13 Shocking Benefits and Risks From Hibiscus Tea

I recently discovered hibiscus tea and completely fell in love with it. But unlike other herbal teas, there are both benefits from hibiscus tea and also some risks.  

As it turns out, this vibrant coloured tea doesn’t affect everyone the same way. What can be a benefit to some, is actually a risk for others.

I’ll go over everything you should watch out for when drinking hibiscus tea to know whether you should drink it or avoid it altogether.

Not sure how to drink hibiscus tea to add it to your diet? I found these 5 different ways to make hibiscus tea, I’m sure there’s at least one you’ll love!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Disclaimer! Take Everything With a Grain of Salt

I’m not a doctor! I’m a tea enthusiast that researched the hibiscus tea benefits and risks to share with you. If you have any pre-existing health conditions, or are unsure if you should drink hibiscus tea, I urge you talk to your doctor before trying anything.

It’s also important to note that although hibiscus has been around for centuries, it’s only recently been the subject of scientific study. Because of this, there isn’t as much information out there on hibiscus tea as there is on green, or even black teas.

On top of that, the studies that have been conducted didn’t all involve human trials or even the tea form of the plant. Most of them either use animals or test tubes and are using hibiscus extracts or supplements.

This is just something to keep in mind, as this can still give us a good idea of the potential hibiscus tea benefits and risks. 

What Is Hibiscus Tea?

Hibiscus tea comes from steeping the petals of the hibiscus flower. Hibiscus is a flowering plant from the mallow family, found in tropical climates around the world. The flower, and sometimes its leaves, are dried out to use for tea. 

When steeped, the water becomes a beautiful, rich, deep red and has a refreshing, tart flavour. 

Interested in trying some hibiscus tea, traditional medicinals is my favourite hibiscus tea bag (find it one Amazon).

If you’re interested in buying loose leaf dried hibiscus to steep, you can buy it on Amazon.

What Are The Hibiscus Tea Side Effects?

1. Contains Antioxidants [Benefit]

Out of all herbal teas, hibiscus actually has the highest amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants help repair damaged cells (I talk all about them in my post on how tea can actually help you live longer).
 
In one study using hibiscus extract on rats, their antioxidants increased and the harmful effects of free radicals were reduced by up to 92%.
 
Hibiscus also contains a specific type of antioxidant called anthocyanin. This type of antioxidant is also found in berries. It’s what gives them their nice, red colour, and has been linked to reducing your risk of chronic diseases.
 
Read more about the link between antioxidants and hibiscus. 

2. Lowers Blood Pressure [Benefit & Risk]

Studies on hibiscus tea and blood pressure are some of the only ones done with human subjects. Although all the results showed that this plant can indeed help lower high blood pressure, it can also be dangerous to anyone who’s BP is already low.

This applies to those already taking medication to lower blood pressure; avoid hibiscus! You don’t want your blood pressure becoming too low and you risk other side effects (like hallucinations).

3. Lowers Blood Sugar [Benefit & Risk]

Unlike blood pressure studies, there haven’t been any human trials yet for links between blood sugar and hibiscus. These studies were conducted on rats. Nevertheless, they still saw a significant change. In a 2013 rat study with hibiscus extracts, 12% of the diabetic rats saw a decrease in blood glucose. Interestingly, the non-diabetic rats saw no change at all.

They learned that hibiscus tea is a good drink for those with Type2 diabetes to help regulate their blood sugar levels. Just like having low blood pressure, decreasing your blood sugar levels too much comes with its own risks. 

Don’t drink it if you’re already taking medication to regulate your blood sugar. And you should also avoid it if you’re having, or recovering from, surgery. Apparently, your blood sugar levels can be hard to control in those situations.

4. Affects Cholesterol [Benefit]

During the blood sugar rat trials, the hibiscus extract also affected the rats’ cholesterol levels. In fact, a lot of people with diabetes also suffer from high blood fat levels (high “bad” cholesterol). 

So more studies were done and showed that hibiscus doesn’t just affect cholesterol levels of those with diabetes but even affected those without.

The only odd thing was that each study had different results. In one study, “bad” cholesterol decreased, but in others, it only increased “good” cholesterol and had no effect on the “bad”. 

There’s definitely a link between the two, we just don’t know how to get consistent results. More studies need to be done to really figure it out.

5. Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea On Overall Heart Health

Hibiscus does more than lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. If kept at constant low levels, these benefits will lead to better heart health.

It’s important to keep your blood pressure at a stable level because over time high blood pressure can put unnecessary strain on your heart. This weakens it and increases your chances of heart disease. 

High blood sugar and fat levels can also lead to stroke and heart disease. So once again, it’s important to regulate.

6. Affects Your Weight [Benefit]

There have been a few trials that found hibiscus affected your weight. It either helped with weight loss or prevented weight gain. 

Hibiscus Promotes Weight Loss

A human trial in Taiwan used hibiscus extract for 12 weeks and all subjects saw a change. Results included reduction in overall body weight, body fat, and hip to waist ratio. It turns out hibiscus actually contains a few anti-obesity properties.

Hibiscus activates the AMPK compound which is found in many anti-obesity drugs. Once activated, it stimulates the breakdown of fats.

Hibiscus Can Prevent Weight Gain

We already know that hibiscus lowers your blood sugar, but as a bonus side effect, this actually helps prevents weight gain as well. Low blood sugar decreases your appetite and motivates a healthy metabolism. This stops you from overeating; preventing you from further weight gain. 

Hibiscus tea also has zero calories if you don’t add any sweeteners. It makes the perfect thirst-quenching replacement to our beloved sodas and fruit juices and it’s a step up from drinking plain water. 

If you can’t drink it without adding a sweetener, try adding a lemon wedge instead! Or see my recipes for how to enjoy hibiscus tea!

7. Induces Menstruation [Benefit & Risk]

Hibiscus also affects estrogen. This means that drinking hibiscus tea can actually induce menstruation. This is one of the examples of a hibiscus tea side effect that is beneficial to some but a risk to others.  

For some women, inducing menstruation is a good thing. If you have an irregular cycle it can actually help regulate your period. Or, even if you’re already regular, you can brew a cup of hibiscus tea to help with cramps.

But hibiscus tea risks are high for pregnant women. By inducing menstruation it increases your chance of having a miscarriage. Even if you’re only trying to conceive, it’s still not advised to drink hibiscus tea. It could make your chances of conception a lot harder. 

You should also avoid hibiscus if you’re taking any birth control pills or are breastfeeding. Continue reading about the relationship between hibiscus tea and menstruation.

You might also be interested in 4 more teas that are good for your period!

8. AntiBacterial Properties [Benefit]

Hibiscus tea doesn’t just look or taste like cranberry juice, it also has the same healing properties. Like cranberry juice, hibiscus works wonders for getting rid of and preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs).

I won’t go into the details for this one (but you can find more info), or just know that it has anti-bacterial properties!

9. Impacts Your Liver [Benefit & Risk]

There have been some contradicting studies with hibiscus and our liver.

There was a study done using hibiscus extract that showed an improvement on liver steatosis (in other words prevented liver failure)… read more about it.

On top of that, a more recent study from 2022 on rats proved that hibiscus extract improved liver inflammation.

Be careful not to drink too much hibiscus tea. This is one of those examples of everything in moderation. For the most part, hibiscus doesn’t negatively impact your liver. It was shown when taken in high doses, it does have the ability to be hepatotoxic – cause chronic liver damage.

10. Interacts With Medications [Hibiscus Tea Risks]

Because hibiscus is an herb, it can interact with medications, bringing added risks.

The most concerning interaction is with acetaminophen (the active ingredients in Tylenol). There haven’t been enough studies to fully describe the risks yet, but as we now know, both are processed in your liver.

So there are concerns that it could be very toxic. It’s probably best to stay away from mixing Tylenol and hibiscus. 

And as I said before, don’t drink hibiscus tea if you’re on medication for blood pressure or blood sugar. The combination of both can lower either one too much.

11. Cancer Preventing Compounds [Benefit]

There have been several studies now using hibiscus extract for it’s anti-cancer properties. That’s because among the compounds in hibiscus tea are polyphenols.

Polyphenols have been shown to lower the risk of certain cancers. On top of that, it can even be used to treat certain cancers.

So, if hibiscus contains this compound, it’s no surprise that this flower can also be pretty powerful in the anti-cancer realm as well! There was already a study with hibiscus extract that show it impaired cell growth.

It’s of course still being researched, it’s believed that hibiscus might be able to be used as an herbal supplement for cancer prevention and treatment.

12. Anti-Xerostomic Properties [Benefit]

Xerostomia is a fancy way to say you have a dry mouth. Cancer patients will often suffer from this due to radiation therapy or other medications.

There was a study using hibiscus tablets that showed a 27% increase in saliva production when it was radiation induced xerostomia.

13. Antianemic Properties – Hibiscus Boosts Your Iron [Benefit]

Anemia is when you are iron deficient. So to have antianemic properties means hibiscus tea can boost your iron levels!

This was actually found from a study in 2016 that actually used a drink made with a hibiscus powder. Subjects found an increase in serum iron – among other benefits.

Does Hibiscus Tea Cause Hallucinations?

There have been some reports of people claiming to feel woozy after drinking hibiscus tea. It’s happened often enough that the terms ‘hibiscus drunk‘ and ‘hibiscus intoxication‘ have been created.

To date, there is no scientific evidence of hibiscus tea side effects making people drunk and/or causing hallucinations. 

A common theory for why ‘hibiscus intoxication’ happens is that it’s result of peoples’ blood pressure becoming too low. As I mentioned, hibiscus tea is known for lowering your blood pressure.

When your blood pressure becomes too low, this can lead you to feeling light headed, and well, drunk, and possibly hallucinating. 

How Much Hibiscus Tea Can You Drink?

If you’re not at risk health wise by drinking hibiscus tea, it’s still best not to overdo it. There still isn’t enough research done on hibiscus tea, so it’s recommended to limit your consumption to 2-3 cups per day.
 
So are you going to take the hibiscus tea plunge? Buy loose leaf Hibiscus tea or tea bags today! 

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Last update on 2024-12-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API