Not only beautiful decorating the garden in your home, rosella plants also have health benefits. The flowers and leaves can be processed into a delicious tea to drink. Even better, the benefits of rosella tea are also good for reducing the risk of various health problems.
The roselle plant has red flowers and is quite large in size, resembling a hibiscus flower. This plant is often processed into various products, such as jam, syrup, medicine, and herbal tea.
Rosella tea is made from a mixture of leaves, petals, and shoots of rosella flowers. Because of its sour taste, rosella tea is often called sour tea.
Benefits of Rosella Tea for Health
The efficacy of the roselle plant cannot be separated from its high antioxidant content, so it is able to ward off free radicals that can cause cell and tissue damage. In addition, the rosella plant also has other benefits, including:
1. Lowers blood pressure
Various studies have shown that rosella plant extract is able to lower blood pressure in people with metabolic syndrome. This disease is characterized by an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and body weight.
Not only that, supplements and rosella tea are also known to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension or high blood pressure. However, the use of rosella tea as a drug to treat hypertension, of course, must first be consulted with a doctor.
2. Overcoming high cholesterol
Rosella plant is believed to be able to inhibit the absorption of saturated fatty acids and reduce levels of triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. In addition, rosella is also useful for maintaining stable blood sugar levels, lowering total cholesterol levels, and increasing good cholesterol (HDL) levels.
3. Prevent heart disease
Previously it has been explained that the rosella plant is useful for dealing with high cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. This makes rosella tea useful for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, and stroke.
4. Prevents the risk of obesity
A number of studies show that the antioxidant content of polyphenols and flavonoids in rosella plants is able to inhibit and reduce the accumulation of fatty tissue in the body, thereby helping prevent obesity. However, to prevent obesity, you also need to exercise regularly and have a healthy diet.
In addition to the benefits above, rosella also contains antioxidant compounds that can overcome inflammation and reduce the risk of cancer.
Although it is considered to have a good effect on health, the benefits of rosella tea as a medicine still need to be studied further. This is because the amount of consumption of rosella tea is safe and its effectiveness is not known with certainty.
Tips for Consuming Rosella Tea
To get the benefits of rosella tea, it is recommended that you consume 1.5 – 3 grams per day in 1-2 cups of tea.
However, if you have impaired liver function, you should consult your doctor first before consuming rosella tea. This is because excessive consumption of rosella tea can increase the risk of liver poisoning. In addition, rosella tea is also not recommended for consumption by pregnant or lactating women.
Rosella tea can affect blood sugar levels in the body, making it difficult to control blood sugar for those of you who are taking diabetes medications. Also avoid consuming rosella tea along with drugs, such as paracetamol, because it can increase the risk of drug interactions.
A number of studies have revealed the benefits of rosella tea for health. However, until now the side effects and the safe amount of rosella tea consumption still need to be investigated further. To be safer, you should consult a doctor if you want to use rosella tea as an herbal treatment.