In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, Madagascar President, Rajoelina took the world by storm after endorsing an herbal product formulated and manufactured locally by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (MIAR). The product contains the active ingredient Artemesia Annua, the plant of Chinese origin first imported to Madagascar in the 1970s to treat malaria.
This had prompted, Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, a renowned researcher, science writer and a professor of Holistic Medicine to appeal to the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Ado to as a matter of urgency to support the Center for Plants Medicine Research, Mampong, Akwapim in the eastern region to enable them research into herbal medicines. According to Dr, Nyarkotey who has been researching into the hibiscus Sabdariffa plant use in Ghana for Sobolo juice. He said, the hibiscus Tea has extensive research which cannot be disputed for flu management and improving the quality of life(QOL). According to him, it is time for Ghana to research into the hibiscus Tea as Ghana is endowed with the raw material for hibiscus tea to help Covid 19 patients as part of supportive care and also as preventative drug. “We are also told that, most of the people dying in Ghana had underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension etc and this where Hibiscus Tea is the deal” . according to him, Research upon research had proven the impact of Hibiscus tea on cardiovascular diseases, immune boosting, support fever, antiviral agent and also for upper respiratory infections and contains Vitamin C. Hibiscus Tea has more medicinal values compared to the Artemisia being marketed for covid 19 in Madagascar. In fact, scientific research support hibiscus tea as potent anti-influenza drug. This is the time for the government to rise up, and covid 19 presents the best opportunity to revolutionized the herbal medicine industry. Hibiscus Tea could put Ghana on the global map. The seemingly disturbed Dr. Nyarkotey had this to say: “This should have been Ghana leading the herbal medicine revolution and putting us on the global map in this pressing times and not Madagascar or any other Africa country, why? We have the hibiscus Tea with extensive scientific backing for flu management and several beneficial properties”
Benefits From Hibiscus Today
Today, he said, hibiscus flower is still used around the world for the benefits it supplies. The most common natural uses of the hibiscus plant in current times include: Supporting The Upper Respiratory System and maintaining Body Temperature and Healthy Blood Pressure.
Hibiscus tea and immune system Support
Speaking on the immune system, according to him, Hibiscus Tea contains Vitamin C an essential nutrient for overall immune support, Vitamin C also offers powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial benefits. It interferes with the ability of certain viruses to reproduce, while helping the immune system to eradicate the infection. The vitamin C helps to increase the absorption of the iron, which is great for maximum rewards all around. Hibiscus flowers contain substantial quantities of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, which are associated with fever-reducing (antipyretic) activities. The flowers contain substantial quantities of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, which are associated with antioxidant, fever-reducing (antipyretic), pain-relieving (analgesic), and spasm-inhibiting (spasmolytic) activities. Of the many polysaccharides, the acidic polysaccharides show the most interesting properties” added
Hibiscus Tea as antiviral Agent
According to Dr. Nyarkotey “ Hibiscus Tea has been proven effective in flu management. He cited a 2016 study by Baatartsogt et al titled “High antiviral effects of hibiscus tea extract on the H5 subtypes of low and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses” and published in Journal Veterinary Medicine Science screened the antiviral effects of 11 herbal tea extracts (hibiscus, black tea, tencha, rosehip tea, burdock tea, green tea, jasmine tea, ginger tea, lavender tea, rose tea and oak tea) against the H5N1 HPAIV in vitro. Hibiscus Tea present as the potent for flu . according to him, taking into conclusion the possibility that hibiscus extract might prevent and treat life-threatening viral infection is all the more encouraging; especially considering that it is also known to have a very high threshold of safety. He said, that, the researchers in this study concluded that their preliminary study showed that, in addition to the H5 subtype, hibiscus inactivated seven other subtypes whereas P. sidoides extracts inactivated human influenza viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) but not H5N1 HPAIV . Thus, hibiscus may be a promising candidate as a potent anti-influenza drug, irrespective of subtype”. So based on the similarities between the symptoms of the two pathogens, correlations can be established on the strength of another study conducted.
Hibiscus Tea for Cardiovascular Support
According to Dr. Nyarkotey, “We are being told that, those patients with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, asthmatic and hypertension died from Covid-19 the more. hibiscus tea if incorporated into the covid-19 treatment protocol could help improve on these patients’ quality of life and further reduce our death rate” he said. He quoted many scientific studies backing his claims. For instance, he quoted 2007 clinical trial by Lin et al demonstrated that Hibiscus reduced cholesterol by 8.3% to 14.4% after just one month. In this study conducted in Taiwan, 42 subjects were randomized to 3 groups for the study. The hibiscus extract capsules contained 500 mg of dried herb by steeping 150 g of hibiscus flowers in 6 L of hot water for 2 hours and then drying and filtering the extract.
Another Hibiscus Tea review conducted by Ngamjarus et al 2010, on blood pressure published in 2010 resulted in five articles. The authors incorporated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of 3-12 weeks in duration that compared Hibiscus to either placebo or no intervention at all. It will interest you to know that all five of these studies demonstrated significant reductions in systolic blood pressure.
According to Dr, Nyarkotey, from research studies, drinking hibiscus tea may not only help patients recover from cold and flu and other symptoms associated with flu viruses in research studies but also fight the influenza virus to delay the next attack, improves on their immune system and support those with the underlying health conditions in general to improve on their quality of life(QOL).
He had this to say: “Studies state that hibiscus could be a promising anti-influenza drug according to Baatartsogt et al 2016. Hibiscus tea extract can help fight the avian influenza virus and several drug-resistant viruses and also boost the immune system as a result of the high vitamin C content. Hibiscus flower brings a lot of benefits to our body, especially when consumed as a tea. Madagascar developed herbal tea from Artemisia and I believe Ghana stand a better chance to put Hibiscus Tea also on the global map. This is the real Ghana beyond Aid Agenda, he concluded and appeal to the government to initiate research into the hibiscus Tea for covid 19 which he believes could generate foreign exchange for the country. Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, is an honorary Professor of Holistic Medicine-Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University, Ukraine and currently, LLB law Student. He is the formulator of FDA approved Nyarkotey Hibiscus Tea for Cardiovascular Support and wellness, Men’s Formula for Prostate Health and Women’s Formula for wellness.
