Hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure by 7 points from 129 to 122 mmHg in Tufts University study

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Saturday, August 04, 2018 10:12 am Email this article

Three servings of hibiscus tea (H. sabdariffa) per day for six weeks lowered blood pressure by an average of 7 mmHg systolic and 3 mmHg diastolic in people with mild hypertension or prehypertension according to a study from researchers at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Each serving was 8-ounces (240 mL).

Blood pressure dropped in those given hibiscus tea from an average of 129/79 mmHg to 122/76 mmHg after six weeks compared to an average drop in those given a placebo from 130/80 to 129/79 mmHg.

The authors of the study noted that other studies have found that hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure about twice as much in people with higher blood pressures.

“Daily consumption of 3 servings of H. sabdariffa (hibiscus) tea, an amount readily incorporated into the diet, effectively lowered [blood pressure] in pre- and mildly hypertensive adults,” the authors of the study concluded.

 

Subjects: 65 people, 30-70 years-old not taking blood pressure drugs

The study involved 65 pre- and mildly hypertensive adults, age 30-70 years-old, not taking blood pressure-lowering medications.

Reference

McKay DL, Chen CY, Saltzman E, and Blumberg JB. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. J Nutr, 2010 Feb; 140(2): 298-303.

The paper is available for free here.

Author’s Contact Info

Diane McKay, PhD
Antioxidants Research Laboratory
6Energy Metabolism Laboratory
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Tufts University
Boston, MA 02111, USA
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