Hibiscus
In a comparison of the antioxidant content of 280 common beverages, hibiscus tea, derived from the flower of the same name, ranked number-one, even beating out the oft-lauded. green tea. Within an hour of consumption, the antioxidant power of your bloodstream shoots up as the tea’s antioxidant phytonutrients are absorbed into your system.
High blood pressure is where hibiscus really shines. A study from Tufts showed that three daily cups of hibiscus tea significantly lowered blood pressure in prehypertensive adults better than placebo, with a drop in the subjects’ systolic blood pressure by six points over the control group. To put that into perspective, on a population scale, a five-point drop may lead to 14 percent fewer stroke deaths, 9 percent fewer fatal heart attacks, and 7 percent fewer deaths overall each year. Another studyshowed that taking 100 mg of hibiscus extract daily was associated with decreased total cholesterol and increased “good” HDL cholesterol.