Hibiscus tea is shown to lower blood pressure

In the United States, high blood pressure is the most common medical condition.

It has been estimated that one out of three Americans have high blood pressure. Untreated high blood pressure significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and sudden death. Thirty-five percent of stroke and heart attack as well is 50 percent of congestive heart failure is directly related to high blood pressure.

The direct and indirect medical costs for high blood pressure alone exceed $50 billion per year. A number of medical studies, over the past several decades, suggests that a common herb, hibiscus, can safely and significantly reduce blood pressure.

Hibiscus is a common flowering plant that can be found at most nurseries and florists. The flowers are used, in many cultures, for making tea. Hibiscus flowers, when dry, can also be eaten. In addition, the red coloring found in some of the flowers is often used as a natural substitute for red food dyes.

Hibiscus also contains a number of medicinal compounds that lower blood pressure. There are some compounds that act as a diuretic (water pill) and other compounds that act by reducing the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme. Elevated levels of angiotensin converting enzyme is a direct cause of high blood pressure.

Medical studies from 1999 and 2009 demonstrated that people with high blood pressure who consumed three or more cups of hibiscus tea per day had significant reductions in their blood pressure. On average, a 10 percent reduction in blood pressure was seen in these medical studies. As confirmation, when the participants stopped drinking hibiscus tea their blood pressure return to its elevated state.

A recent placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated that even healthy individuals whose blood pressure was in the pre-hypertensive stage had normalization of their blood pressure after drinking three or more cups of hibiscus tea per day.

The initial steps for treating high blood pressure should be lifestyle changes before medications. A medical school professor once told me that high blood pressure is not caused by a deficiency of medications. It is primarily the result of lifestyle — it is a lifestyle choice.

Although high blood pressure medications save lives, they can be expensive and have significant side effects.

In 2010, the average annual cost of high blood pressure medications was over $700 per person with an annual total cost of over $20 billion.

Hibiscus tea, according to a number of good medical studies, is effective in the treatment of mild to moderate high blood pressure. The side effects to hibiscus tea are rare and the cost is quite low.

In addition, there may be other medical benefits such as a mild lowering of cholesterol.

Although medications are important, most chronic illnesses can be made significantly better with simple lifestyle changes. Having a few tasty cups of hibiscus tea per day is a good choice.

• Patrick B. Massey, MD, PH.D., is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village. His website is www.alt-med.org.