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Hibiscus · Hibiscus sabdariffa
Photo: (c) Karim Haddad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · via iNaturalist
Herbs & Plants
Hibiscus
Hibiscus sabdariffa
The part brewed is not the flower but the calyx — the fleshy red cup left behind after the petals drop. It is picked once the flower has already finished.
Benefits
Hibiscus tea brings the upper reading down. The lower one moved too little to be sure of.
The harmful kind comes down a little. The total figure and the others do not move.
What It Is Known For
The trials found no clear difference either way against medicine, and no clear difference is not the same as proof, which is a bad thing to gamble a reading on.
Nothing found tests it.
There is nothing here to measure.
Key Active Compounds
The red pigments of the calyx.
The part used, left on the plant after the petals fall.
Traditionally Used
Ten grams of the dried calyx steeped in a mug of hot water, drunk daily. It is taken hot in winter and cold in summer across west Africa, Egypt and the Caribbean.
How to Take It / Use It
Steep 10 g of dried calyx in a large mug of hot water for ten minutes, and drink it once a day. Give it a month.
Cautions
It lowers blood pressure, so it adds to the effect of medicine already doing that.
Avoid it, because too little is known about hibiscus in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
It changes how the body handles some medicines, so keep it away from anything you take daily.
Where It Comes From
Hibiscus sabdariffa is thought to have come from west Africa and travelled with people to Egypt, the Caribbean and south-east Asia. The dried calyx is sold under a different name in almost every country that drinks it.
How We Choose It
We check every product so you don't have to. A hibiscus only makes our list if:
- Hibiscus sabdariffa on the label. Ornamental hibiscus is a different plant and is not what was tested.
- Whole dried calyces, deep red and not dusty. Dust is what is left after the good ones were graded out.
- One ingredient. Most supermarket hibiscus tea is a berry blend with hibiscus somewhere down the list.
- Nothing sweetened. It is sour on purpose, and the sweetened versions carry more sugar than tea.
If no product meets these standards, we don't list one. No exceptions for affiliates.
See our picks
Sources2
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers. Nutrition Reviews, 2022. Meta-analysis
- Hibiscus monograph: dosing, interactions and safety. Monograph