Properties of Hibiscus Tea

Lowers Blood Pressure

• According to an Antioxidants Research Laboratory study conducted at Tufts University, hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. In-vitro studies -- controlled petri dish and test tube studies -- showed that Hibiscus extracts added to herbal tea blends and other beverages have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants inhibit the amount of oxidation that affects molecules, which can cause cell damage and higher blood pressure.

Cancer Fighting

• According to the Drugs website, in vitro -- controlled in-glass -- experiments have found that hibiscus flower extracts used in teas can fight against certain cancer cell lines. Hibiscus tea's strong antioxidant activity has the ability to induce apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells according to the research.

Diuretic and Mild Laxative

• The flower extracts used in teas act as a diuretic, increasing urination. Increased urination releases toxins from the body, flushing out chemicals. Some diuretics are used to treat heart failure, kidney diseases and hypertension but research is still under way to prove hibiscus tea's ability to treat these ailments. The tea is also used as a mild laxative due to the same forced cleansing properties.

Inhibitory Muscular Effects

• Liquid hibiscus extracts that herbalists and tea makers add to teas have been shown to have inhibitory effects on the contraction of various muscle tissues, including the uterus and areas around the womb. Hibiscus extracts demonstrated a mild cathartic activity, or relaxation effect, when tested on lab rats.