Research paper
Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.
Study answer
What this study found
Hibiscus tea lowered systolic blood pressure more than placebo over 6 weeks. Mean SBP fell from 129.4 +/- 4.8 to 122.3 +/- 10.3 mm Hg in the hibiscus group versus 129.8 +/- 6.9 to 128.6 +/- 10.6 mm Hg in the placebo group, for a between-group P = 0.030. Diastolic blood pressure did not differ clearly from placebo (change -3.1 +/- 7.0 vs -0.5 +/- 7.5 mm Hg, P = 0.160), although the hibiscus group showed within-group improvements in SBP, DBP, and MAP. Greater baseline SBP was associated with a larger SBP reduction (r = -0.421, P = 0.010), supporting a stronger effect in participants with…
- Study & population
- Placebo-controlled intervention study in nonsmoking adults aged 30 to 70 years with prehypertension or mild hypertension who were not taking blood pressure-lowering medications.
- Intervention
- In the hibiscus tea group, participants consumed 3 servings per day (720 mL/day) for 6 weeks.
- Key limitation
- The active intervention arm was small, with only 35 participants, and treatment lasted just 6 weeks.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
In vitro studies show Hibiscus sabdariffa L., an ingredient found in many herbal tea blends and other beverages, has antioxidant properties, and, in animal models, extracts of its calyces have demonstrated hypocholesterolemic and antihypertensive pro…