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Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and Blood sugar / diabetes support: evidence and sources
inferred from antidiabetic action
For educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants, especially alongside prescribed medication, during pregnancy, or for a serious condition.
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This study sought to summarize clinical evidence of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) administration on cardiovascular disease risk factors. PubMed, Scopus, Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched from inception to June 2019 to identify randomized clinical trials, which assessed the effect of sour tea consumption on lipid profiles, fasting plasma glucose, and blood pressure in adult populations. Mean and standard deviation for each parameter were extracted to calculate effect size. Cochrane Collaboration tools were used to evaluate risk of bias assessment. A total of seven randomized clinical trials consisting 362 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled effect size demonstrated that sour tea consumption significantly reduces fasting plasma glucose (-3.67 mg/dl, 95% confidence interval, CI [-7.07, -0.27]; I 2 = 37%), systolic blood pressure (-4.71 mmHg, 95% CI [-7.87, -1.55]; I 2 = 53%), and diastolic blood pressure (-4.08 mmHg, 95% CI [-6.48, -1.67]; I 2 = 14%). Although no significant effect was observed on triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol following sour tea consumption, a trend toward a significant reduction was found in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol serum concentrations (p = 0.08). This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that sour tea consumption could have beneficial effect in controlling glycemic status and blood pressure among adult population.
1 source supporting Hibiscus for Blood sugar / diabetes support. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antidiabetic (blood-sugar lowering) action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Diabetes is currently a global health problem that is already reported as an epidemic. This metabolic disease, characterized by a disturbance in the carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism, is often accompanied by disorders of several organs. Its treatment is expensive and often difficult to control. Therefore, it seems necessary to search for new drugs and solutions to facilitate therapy and reduce treatment costs. Herbal medicines are becoming more and more popular. Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle) is a plant that grows wild in a tropical climate. It has been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Thanks to the numerous active compounds, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, organic acids, or pectins, it is reported to exhibit hypoglycemic, antioxidant, hypotensive, and anti-lipidemic activities and numerous indirect effects that are related to them. The aim of this review was to update the knowledge about the therapeutic effects of roselle in diabetes and its comorbidities based on in vitro, animal, and human studies. After a careful analysis of the scientific literature, it can be stated that roselle is a promising product that can be used either on its own or as an addition to the conventional treatment regimens to prevent or treat diabetes and its accompanying diseases.
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an obesity-associated collection of disorders, each of which contributes to cardiovascular risk. For patients with MS, it is difficult to follow a diet/exercise regime that would improve their symptoms. Therefore, the investigation of agents that may deal with its more serious aspects is an important medical field for research. Numerous experimental studies have confirmed the important role of medicinal plants or their active components in the prevention and treatment, and in lowering risk factors of MS. As oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the association between obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and hypertension, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant components like polyphenols might be useful as a treatment for MS. The aqueous extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa L (HSE), rich in several polyphenols, is commonly and effectively used in native medicines against hypertension, diabetes and liver disorders. HSE has also shown therapeutic promise in the prevention of MS in patients, probably due to its polyphenol content. Curcumins, derived from the spice turmeric, and resveratrol, polyphenols found in grapes and red wine respectively, in addition to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibit preadipocyte proliferation, de novo lipogenesis and fat accumulation in liver. Thus, due to their efficacy in the regulation of multiple targets, polyphenols have received considerable interest as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of MS. This review discusses the therapeutic use of HSE, as well as curcumin and resveratrol, in the context of obesity as an initiator of insulin resistance and hypertension, the two main features of MS, together with the underlying mechanisms of action.