Abstract
In Iraq, in 2019, there were about 1.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDP); medical treatments were often interrupted. The feasibility of using Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) decoction to curb hypertension was evaluated. A multicentric comparative pilot intervention for 121 participants with high blood pressure (BP) (≥140/90 mmHg) was conducted. Participants of the intervention group (with or without conventional medication) received HS decoction on a dose regimen starting from 10 grams per day. BP was measured five times over six weeks. The major active substances were chemically quantified. Results: After 6 weeks, 61.8% of participants from the intervention group (n = 76) reached the target BP < 140/90 mmHg, compared to 6.7% in the control group (n = 45). In the intervention group, a mean (±SD) reduction of 23.1 (±11.8) mmHg and 12.0 (±11.2) for systolic and diastolic BP, respectively, was observed, while in the control group the reduction was 4.4 (±10.2)/3.6 (±8.7). The chemical analysis of the starting dose indicated a content of 36 mg of total anthocyanins and 2.13 g of hibiscus acid. The study shows the feasibility of using HS decoction in IDP’s problematic framework, as hibiscus is a safe, local, affordable, and culturally accepted food product.
Highlights
Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) has been used both as a food product and as medicine in different societies and is popularly known as bissap in Africa, karkadé in the Middle East, flor de Jamaica in Central America, and sometime roselle in Europe
When the dosage is as low as 2.5 g of HS decoction daily, no side effects are reported but the pharmacological effect is minimum with a mean reduction of 7.43 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 6.70 mmHg for diastolic BP (DBP) [18]
Statistical Analysis In the study conducted in Jordan [10], we found that with HS decoction, 38% of participants reached target blood pressure (BP) after 1 month
Summary
Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) has been used both as a food product and as medicine in different societies and is popularly known as bissap in Africa, karkadé in the Middle East, flor de Jamaica in Central America, and sometime roselle in Europe. The hibiscus acid-rich fraction exhibits a vasorelaxant effect on rat aorta through an anti-calcic mechanism [8]. As HS brew is known and accessible even for the poorest patients, we dedicated efforts in researching a practical use of HS decoction and observed a sustained clinical effectiveness for 6 months when used by hypertensive patients without standard (conventional) medication [9]. In a pilot study conducted with refugee in Jordan, use of HS decoction during 1 month as an adjuvant therapy for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, whether they used standard medication or not, was associated with promising results: 38% reached the target blood pressure (BP) and 65% of them had systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowered by at least 10 mmHg [10]
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