THIS IS FROM DR. MICHAEL GREGOR, MD:
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IS WHERE HIBISCUS MAY REALLY SHINE, A DISEASE AFFECTING A BILLION PEOPLE AND KILLING MILLIONS. UP UNTIL 2010, THERE WASN’T SUFFICIENT HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH OUT THERE TO SUPPORT THE USE OF HIBISCUS TEA TO TREAT IT, BUT WE HAVE SINCE SEEN RANDOMIZED DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDIES WHERE HIBISCUS TEA IS COMPARED TO ARTIFICIALLY COLORED AND FLAVORED WATER THAT LOOKS AND TASTES LIKE HIBISCUS TEA, AND THE TEA DID SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER.
WE’RE STILL NOT SURE WHY IT WORKS, BUT HIBISCUS DOES APPEAR TO BOOST NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION, WHICH COULD HELP OUR ARTERIES RELAX AND DILATE BETTER. REGARDLESS, AN UPDATED REVIEW ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE DAILY CONSUMPTION OF HIBISCUS TEA MAY INDEED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER BLOOD PRESSURES IN PEOPLE WITH HYPERTENSION, BUT BY HOW MUCH? HOW DOES THIS DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE COMPARE TO THAT OF OTHER INTERVENTIONS?
THE PREMIER CLINICAL TRIAL WHEN IT COMES TO COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION FOR BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IS THE PREMIER CLINICAL TRIAL. REALIZING THAT 9 OUT OF 10 AMERICANS ARE GOING TO DEVELOP HYPERTENSION, THEY RANDOMIZED 800 MEN AND WOMEN WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE INTO ONE OF THREE GROUPS. ONE WAS THE CONTROL GROUP, THE SO-CALLED ADVICE ONLY GROUP, WHERE PATIENTS WERE JUST TOLD TO LOSE WEIGHT, CUT DOWN ON SALT, INCREASE EXERCISE AND EAT HEALTHIER, HERE’S A BROCHURE. BUT IN THE TWO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION GROUPS THEY GOT SERIOUS. 18 FACE-TO-FACE SESSIONS, GROUPS MEETINGS, FOOD DIARIES, MONITORED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CALORIE AND SODIUM INTAKE. ONE INTERVENTION GROUP JUST CONCENTRATED ON EXERCISE AND THE OTHER INCLUDED EXERCISE AND DIET. THEY PUSHED THE DASH DIET, HIGH IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, AND LOW IN FULL-FAT DAIRY PRODUCTS AND MEAT. AND IN SIX MONTHS THEY ACHIEVED A 4.3 POINT DROP IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, COMPARED TO THE CONTROL, SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THE LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION WITHOUT THE DIET. NOW A FEW POINTS MIGHT NOT SOUND LIKE A LOT—THAT’S LIKE SOMEONE GOING FROM A BLOOD PRESSURE OF 150 OVER 90 TO A BLOOD PRESSURE OF 146 OVER 90—BUT ON A POPULATION SCALE A 5 POINT DROP IN THE TOTAL NUMBER WOULD RESULT IN A 14% FEWER STROKE DEATHS, 9% FEWER FATAL HEART ATTACKS, AND 7% FEWER DEATHS EVERY YEAR OVERALL.
AND A CUP OF HIBISCUS TEA WITH EACH MEAL DIDN’T JUST LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE BY 3, 4 OR 5 POINTS BUT BY 7 POINTS, 129 DOWN TO 122. AND IN FACT TESTED HEAD-TO-HEAD AGAINST A LEADING BLOOD-PRESSURE DRUG, CAPTOPRIL, TWO CUPS OF STRONG HIBISCUS TEA EVERY MORNING, USING A TOTAL OF 5 TEA BAGS FOR THOSE TWO CUPS, WAS AS EFFECTIVE IN LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE AS A STARTING DOSE OF 25MG OF CAPTOPRIL TAKEN TWICE A DAY.
WHEN YOU DRINK THIS TEA REMEMBER IT IS HIGH IN VITAMIN C, THEREFORE ACIDIC, TO PROTECT YOUR TEETH AFTER ENJOYING THIS TREMENDOUS HEALTHY BEVERAGE SWISH WITH PURE WATER TO RINSE YOUR MOUTH. DO NOT BRUSH YOUR TEETH FOR 30 MINUTES AFTER EATING OR DRINKING ACIDY FOODS/BEVERAGES, JUST RINSE FIRST. THIS WAY YOU BENEFIT FROM HIBISCUS, LEMON ETC. BUT PROTECT YOUR TEETH AS WELL, AND OF COURSE BUILD A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM AND BLOOD VESSELS. OH, WHAT A BLESSING TO HAVE ALL THESE WONDERFUL FOODS FOR HEALTH AND HEALING!!! YES, YES!
MY OWN NATUROPATHIC MENTOR, THE LATE DR. E. WATKINS HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT HIBISCUS: HIBISCUS CONTAINS ASTONISHINGLY LARGE AMOUNTS OF TWO VALUABLE TRACE MINERAL ELEMENTS, CHROMIUM AND SELENIUM. WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT MANY SEA VEGETABLES DO CONTAIN THESE TRACE ELEMENTS AS WELL, NO OTHER SINGLE HERB HAS BEEN FOUND WITH LEVELS AS HIGH FOR THESE TWO VITAL TRACE ELEMENTS COMBINED, AS IN THE FLOWER PETALS OF THIS SPLENDID TROPICAL AND SUB-TROPICAL FLOWER. IN ORDER FOR US TO TOLERATE AND USE THE GLUCOSE (BLOOD SUGAR) NORMALLY PRESENT IN OUR BLOOD STREAM, CHROMIUM IS NEEDED SO THE NERVES AND BRAIN CAN FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE BODY MAKES A SUBSTANCE WITH CHROMIUM IN IT CALLED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE FACTOR. WITH THIS THE BODY CAN THEN PRODUCE AND USE THE HORMONE, CORRECTING THE DIS-EASE CONDITION KNOWN AS SUGAR DIABETES. THE TRACE ELEMENT SELENIUM FUNCTIONS MUCH LIKE THE OIL-BASED BITAMIN COMPLEX KNOWN COLLECTIVELY AS VITAMIN E, WHEN IT COMES TO DESTROYING HARMFUL CANCER CAUSING COMPOUNDS IN THE BODY, KNOWN AS "FREE RADICALS". SELENIUM DOES THIS BY PROTECTING THE GENETIC MACHINERY OF THE CELL NUCLEIUS OR "CELL HEADQUARTERS", WHEN IT IS IN THE PROCESS OF DIVISION TO FORM NEW BODY CELLS. SELENIUM ALSO CORRECTS HEART AND CIRCULATORY DIS-EASES BY PREVENTING THE BREAK DOWN OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. THAT DOC WATKINS WAS A WISE MAN!
OK FOLKS, THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT TIME, UNTIL THEN GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
Â
