People who are worrying about their blood pressure condition now can find an indulging solution for their condition with the tea made from hibiscus. In accordance with a study, sipping just 3 cups of this herbal tea daily can reduce their blood pressure significantly.
Actually, the majority of commercial herbal tea blends available in the US have hibiscus. This herb has a variety of health benefits, including lowering high blood pressure levels. This benefit is supported by a number of clinical trials. That is why we from WikiYeah.com decide to write about how to prepare and use hibiscus for high blood pressure relief.
What Is Hibiscus?
Hibiscus is basically a plant of which the flowers and other parts are often used to make popular medicine. This herb has been used to treat some conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, infections, increasing breast milk production, etc.
Hibiscus has acids which work like laxatives. Other chemicals present in this plant can help decrease the amount of sugar and fats in the blood, reduce stomach spasms, alleviate swelling, lower blood pressure, and kill worms and bacteria.
How Does Hibiscus Work To Reduce Blood Pressure?
You may wonder: Is hibiscus good for high blood pressure, right? In fact, hibiscus has been commonly used in Asian and African traditional medicine to treat hypertension. The reason is that it has diuretic effects, thereby opening the arteries. Also, it acts as a natural angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, meaning that it reduces the release of hormones constricting blood vessels. Furthermore, this plant can improve the immunity and offer powerful antioxidant.
Researchers show that drinking the tea made from hibiscus may be as effective as the prescribed drugs –named captopril and more effective than hydrochlorothiazide in regard to decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension.
How To Use Hibiscus For High Blood Pressure?
Normally, the recommended dose ranges from 1 teaspoon to 5 teaspoons of dried hibiscus flowers per cup of boiling water. Health professional often suggest the following recipe for good results. Take these steps to know how to prepare hibiscus for high blood pressure:
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of dried hibiscus flowers to 1 cup of hot water
- Let it steep for 10 minutes
- Have 1-3 cups of this herbal tea every day
The most crucial thing to keep in mind upon brewing hibiscus tea is to avoid over-steeping it. If it is steep for too long, the taste will become bitter.
Actually, the tea made from hibiscus is sweet, and somehow sour, bitter and tart. However, do not let it scare you away because the benefits it brings to you are enormous (like cranberry juice). You can adjust sweetness by adding into maple syrup, honey, stevia, or coconut sugar to find your flavor recipe.
As an alternative, you can drink one 500 ml serving of this tea daily prior to breakfast to get similar results.
A good tip is that you should have a home blood pressure monitor, and then take readings prior to different doses. After that, retest about 1 hour afterwards in order to check the best dosage for you.
What Are Possible Side Effects Of Using Hibiscus For High Blood Pressure?
Generally, hibiscus is safe for the majority of people if taken in food amounts. If taken by mouth properly as a medicine, it is also possibly safe.
However, pregnant and lactating women should not use this herb because it might cause gas, nausea, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), shakiness, stomach upset, constipation and painful urination.
People who are taking diabetes medications should consult their doctor before using hibiscus as it might lower the blood glucose levels.
If you are going to have a surgery, stop using hibiscus tea at least 2 weeks prior to your surgery.
How Is Hibiscus Stored?
You can keep hibiscus fresh and drink it for up 2 years if storing it properly. Put it in a dark, cool place; avoid letting it contact with light, moisture, oxygen and fragrant pantry companions such as spices or coffee.
Indeed, in addition to lowering high blood pressure, hibiscus tea is really an excellent ingredient to incorporate into your daily diet. It is a great solution for reducing inflammation, hydration, increasing immune function, boosting vitamin C intake, improving digestion, lowering cholesterol, reducing stress, enhancing blood circulation, and fighting cancer-causing chemicals. Therefore, you have too many reasons to replace your coffee with hibiscus tea. However, if you cannot remove your morning coffee, simply sub out your afternoon cup of coffee with tea.
After reading this entry about how to prepare and use hibiscus for high blood pressure, if you have any comment, feel free to drop your words below.
