^

Health

Karkade and blood pressure

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Tea karkade - flower tea, which is made from flowers of hibiscus. This tea tree belongs to the mallow. Karkade can grow as an annual herb, and as a perennial shrub.

At the moment, there are about one hundred and fifty varieties of the carcade plant. Hibiscus is grown in warm, tropical areas of the earth. Plantations in hundreds of hectares are located in India, Sudan, Egypt, Ceylon, Sri Lanka, Java, Mexico, China.

Among the varieties of hibiscus, grown mainly for decorative purposes, the most popular is the hibiscus sabdariffa. Advantages of this shrub are that all the components of the bush are used for food. Leaves from the branches are used instead of vegetables, and the flowers are brewed as tea. A common method of using karkade is cooking jam, making soufflé, jelly and other confectionery.

In ancient Arabic medical treatises, karkade is designated as "a cure for all diseases".

trusted-source[1]

Karkade raises pressure or lowers?

At the moment, the problem of blood pressure is worried by an increasing number of people. And the problem is "getting younger" - even twenty-year-olds can complain about pressure jumps. Often, those who are already identified in the medical map as a hypertensive patient, turn to medical treatment, and engage in self-medication. One of the means, which successfully normalizes the pressure - tea karkade. But how exactly does normalization take place?

The causes of increased or decreased pressure are dozens. Physicians have long recognized that hypertension is not a diagnosis, but the consequences of other disruptions in the work of the body. These problems can not be solved if you drink one cup of red tea.

But karkade is very rich in various antioxidants. Therefore, it can be used in programs of complex treatment for reinforcement of immunity, purification of blood vessels and, accordingly, help in stabilizing pressure indices.

But it must be taken into account that the action of the carcade tea is purely individual. Someone who, after drinking a cup of karkade tea, can normalize his pressure. Another - the pressure can go up.

Does the pressure increase karkade?

So all the same - does the pressure increase karkade? Some time ago it was believed that the effect of tea on the body entirely depends on temperature. That is, cold tea reduces pressure, and a hot drink, on the contrary - increases. But later one experiment was conducted.

Scientists have proven that red tea at any temperature lowers blood pressure. But not much - the figure may decrease by seven to nine percent. It should be borne in mind that tea alone can not fight with increased pressure, it is necessary to carry out complex treatment. But not every tea that tea is called, is capable of this effect. To achieve the effect of reducing pressure, it is necessary to have leaf tea. But not the powder in the bags.

With regular tea intake, you will normalize the permeability of blood vessels and strengthen their walls.

That is, tea acts not as a reducing agent, but as a stabilizing agent. There is a decrease in the concentration of cholesterol and you are conducting prophylaxis against heart attack, stroke and various diseases of the cardiovascular system.

trusted-source[2]

Which carcade raises pressure?

So which carcade increases the pressure? Not so long ago there was an opinion that hot tea is capable of increasing blood pressure, like black tea. But this opinion was erroneous - hibiscus of any temperature lowers the pressure, with regular application.

The whole secret is that carcade flowers contain special antioxidants. They relieve the cells of the body of toxic accumulation, respectively, there is no damage to cells.

Despite all the usefulness, karkade tea has some negative effects on the body. So, it is desirable to reduce the intake of tea to those who have a gastritis or ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract. Tea has the ability to increase the acidity of the stomach. Also hibiscus is contraindicated for those who have stones or sand in the genitourinary system - after prolonged intake of tea, the symptoms of the disease may worsen.

So, tea is useful only for hypertensive patients. Hypotonics, with reduced pressure, tea will lower the pressure even more and can only make it worse.

If you drink tea from karkade leaves every day, then there may be an allergic reaction, and therefore should not be abused.

Does the pressure increase hot karkade?

Hot karkade does not increase the pressure. This tea can be drunk both hot and cold, it is useful at any temperature. And if you still a connoisseur of hot tea, you need to be able to properly brew it. To do this, use whole flowers, not ground and not powder. You can both boil the flowers in boiling water for ten minutes, and simply pour boiling water. But when cooking it is important not to overdo it - cooking the flowers for more than ten minutes will only kill everything useful. The taste will be deteriorated.

Try to pour the flowers of hibiscus with steep boiling water. It is necessary to do this only in glass, porcelain or ceramics. Metal products kill the taste of this drink.

trusted-source[3]

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.