Hibiscus tea: small drops in cholesterol and blood pressure in people already at risk

In a meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials in 503 people with metabolic syndrome and related disorders, hibiscus lowered total cholesterol by 14.66 and LDL cholesterol by 9.46, in units the abstract does not name. It did not lower triglycerides. Those trials mixed brewed tea with extracts and powders, so the result belongs to hibiscus in general, not to the cup alone. The tea itself has one good trial. In 65 adults with high-normal or mildly high blood pressure who took no blood pressure medicine, three 8.1 fl oz (240 ml) cups a day for 6 weeks lowered systolic pressure by 7.2 mm Hg against 1.3 with placebo, with a larger drop in those who started higher. Diastolic pressure did not differ significantly. For people with diagnosed hypertension, a 2010 Cochrane review searched and found no trial that met its criteria, and this page does not assess trials published since.

Every statement here is tied to a source. The badge says what kind of evidence stands behind it: A is a meta-analysis or systematic review, E is the position of an expert body without its own analysis. How we verify →

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

USDA entry	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fiber
Beverages, tea, hibiscus, brewed	0	0 g	0 g	0 g	0 g

These are the USDA entries that are hibiscus tea, not foods made from it; they differ in cut, part, pack or preparation. Linked names have a page with the full profile and per-portion figures.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As eaten	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fiber
Tea, hot, hibiscus	0	0 g	0 g	0 g	0 g

USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS, release 2024-10-31): hibiscus tea as it is prepared and served, from the recipes behind the national dietary survey, rather than a single laboratory sample.

What a real portion looks like

US dietary surveys count a cup of hot hibiscus tea as 240 g and a medium serving as 480 g. — FNDDS record Tea, hot, hibiscus (food code 92306090, FDC 2710503) (n = 6 portion measures) Evidence E source
1 cup = 240 g; small 360 g; medium 480 g; large 600 g

What your body absorbs

In a crossover study in 8 volunteers, only about 0.02% of the hibiscus anthocyanins drunk appeared intact in urine, while blood antioxidant capacity rose. — 8 healthy volunteers, single dose of aqueous hibiscus extract vs water (n = 8) Evidence B source
Urinary anthocyanins 0.02% of dose; plasma FRAP AUC higher; hippuric acid excretion up

What it does to your health

A 2022 meta-analysis of randomized trials found hibiscus lowered systolic blood pressure by about 7 mm Hg against tea, placebo or diet, with very high heterogeneity. — adults in randomized trials comparing hibiscus with another tea, placebo or a prescribed diet; 415 hibiscus and 404 control participants across blood pressure outcomes (n = 819) Evidence A source
SBP -7.10 mmHg (95% CI -13.00 to -1.20; I2 95%); DBP -3.26 mmHg (-7.05 to 0.52), not significant
Against placebo alone, the same 2022 meta-analysis found hibiscus cut systolic pressure by about 10 mm Hg, while the drop in diastolic pressure was not significant. — adults in placebo-controlled randomized trials of hibiscus Evidence A source
Vs placebo: SBP -10.05 mmHg (95% CI -17.58 to -2.51; I2 81%); DBP -5.60 mmHg (-13.05 to 1.85), not significant
A 2015 meta-analysis of 5 RCTs with 390 people found hibiscus lowered systolic pressure by 7.6 mm Hg and diastolic by 3.5 mm Hg, more so when baseline pressure was higher. — 390 participants randomized in 5 RCTs (7 treatment arms), searched to July 2014 (n = 390) Evidence A source
SBP WMD -7.58 mmHg (95% CI -9.69 to -5.46); DBP WMD -3.53 mmHg (-5.16 to -1.89); effect larger with higher baseline BP
A 2025 umbrella review with updated meta-analysis of 26 RCTs and 1797 people found hibiscus lowered blood pressure in a dose-dependent way against placebo and other teas. — participants in 26 randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses searched to May 2024 (n = 1797) Evidence A source
Dose-dependent SBP and DBP reduction vs placebo and other teas
In a 6-week double-blind RCT in 65 adults with high-normal or mildly high blood pressure, three cups of hibiscus tea a day lowered systolic pressure by 7.2 mm Hg against 1.3 on placebo. — 65 pre- and mildly hypertensive adults aged 30 to 70 not taking blood pressure medication (n = 65) Evidence B source
SBP -7.2 vs -1.3 mmHg (P=0.030); DBP -3.1 vs -0.5 mmHg (P=0.160)
A meta-analysis of 9 RCTs in 503 people with metabolic syndrome and related disorders found hibiscus supplementation lowered total cholesterol (WMD -14.66) and LDL (WMD -9.46) but not triglycerides. — 503 patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders, 9 RCTs (n = 503) Evidence A source
Total cholesterol WMD -14.66 (95% CI -18.22 to -11.10); LDL-C -9.46 (-14.93 to -3.99); triglycerides -0.77 (-7.87 to 6.33, ns); units not stated in abstract

Safety, limits and interactions

The 2025 umbrella review found a small rise in the liver enzyme AST with hibiscus, judged clinically unimportant, and no rise in adverse events. — participants in randomized trials of hibiscus (n = 1797) Evidence A source
Minor, clinically insignificant AST increase; adverse event risk not raised; long-term therapeutic dosing safety needs monitoring
Across the trials in the 2022 meta-analysis only one reported side effects, mild stomach symptoms on 1 g of extract that passed within a week, at doses up to 10 g a day. — participants in 17 randomized trials of hibiscus, doses 15 mg to 9-10 g a day for 15 to 90 days (n = 17 trials) Evidence A source
Mild gastrointestinal symptoms in 1 study; no other adverse effects reported
A 2026 case report described a sharp rise in warfarin effect (INR) in a woman with a mechanical heart valve after she started drinking hibiscus tea, which settled when she stopped. — one 59-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve on chronic warfarin (n = 1) Evidence D source
Markedly elevated INR; normalized after stopping hibiscus, holding warfarin and giving vitamin K
A 2026 case report described a sharp rise in warfarin effect (INR) in a woman after she started drinking hibiscus tea, resolved when she stopped. — One 59-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve on long-term warfarin (n = 1) Evidence D source
Markedly elevated INR; normalized after stopping hibiscus, holding warfarin, oral vitamin K

What people believe that the data does not support

Compared with blood pressure drugs in 4 trials, hibiscus lowered pressure by a similar amount, with no significant difference between them. — adults with hypertension in randomized trials comparing hibiscus with captopril, lisinopril, ramipril or hydrochlorothiazide (n = 4 trials) Evidence A source
Hibiscus vs drug: SBP 2.13 mmHg (95% CI -2.81 to 7.06); DBP 1.10 mmHg (-1.55 to 3.74); I2 91%
In a randomized crossover trial in 21 adults, hibiscus tea with breakfast reduced hunger ratings but did not change how much people ate that day. — 11 women and 10 men, single test breakfasts with water or hibiscus tea (n = 21) Evidence B source
Hunger lower (p = 0.002), satiety higher (p = 0.01); energy intake unchanged (p > 0.05); energy expenditure up only in men
In a 30-day randomized trial in anemic adults in Tanzania, 1.1 to 2.1 quarts (1 to 2 liters) a day of hibiscus extract did not improve iron status, despite its traditional use for anemia. — 130 anemic adults aged 18 to 50 randomized (82 analyzed), malaria-endemic area, 30 days (n = 82) Evidence B source
No improvement in iron status indicators (P > 0.005 as reported)

Who this works differently for

In the 2022 meta-analysis, hibiscus at 1 g a day or less did not lower systolic or diastolic blood pressure. — adults in randomized trials of hibiscus, split by dose and duration Evidence A source
Dose 1 g/day or less: no SBP (P=0.96) or DBP (P=0.63) effect
A 2022 meta-analysis of 13 RCTs with 1205 people found hibiscus lowered systolic pressure by 6.7 mm Hg and diastolic by 4.4 mm Hg against placebo. — patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension or hypertension with metabolic syndrome in 13 RCTs (n = 1205) Evidence A source
Vs placebo: SBP MD -6.67 mmHg (P=0.004), DBP MD -4.35 mmHg (P=0.02)
In a 4-week RCT of 100 mildly hypertensive people with type 2 diabetes, sour tea three times a day lowered pressure about as much as green tea did. — 100 mildly hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 100) Evidence B source
SBP 123.1 to 116.8 mmHg on sour tea vs 119.4 to 114.8 on green tea; no placebo arm
In a 6-week randomized double-blind trial in 65 adults with high-normal or mildly high blood pressure, three cups of hibiscus tea a day lowered systolic pressure by 7.2 mm Hg versus 1.3 with placebo. — 65 adults aged 30 to 70, pre- and mildly hypertensive, no BP medication, 3 x 8.1 fl oz (240 ml) a day for 6 weeks (n = 65) Evidence B source
Systolic BP -7.2 vs -1.3 mm Hg (P = 0.030); diastolic -3.1 vs -0.5 (P = 0.160, ns)
In an 8-week double-blind trial in 70 people with fatty liver disease, a daily 450 mg hibiscus (sour tea) capsule lowered triglycerides and liver enzymes versus placebo. — 70 NAFLD patients (61 completed), 450 mg capsule daily, 8 weeks (n = 70) Evidence B source
Triglycerides (p = .03), ALT (p = .01), AST (p = .004) decreased vs placebo; LDL and total cholesterol unchanged

What is still unknown

The 2021 Cochrane review accepted only one trial of 60 people with type 2 diabetes and judged the evidence too weak to say whether roselle lowers blood pressure. — adults with primary hypertension; one included RCT of 60 people with type 2 diabetes, roselle extract capsules for 8 weeks (n = 52) Evidence A source
SBP MD 1.65 mmHg (95% CI -7.89 to 11.19); DBP MD 4.60 mmHg (-1.38 to 10.58); very low certainty
A 2010 Cochrane review found no randomized trial of roselle in people with diagnosed hypertension that met its criteria. — Hypertensive adults, searches to September 2009 (n = 0 trials) Evidence A source
No eligible RCTs; insufficient evidence for blood pressure control in hypertension

The bottom line

Two popular hopes did not hold up. In a crossover trial in 21 adults, hibiscus tea with breakfast lowered hunger ratings and did not change how much they ate that meal or across the day. The trial was open-label and lasted one morning. In anemic adults in Tanzania, 30 days of a hibiscus extract did not improve iron status, despite its traditional use for anemia, and only 82 of the 130 people randomized were analyzed. Very little of the red color reaches you intact. In 8 volunteers, about 0.02% of the hibiscus anthocyanins from an extract turned up unchanged in urine, while a lab measure of antioxidant capacity in the blood rose. In 70 people with fatty liver disease, a 450 mg hibiscus capsule each day for 8 weeks lowered triglycerides and liver enzymes against placebo and left LDL and total cholesterol unchanged. That was a capsule of powder, and the abstract does not give the size of the changes. US surveys count a cup of hot hibiscus tea as 240 g. We found no composition data for the drink and no trial of how brewing time or strength changes it. Who should be careful. A 2026 case report describes a 59-year-old woman on long-term warfarin for a mechanical heart valve whose INR rose sharply after she started drinking hibiscus tea and returned to normal after she stopped. It is one case, and the authors call the link possible. If you take warfarin, tell whoever checks your INR before you start drinking it daily. The blood pressure trial enrolled only people taking no blood pressure medicine, so it says nothing about drinking the tea on top of those drugs. This page has no evidence on hibiscus tea in pregnancy or breastfeeding, so it cannot say whether it is safe then.

Questions about hibiscus tea, answered from the trials

Does hibiscus tea lower blood pressure?

Related foods

Tea and iron: in one small study, an hour's gap kept the iron

Sources

hibt-daily-r3-01 · dataset
Tea, hot, hibiscus (FNDDS 92306090): 1 fl oz 30 g; 1 cup 240 g; Quantity not specified 360 g; 1 small 360 g; 1 medium 480 g; 1 large 600 g
USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 92306090 (Tea, hot, hibiscus, FDC 2710503) · checked 2026-09-29
hibt-daily-r3-06 · RCT
HSE caused significantly higher plasma AUC of FRAP, an increase in Ae(0-24) of FRAP, ascorbic acid and hippuric acid, whereas malondialdehyde excretion was reduced. Furthermore, the main hibiscus anthocyanins as well as one glucuronide conjugate could be quantified in the volunteers' urine (0.02% of the administered dose).
J Sci Food Agric, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
ev-hibbp-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
Hibiscus resulted in a significant reduction of SBP (−7.10 mmHg; 95%CI, −13.00, −1.20; I2 = 95%; P = 0.02). The results for DBP favored hibiscus but did not reach statistical significance (−3.26 mmHg; 95%CI, −7.05, 0.52; I2 = 94%; P = 0.09).
Nutrition Reviews, 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
There was a significant effect of hibiscus, compared with placebo, on SBP (−10.05 mmHg; 95%CI, −17.58, −2.51; I2 = 81%; P = 0.009).
Nutrition Reviews, 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
Fixed-effect meta-regression indicated a significant effect of H. sabdariffa supplementation in lowering both SBP (weighed mean difference -7.58 mmHg, 95% confidence interval -9.69 to -5.46, P < 0.00001) and DBP (weighed mean difference -3.53 mmHg, 95% confidence interval -5.16 to -1.89, P < 0.0001).
J Hypertens, 2015: Effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) on arterial hypertension, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-08 · umbrella review
Data from 26 randomized controlled trials involving 1797 participants revealed that HS dose-dependently reduced systolic and diastolic BP compared to placebo and other teas.
Complement Ther Med, 2025: Efficacy and safety of Hibiscus sabdariffa in cardiometabolic health, an overview of reviews and updated dose-response meta-analysis · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-11 · randomized controlled trial
At 6 wk, hibiscus tea lowered systolic BP (SBP) compared with placebo (-7.2 +/- 11.4 vs. -1.3 +/- 10.0 mm Hg; P = 0.030).
J Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-10-06
hibt-daily-r3-03 · meta-analysis
Eventually, nine trials involving 503 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that compared with the control group, H. sabdariffa supplementation could reduce total cholesterol (WMD = -14.66; 95% CI [-18.22, -11.10]; p = .000; I2 = 46.9%) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = -9.46; 95% CI [-14.93, -3.99]; p = .001; I2 = 50.1%) but could not effectively reduce triglyceride (WMD = -0.77; 95% CI [-7.87, 6.33]; p = 0.832; I2 = 0%).
Phytother Res, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
ev-hibbp-09 · umbrella review
A minor, clinically insignificant increase in aspartate aminotransferase was observed without elevating adverse event risks.
Complement Ther Med, 2025: Efficacy and safety of Hibiscus sabdariffa in cardiometabolic health, an overview of reviews and updated dose-response meta-analysis · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-10 · meta-analysis of RCTs
In the studies included in this meta-analysis, authors of 1 study reported mild gastrointestinal symptoms using 1 g of hibiscus extract after the first week of supplementation; however, these symptoms subsided within 1 week.
Nutrition Reviews, 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-13 · case report
We describe the case of a 59-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve receiving chronic warfarin therapy who developed a markedly elevated international normalized ratio (INR) after recently consuming hibiscus tea.
Cureus, 2026 · checked 2026-10-06
hibt-daily-r3-09 · case report
We describe the case of a 59-year-old woman with a mechanical mitral valve receiving chronic warfarin therapy who developed a markedly elevated international normalized ratio (INR) after recently consuming hibiscus tea. No other clear precipitating factor for the supratherapeutic INR was identified.
Cureus, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
ev-hibbp-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
Hibiscus had similar BP-lowering effects as pharmaceutical intervention, with a nonsignificant difference observed between the 2 treatments: SBP (2.13 mmHg; 95%CI, −2.81, 7.06; I2 = 91%; P = 0.40) and DBP (1.10 mmHg; 95%CI, −1.55, 3.74; I2 = 91%; P = 0.42).
Nutrition Reviews, 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers · checked 2026-10-06
hibt-daily-r3-04 · RCT
The volunteers who drank the H. sabdariffa tea had lower perception of hunger (p = 0.002) and greater feeling of satiety (p = 0.01) and fullness (p = 0.009) compared to control. ... There was no difference between treatments regarding the energy and macronutrient intake from the first meal and throughout the day (p > 0.05) for all participants.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
hibt-daily-r3-07 · RCT
A standardized aqueous extract of H. sabdariffa L. did not improve iron status in anemic adults in malaria endemic region (P>0.005).
J Ethnopharmacol, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
ev-hibbp-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
Within the dose-response subgroup, ingestion of hibiscus with a dose ≤1 g/day was not significant for either SBP (P = 0.96) or DBP (P = 0.63).
Nutrition Reviews, 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa on blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
Hibiscus sabdariffa significantly reduced both SBP and DBP compared with placebo (mean difference -6.67, P = 0.004 and -4.35 mm Hg, P = 0.02).
J Cardiovasc Pharmacol, 2022: Efficacy of Hibiscus sabdariffa on reducing blood pressure in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension · checked 2026-10-06
ev-hibbp-12 · randomized controlled trial
The systolic pressure of both groups statistically decreased at the end of the study; it decreased from 123.1 ± 15.5 to 116.8 ± 16.3 mmHg in the ST and from 119.4 ± 15.1 to 114.8 ± 15.9 mmHg in the GT.
J Diet Suppl, 2013 · checked 2026-10-06
hibt-daily-r3-02 · RCT
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in 65 pre- and mildly hypertensive adults, age 30-70 y, not taking blood pressure (BP)-lowering medications, with either 3 240-mL servings/d of brewed hibiscus tea or placebo beverage for 6 wk. ... At 6 wk, hibiscus tea lowered systolic BP (SBP) compared with placebo (-7.2 +/- 11.4 vs. -1.3 +/- 10.0 mm Hg; P = 0.030).
J Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-09-29
hibt-daily-r3-05 · RCT
Participants received sour tea in the form of a 450 mg capsule or a placebo capsule daily for 8 weeks. ... After 8 weeks, sour tea administration significantly decreased serum triglyceride (TG) (p = .03), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p = .01), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p = .004) levels compared with the placebo.
Phytother Res, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
ev-hibbp-07 · Cochrane systematic review
The evidence is currently insufficient to determine the effectiveness of Roselle compared to placebo for controlling or lowering blood pressure in people with hypertension.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2021: Roselle for hypertension in adults · checked 2026-10-06
hibt-daily-r3-08 · systematic review
MAIN RESULTS: No studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. However, one abstract of an ongoing study is likely to meet the inclusion criteria, when completed.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2010 · checked 2026-09-29

Review. Reviewed on 2026-09-29 for evidence level, dose and population context, and claims a reader could misread. Bioma Learn has no human medical reviewer at this time, and we say so rather than invent one. Methodology. This is information, not medical advice.