Trader Joe’s – Eating Hibiscus Flowers?

I’m big on snacking and decided to head to Trader Joe’s for an assortment of natural snacks for my office during the day. I naturally head to the trail mix area and wanted to try something new. So I picked up a Tropical Hawaiian Trail Mix, which had pineapples, mangoes, and Hibiscus Flowers. What is a garden plant doing in the trail mix? So I get it and decide to do some research on the benefit of hibiscus flowers. 

Research had found that Hibiscus flowers can assist in controlling blood pressure, increasing circulation and reducing cholesterol. But this is not all – the high vitamin C content in Hibiscus flowers can even help fighting colds and chest congestion.

The extract from Hibiscus flowers forms the basis of a traditional Eastern remedy and it was found that an extract could have the same health benefits for the heart as red wine and tea. Don’t go buying an abundant amount of red wine now Route 40!! It has many of the same oxidant compounds as red wine and the presence of flavonoid, polyphenols and anthocyanins assist with the prevention of the oxidation of LDL or better known as bad cholesterol. This oxidation is what contributes to atherosclerosis, the build up of a waxy plaque on the walls of arteries. It is also very possible that the Hibiscus extract could suppress blood lipid levels including triglycerides and total cholesterol significantly.

Some traditions were also known to have believed that Hibiscus extract could treat hypertension and liver disorders. This beautiful flower could therefore have important health benefits when consumed in food and drink. Other societies again believed the Hibiscus flower to have anti-bacterial properties and were also used to treat stomach aliments. There are also claims that the flower acts as laxative and diuretic.

It is very important to take note that scientific research regarding the value of Hibiscus extract as a life-saving medicine to lower blood cholesterol is still in the trail and error phase and it is not yet a cut-and-dried fact. Although dietary supplements in capsule form containing Hibiscus flower extracts are commercially available, the best advice is still to have a good exercise program (Go Route 40) and a diet containing fruit and vegetables as well as saturated fat. And the best is also to seek medical advice with any problem a person should have with high blood cholesterol levels.