Hibiscus Benefits on Cholesterol
Your body contains two types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL. While high levels of HDL cholesterol benefit your health, high levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to serious health problems over time. The New York Times Health Guide warns that high levels of LDL lead to hardening of your arteries, or atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis damages your heart by limiting blood flow. Small build-ups of LDL on your artery walls can also cause blood clots which block blood flow.Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. (common name Roselle ) is a member of the Malvaceae, or mallow, family. It originated in Egypt and can now be found growing in warm places around the world including India, Africa, Sudan, Jamaica, China, Philippines, and the United States.
All the parts of Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. are used it is traditionally known to be a laxative, diuretic, anti-bacterial, and because of its high vitamin C content, antiscorbutic (protects against scurvy) and a good choice when you have a cold or flu.
Animals studies suggest that hibiscus tea can lower LDL cholesterol and guard against its damaging effects. In a July 2003 study in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," Chang-Che Chen and colleagues showed that giving rabbits regular doses of extracts from hibiscus plants reduces their levels of LDL. Chen and colleagues also suggest that the antioxidants in hibiscus extract reduced the damage that cholesterol inflicted on the rabbits' arteries. While the findings of Chen and colleagues suggest that hibiscus tea can lower cholesterol, they do not prove that hibiscus tea will lower cholesterol levels in humans.
People who drank hibiscus tea, on the other hand, saw several improvements in their cholesterol levels. Total cholesterol
went from 236.2 to 218.6 mg/dL. HDL increased from 48.2 to 56.1 mg/dL, while LDL decreased from 137.5 to 128 mg/dL.
Triglycerides went down rather dramatically, from 246.1 to 209.2 mg/dL. Lipoprotein (a) was unchanged.
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