant, ask your doctor. Animal research suggests hibiscus may not be safe during pregnancy.
- In theory, hibiscus may combine with BP medicine. This may make your pressure go too low.
- Hibiscus tea may lower blood sugar. So it might add to the make blood sugar go too low if taking medicines like insulin and metformin.
- Hibiscus may interact with medications such as statin medications and others. Ask your pharmacist and doctor for better insights.
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Ali, B. H., Al, Wabel N., and Blunden, G. Phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.: a review. Phytother.Res 2005 19:369-375. View abstract.
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Bourdy, G. and Walter, A. Maternity and medicinal plants in Vanuatu. I. The cycle of reproduction. J.Ethnopharmacol. 1992 37:179-196. View abstract.
Ciemniak, A. . Rocz.Panstw.Zakl.Hig. 2005 56:317-322. View abstract.
El Basheir, Z. M. and Fouad, M. A. A preliminary pilot survey on head lice, pediculosis in Sharkia Governorate and treatment of lice with natural plant extracts. J.Egypt.Soc.Parasitol. 2002 32:725-736. View abstract.
Frank, T., Janssen, M., Netzel, M., Strass, G., Kler, A., Kriesl, E., and Bitsch, I. Pharmacokinetics of anthocyanidin-3-glycosides following consumption of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. extract. J Clin Pharmacol 2005 45:203-210. View abstract.
Frank, T., Netzel, G., Kammerer, D. R., Carle, R., Kler, A., Kriesl, E., Bitsch, I., Bitsch, R., and Netzel, M. Consumption of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. aqueous extract and its impact on systemic antioxidant potential in healthy subjects. J Sci Food Agric. 8-15-2012 92:2207-2218. View abstract.
Haji, Faraji M. and Haji, Tarkhani A. The effect of sour tea on essential hypertension. J.Ethnopharmacol. 1999 65:231-236. View abstract.
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Risk Of Lowering Blood Pressure Below Normal Levels
Blood pressure goes down in cases of regular consumption of hibiscus in any form. Theoretically, it can cause the pressure to become too low in those suffering from low blood pressure.
Make sure you consult with a general practitioner before starting any diet involving hibiscus, if you are a low blood pressure patient or otherwise.
What Is High Blood Pressure
Elevated blood pressure or hypertension involves the flow of blood through the arteries with the creation of great force or pressure on their inner walls.
This force causes damage to blood vessels and there is a risk of developing serious cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks.
In addition, there is impaired kidney function, diabetes, or permanent vision loss.
The obtained value of 120/80, after measuring with a home digital monitor for that purpose, is considered normal.
For each measurement greater than 140/90, elevated blood pressure is noted.
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Have You Tried Hibiscus Tea For Blood Pressure
The evidence is overwhelming that this refreshing drink, used as a traditional herbal medicine for hypertension, is effective at lowering a raised blood pressure.
Overall, the pooled results from five clinical trials, involving 390 people, confirm that drinking hibiscus sour tea can lower blood pressure by an average of 7.58/3.53mmHg.
Have you tried it? What did you think?
Image credit: popperipopp/wikimedia mbopar/wikimedia mokkie/wikimedia berries.com/flickr
May Help Lower Blood Pressure
One of the most impressive and well-known benefits of hibiscus tea is that it may 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 .
Several studies have found that hibiscus tea may lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
In one study, 65 people with high blood pressure were given hibiscus tea or a placebo. After six weeks, those who drank hibiscus tea had a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, compared to the placebo .
Similarly, a 2015 review of five studies found that hibiscus tea decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 7.58 mmHg and 3.53 mmHg, respectively .
While hibiscus tea may be a safe and natural way to help lower blood pressure, it is not recommended for those taking hydrochlorothiazide, a type of diuretic used to treat high blood pressure, as it may interact with the drug .
Summary Some studies have found that hibiscus tea may lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, it should not be taken with hydrochlorothiazide to prevent an interaction.
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