Hibiscus Extract Inhibits Obesity and Offers Liver Protection

(A_teen/iStock)

In the US, the hibiscus plant is most widely known for its beautiful flowers, but this plant actually offers unique health benefits that have been valued around the world since ancient times. 

I used to have many of them but replaced them with fruit trees and berries, which are far more easily edible. However, I still enjoy hibiscus tea and regularly consume it from the far more convenient extracts.

When the petals of the hibiscus flower fall off, deeply colored red calyces (cup-like structures) grow into pods that resemble flower buds. These red calyces are used to make hibiscus extract and a brightly colored (and delicious) red hibiscus tea (sometimes called “sour tea”).

It’s thought that ancient Egyptian pharaohs drank hibiscus tea to help maintain a normal body temperature and stay cool. In Iran, hibiscus tea is used to relieve occasional restlessness and sleep problems.

Other traditional uses include support of heart health (including blood pressure) and respiratory health. More recently, the metabolic benefits of hibiscus tea have been explored with research suggesting it may support healthy weight and much more.

While hibiscus extract is still relatively unknown in the US, it’s not likely to stay that way for long as research continues to reveal its health potential, courtesy of its potent polyphenol content.

READ MORE

• The Health Benefits of Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus Extract Reduces Obesity, Abdominal Fat, and Fatty Liver

Hibiscus sabdariffa extracts (HSE) are known to have both metabolic-regulating and liver-protecting potential. In February 2014, research was published showing that obese people aged 18 to 65 who consumed hibiscus extract for 12 weeks had some interesting findings. 

They had reduced body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and waist-to-hip ratio. If that wasn't impressive enough, HSE also lowered serum free fatty acid (FFA), high levels of which are associated with obesity and uncontrolled diabetes.

Additionally, those taking the hibiscus extract also had improvements in liver steatosis (fatty liver), with the researchers concluding the benefits "should mainly be attributed to the polyphenols" it contains. They stated: "HSE could act as an adjuvant for preventing obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver."

It's only the latest study to confirm the anti-obesity effects of hibiscus. In 2007, research similarly showed that hibiscus extract significantly reduced body weight gain in obese mice.

[caption id="attachment_1421078" align="alignnone" width="480"] (Sharon & Nikki/Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

5 Additional Benefits of Hibiscus Extract

Polyphenols are plant compounds recognized for their disease prevention, antioxidant and anti-aging properties, and hibiscus extract is a potent source. Research has shown that hibiscus extract has been used “commonly and effectively… in native medicines” against high blood pressure, diabetes, and liver disorders. To date, the variety of studies showing health benefits of hibiscus extract are impressive and include:

• Potential anti-cancer effects: Research has shown that polyphenol-rich extracts of hibiscus induced cell death in human gastric carcinoma cells. Hibiscus extract has also induced cell death in human leukemia cells.
• Antioxidant benefits: Research revealed that consumption of hibiscus extract enhanced systemic antioxidant potential and reduced oxidative stress in study participants. The study also found a “high biotransformation” of the ingested HSE polyphenols, which suggests the compounds are in a highly bioavailable form.
• Kidney stones and liver protection: One study found that hibiscus extract has anti-urolithiatic activity, which means it may help reduce the formation of kidney stones. It’s also been shown to help protect the liver against chemically induced damage in fish.
• Diabetes: Hibiscus extract has shown promise for improving both blood pressure and blood lipid profiles in people with diabetes.
• Metabolic syndrome: Hibiscus extract has even shown promise for preventing and treating metabolic syndrome, with one study finding a daily dose of hibiscus extract for just one month lead to improvements in glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as improvements in insulin resistance in people with metabolic syndrome.

A Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower (Jewel Samad/AFP/GettyImages)