|
HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
How Can Roselle Help Prevent Heart Disease? Roselle is a species of hibiscus native to West Africa. Originally from Angola, it is now cultivated in countries like Sudan, Egypt, Thailand, Mexico and China. It is commonly used to make jelly, jam and preserves, beverage, wine, syrup, gelatin, pudding, cake, ice cream and flavoring. In United States and Europe, it is widely used as food colorings. It is known as the rosella or rosella fruit in Australia and in Chinese, it is called 洛神花 (Luo Shen Hua). There are 3 types of roselle, differentiated by colors. The dark red type has the highest content of anthocyanins, followed by the light red type, while the green type has only traces of the antioxidant pigment or none at all, as reported the Journal Of American Science in 2010. Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid, a class of compounds with antioxidant effects, and are said to help prevent heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidants have been shown in various studies to enhance nitric oxide production in the body, lowering blood pressure and oxidized lipids. Several studies also showed that antioxidants could reduce cancer promotion. A paper published in 2010 in journal ‘Nutrition Review’ reported that anthocyanins might enhance heart health. The researchers pointed out that anthocyanins appear to improve cholesterol levels and blood sugar metabolism, as well as fight oxidative stress (a process known to play a role in heart disease). Meanwhile, according to a 2011 study published in the ‘American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’, dietary intake of anthocyanins might also help prevent high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease.
Diuretic effect of roselle flowers, whether fresh or dried, is used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicines) to help clear heaty symptoms associated with hot and humid weather, such as a sore throat, a dry mouth, thirst, dry stool and yellowish urine. TCM physicians believe that excessive consumption of high-calorie food affects the digestive functions of the spleen and stomach. Meanwhile, when there is a shortage of yin (the element responsible for cooling organs) in the kidneys and liver, heat builds up in the body and hinders blood flow. Poor functioning of these organs causes phlegm and other unwanted substances to accumulate in the body, disrupting the proper circulation of blood and qi. A person with poor qi or blood flow will experience symptoms, such as a red face, heart palpitations, numbness in the limbs, and would get agitated and tired easily, and he or she might probably have high cholesterol levels or blood pressure. People with neutral or heaty bodies can benefit from taking a so-called cold herb like roselle flowers to balance the body constitutions. It is also suitable for those with hypertension and high cholesterol. No more than 3 grams of roselle flowers should be taken a day. People with a weak stomach and spleen, which is featured by a bloated abdomen, diarrhea and a poor appetite, should avoid taking roselle flowers. Pregnant women and those who have their periods should avoid taking it, too. Those with stomach ulcers should not take it at all as it will aggravate the symptoms. In March 2013, a review of human and animal studies published in the journal ‘Fitoterapia’ found that daily consumption of a tea or extract produced from roselle flowers helped significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people with pre- to moderate primary hypertension and Type-2 diabetes, based on results from randomized controlled trials. The tea was also as effective at lowering blood pressure as the drug Captropril, but less effective than another drug, Lisinopril. Both drugs are used to treat hypertension. More than half of the trials showed that daily consumption of roselle tea or extracts improved one's lipid levels. Roselle flowers lowered participants' total cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol, and triglycerides. Meanwhile, it boosted their levels of high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol. This is likely because of the antioxidant effects of the anthocyanins that inhibit the oxidation of bad cholesterol.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright
2007-2012 © HowToPreventHeartDisease.com . All Rights Reserved.d........ |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
