|
I wish you could see it this morning … my yard is a riot of hibiscus colors. When I smell the flowers it brings me right back to Bali. Hibiscus is a holy flower there, and traditional healers use it often for its wide-ranging healing power. There’s more about it in my book, Healing Herbs of Paradise I’ve seen hibiscus used in Jamaica, India, Africa, Brazil and other remote places. I like it when cultures from all over the world use the same plant for similar remedies. It solidifies them as genuine healing agents. This is true for hibiscus as well. Hibiscus has a long history of medicinal use in the tropics. It’s used for high blood pressure… liver disease… fever… constipation… and cancer. But it turns out hibiscus does even more. It’s also a powerful anti-aging force for your whole body. You see, hibiscus is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the entire plant world. A team of international researchers recently tested 283 beverages. They ranked them according to antioxidant content. Would it surprise you to know that hibiscus tea came out miles ahead of all the others? It beat out green tea, and had 3.5 times the amount of antioxidants as red wine. Hibiscus came out on top thanks to super-antioxidants called “anthocyanins.” They’re contained in the vivid pigments of the flowers. They’re in the same purples and reds that give berries and grapes their superfood status. Anthocyanins are anti-aging molecules. They help prevent free radical damage to your skin. That protects your collagen matrix, the main support structure of your skin. It helps keep your skin firm and stops wrinkling. These same hibiscus compounds can help tighten skin, reduce pores, and improve elasticity. They can protect you from aging sun damage. All of that can leave your skin looking naturally firm, young, and vibrant. But there’s another way hibiscus keeps you young. It can help protect your telomeres. Telomeres are like little fuses at the ends of your DNA strands. As the cells in your body divide, the fuses burn down. And, when those fuses get short, your cells can’t make accurate copies anymore. They make older and more feeble versions of themselves. You’re left with older cells that lead to wrinkles, dull skin, sore joints, and all the other annoying signs of aging. But it’s not just the passing years that erode your telomeres. Free radicals in your cells speed up the damage. Free radicals that cause oxidation can kick telomerase, the enzyme that helps rebuild your telomeres, out of the cell. Antioxidants can prevent that, and keep telomerase in the cell to help maintain telomeres.2 They slow down telomere shortening, and delay the aging of cells. 3 How can you put the anti-aging power of hibiscus to work for you? I like to make a big pitcher of cold hibiscus tea and sip it throughout the day. It’s easy to make. I use Celestial Seasoning’s Red Zinger tea. It has a nice blend of hibiscus, rosehips, orange peel and lemongrass. But you can use any tea that lists hibiscus as the first ingredient. You might also see it listed as flor de Jamaica, sorrel, or roselle. Just place 4 tea bags in 8 cups of water and let it steep overnight in the refrigerator. If you don’t like tea bags you can substitute the petals of fresh or dried hibiscus flowers. Remove the bags or flowers in the morning and add the juice of one lemon. The brewed tea will have a tart taste almost like cranberry. You may want to add about three tablespoons of erythritol as a sweetener. Erythritol is a polyol. That means part of it’s structure looks like sugar and part resembles alcohol. It won’t decay teeth or spike blood sugar. And it adds even more antioxidant punch to your hibiscus tea. Studies show it protects against oxidative stress on the lining of blood vessels.4 Hibiscus tea goes to work in your bloodstream right away. That’s important because throughout the day your antioxidant levels fall. Your body uses them up to fend off free radicals. In fact, one study showed your antioxidant levels can drop within two hours of a stressful event.5 Things like an argument at home, traffic jams, having a cold, or breathing in pollution use up your antioxidants fast. Hibiscus tea has been proven to restore antioxidant levels within just one hour of drinking it.6 That’s why I recommend sipping hibiscus tea throughout the day. It can keep your antioxidants high and protect your telomeres. To Your Good Health, 1. Carlsen MH et al, “The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide.” Nutr J. 2010 Jan 22;9:3. |
