Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. In my gardens I have a Rose of Sharon, a common hibiscus in bloom. I am awaiting for two hibiscus plants to bloom near my pond. When I think of hibiscus I think of Grenada. I have been using Jamaican hibiscus as a natural way to lower blood pressure. It is very effective. I combine hibiscus , motherwort , horse chestnut and more in a tea called Lovely ( available exclusively at Botanical Bounty )
More recently hibiscus extracts contain several compounds that have been evaluated for their anti-obesity properties. The major compounds include organic acids (hydroxycitric, hibiscus, and dimethyl hibiscus acids), anthocyanins (hibiscin, gossypicyanin, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, and delphinidin), other flavonoids (hibiscitrin, gossypitrin, quercetin, and luteolin), and phenolic acids (chlorogenic, ellagic, p-coumaric, ferulic, protocatechuic, and caffeic acids)
Plants that contain flavonoids have remarkable therapeutic benefits in many disease states. Hibiscus demonstrates anti-obesity effects in in vitro, animal, and human testing. Anti-obesity effects include loss of body weight, inhibition of fat accumulation, improvement in blood lipid profiles, and suppression of adipogenesis. Hibiscus contains many bioactive compounds. Most of the studies reviewed suggest that polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, are responsible for the anti-obesity effects of hibiscus
A recent review was published last year in the Herbal Clip of the American Botanical Council
Ojulari OV, Lee SG, Nam JO. Beneficial effects of natural bioactive compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on obesity. Molecules. January 2019;24(1):210. doi: 10.3390/molecules24010210
Until tomorrow