Hibiscus Tea for Health! With it’s brilliant red color it also becomes a festive beverage for the holidays.

Written By Amber Barone

Hibiscus tea, well known for it’s cardio-protective support by way of helping to maintain a healthy blood pressure and cholesterol also supports healthy liver, digestion, blood sugar which all together improve your bodies ability to maintain an optimal weight and reduce inflammation. This plant has been well studied with several randomized controlled studies to back up it’s efficacy. I’ll be sure to include a few of those studies in my references for anyone wanting to dive deeper into that.

I personally like to add organic dried chamomile to this tea for the added nervous system support. I am someone who can become easily stressed and anxious and this combo has served me well. I also find solace in getting outside, cold weather be damned! Layer up, grab some shades to block the snow glare and hit the trails. If you’re fortunate enough to have furry 4 legged “kid” or the real kind, husband or good friend, grab them too! It’s prioritizing time like this, breathing fresh air, feeling the sun on your face and connecting to nature and one another that fuels life.

Holidays and all the, to doing, planning, prepping “for a good time” can drive even the calmest individuals blood pressure through the roof! Next time you find yourself cozied up to the fireplace with a good book or watching TV from the couch why not include a warm, delicious cup of hibiscus tea and allow the those stresses to melt away while supporting your overall health.

I love this organic hibiscus heaven tea from Starwest Botanicals for its added antioxidants to keep the immune system robust and inflammation down. I don’t get any kick backs or discounts on sales, I just use the product personally and want you to benefit from it too! Ingredients are all organic and include: hibiscus, rosehips, orange peel, lemongrass, lemon peel and lemon oil. If that doesn’t get your saliva juices flowing I don’t know what will ;)

Happy Holidays!!

Refernces:

  • 1. Park, Y., Kwon, S. H., Jang, Y. L., Lee, D. H., Yang, S. O., Eo, H. J., Park, G. H., & Kwon, H. Y. (2022), "Nutritional composition and phytochemical screening in different parts of Hibiscus syriacus L", Food science & nutrition, 10(9), 3034–3042. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2899.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9469864/

  • 2. Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Jalali-Khanabadi BA, Afkhami-Ardekani M, Fatehi F, "Effects of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on lipid profile and lipoproteins in patients with type II diabetes.", Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine. 2009 Aug;15(8):899-903..https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19678781/

  • 3. Gurrola-Díaz CM, García-López PM, Sánchez-Enríquez S, Troyo-Sanromán R, Andrade-González I, Gómez-Leyva JF., "Effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract powder and preventive treatment (diet) on the lipid profiles of patients with metabolic syndrome (MeSy)", Phytomedicine. 2010 Jun;17(7):500-5.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19962289/

  • 4. Kuriyan R, Kumar DR, R R, Kurpad AV, "An evaluation of the hypolipidemic effect of an extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa leaves in hyperlipidemic Indians: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.", BMC Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2010 Jun 17;10:27.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906418/

  • 5. Leung A, Foster S, EDS. (2000), "Leung’s Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics", 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons; 1996. Neuwinher H. African Traditional Medicine. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publication.https://naturalingredient.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/leungs-encyclopedia-of-common-natural-ingredients-3rd-edition.pdf

  • 6. Lin T, Lin H, Chen C, et al., "Hibiscus sabdariffa extract reduces serum cholesterol in men and women", Nutrition Research 2007;27:140-145.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247204754_Hibiscus_Sabdariffa_extract_reduces_serum_cholesterol_in_men_and_women

  • 7. Cleveland Clinic, "7 Benefits of Hibiscus Tea.", 2022.https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-hibiscus/

  • 8. Majdoub, Y. O. E., Ginestra, G., Mandalari, G., Dugo, P., Mondello, L., & Cacciola, F. (2021), "The Digestibility of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Polyphenols Using an In Vitro Human Digestion Model and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity.", Nutrients, 13(7), 2360.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8308902/

  • 9. Jiménez-Ferrer, E., Alarcón-Alonso, J., Aguilar-Rojas, A., Zamilpa, A., Jiménez-Ferrer C, I., Tortoriello, J., & Herrera-Ruiz, M. (2012), "Diuretic effect of compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa by modulation of the aldosterone activity.", Planta medica, 78(18), 1893–1898..https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23150077/

  • 10. Ruban P, Gajalakshmi K., "In vitrIn vitro antibacterial activity of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract against human pathogenso antibacterial activity of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract against human pathogens", Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012 May;2(5):399-403..https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609315/

Amber Barone

Amber is a Holistic RN and Functional Medicine Practitioner who supports whole body integrative health and uses primarily diet changes, whole foods, herbs along with lifestyle tools and supplements to help clients restore balance and align with their highest sense of well being.

Amber started her nursing career in the clinic setting where she built a solid understanding of disease progression and contributing factors along with pathophysiology, biochemistry, psychological and trauma aspects. From there she became a travel nurse, working in various settings including cardiac rehab, med surg, psych, long term care, ICU’s and ER’s. These ever changing environments satisfied her ferocious appetite to learn and grow through challenging and inspiring case loads in diverse settings. It was through all of this that she realized her true passion and where she could serve at her highest capacity was working with patients on how to prevent and reverse chronic disease.

As a functional medicine, holistic RN Amber strives to bring in the best evidence based tools and resources from both conventional and alternative schools of thought. She is dedicated to continuing her learning to stay up to speed with the latest research and trends and has built her practice around educating and empowering patients to be proactive with their health.

Most patients come to Amber through a referral network of practitioners in various medical and alternative settings including MD’s, FNP’s, Acupuncturists, Dentists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists and Yoga Teachers… who wish to support their patients in this way but don’t have the time, education or resources to do this effectively.

The functional medicine addition to client care seems to be the missing piece of a true wellness model. It becomes a collaborative movement too, working together to promote wellness in our respective communities. It expedites healing through deep understanding and promotes life long transformation. Win! Win!

Functional medicine is a deep dive into root cause correlations contributing to one’s current state, it views each patient as unique and in so doing, more fully supports patients on their road to wellness by nourishing unique pathways effecting body systems, organs and glands. Much like regenerative farming and soil health, our bodies are designed to be resilient they just need the right inputs and tools to mitigate cumulative stress, toxins and burdens of our time. Feeling empowered with your health starts here.

EDUCATION / TRAINING

BS Nursing Montana State University-Registered Nurse

BA Psychology and Sociology University of Montana

Equine Veterinarian Technician-Penn Foster

Clinicians Mastermind Circle a one-year Functional Medicine Intensive

Functional Nutrition Alliance 10-month Full Body Systems Immersion

Yoga Motion 240 hour RYS teacher training

http://www.bar1wellness.com
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