Hibiscus flowers not only add natural beauty to your garden but also have medicinal properties. According to Boldsky, you can brew tea and extract liquid from hibiscus flowers to help treat various diseases.

Here are some surprising benefits of hibiscus tea that you should know:

1. Reducing Blood Pressure

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that hibiscus tea has the ability to significantly reduce blood pressure in people at high risk of hypertension and those with mild hypertension. Participants who consumed hibiscus tea for six weeks showed a decrease in their blood pressure.

2. Supporting Heart Health

Hibiscus tea helps reduce LDL cholesterol (harmful) and neutral fats, a major risk factor for heart disease. Drinking hibiscus tea has been proven to increase HDL cholesterol (good), reduce LDL cholesterol, and neutral fats.

3. Weight Management Support

Hibiscus extract has been found to have a positive effect on body weight. A research report indicates that consuming hibiscus flower extract can regulate metabolism and reduce body weight, BMI, body fat, and waist-hip ratio.

4. Enhancing Liver Health

Hibiscus extract containing antioxidants can help improve liver health. Obesity increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Consuming hibiscus extract has been shown to reduce the risk of fatty liver disease.

5. Treating Type 2 Diabetes

Hibiscus tea contains phytochemicals that have positive effects on patients with type 2 diabetes. A research report shows that type 2 diabetes patients who drank 150 ml of hibiscus tea three times a day for four weeks saw improvements in insulin resistance and certain types of lipoproteins.

6. Antibacterial Infection Prevention

Bacteria cause various infections, from urinary tract infections to pneumonia. Extract from hibiscus has a strong inhibitory effect on E. coli bacteria, a type of bacteria that causes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and diarrhea.

7. Cancer Prevention

Polyphenols in hibiscus flowers have been shown to induce cell death in human gastric cancer cells.

Another study indicates that protocatechuic acid in hibiscus, a phenolic compound extracted from dried hibiscus flowers, has the potential to cause leukemia cells in humans.

8. Antidepressant and Anxiety Reduction

Hibiscus flowers contain flavonoids such as anthocyanin and quercetin. If you are depressed, you may consider drinking hibiscus tea to alleviate depressive symptoms. These flavonoids have antidepressant activity, helping to reduce depression.

Along with that, hibiscus extract has anti-anxiety properties and calming effects, meaning that consuming it will reduce anxiety and promote deep sleep. You can use it in tea bags, pre-brewed tea, loose petals, packaged powder, and liquid extract.

9. Kidney Stone Prevention

Supplementing water with varying doses of hibiscus flower extract can significantly reduce the formation of kidney stones.