Hibiscus tea is a caffeine free herbal tea made from the flowers of the Hibiscus sabdariffa or “Roselle” plant. The tea is made from the sepals or calyces (the petal-like structure at the base of a flower), and not out of the actual petals. Hibiscus tea is a popular beverage in many countries from Asia through Africa to the Caribbean.

The traditional uses of hibiscus include the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension), the lowering of fever, and treatment of liver disorders. Unlike many herbs, hibiscus has been studied fairly extensively and there are even some fairly conclusive human studies establishing not only its effectiveness for various treatments, but comparing it to widely-used medications and exploring side-effects. Although most of the studies use standardized extracts of hibiscus, hibiscus tea has been studied to some degree and shows promise that the tea itself can be useful as a treatment in some cases.

• Lowering fever – Hibiscus has been shown in laboratory animals to have fever lowering (antipyretic) properties. There is evidence suggesting that its mechanism of action is different from that of aspirin, which also lowers fever.
• Protecting the Liver – The effects of different chemicals on the liver are much more complex and poorly understood, but there is nonetheless some evidence that hibiscus can protect against liver damage caused by a number of different chemicals
• Lowering blood pressure – On top of a number of animal studies supporting its use for hypertension, human studies have validated that hibiscus, including hibiscus tea can effectively lower blood pressure. Hibiscus sabdariffa extract has been compared to the drug captopril, and was found to be equally effective. A more recent study compared it to lisinopril and found that it was less effective than that drug, but showed an absence of intense side effects.