My Hibiscus Tea Scare

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not qualified to give medical advice but I will be warning my family and friends about Hibiscus tea. You should always get your advice from your medical team.)

The first time I went to a doctor as an adult (because I cracked a rib while sneezing), I was told I had high blood pressure. I'm sure the ER doctor thought the high reading was because 1) I have white coat syndrome, and 2) I'd cracked a rib while sneezing and was in pain. I was weighing in at about 110 then so weight wasn't a factor.

Fast forward to when I was seeing a doctor for a physical and (still weighing in at around 110 or so), I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (HBP). It runs on my mother's side of the family.

For a long time, doctors tried different meds and combos of meds to get the HBP under control. Finally, a combo worked - at least it worked better than the others - and my controlled BP ran somewhere around 150 for the systolic (top number). Then I got sarcoidosis (and was already weighing in at 140-145 pounds). My blood pressure went nuclear. There were times when the top number went as high as 210.

My BP was still high when I moved to Iowa but sort of under control. Then I started taking a supplement and the numbers were reading as "normal". It was so weird to see a systolic reading in the 110s, 120s, and, at the highest, 130-something. Then this morning's reading scared me.

Last night before bed, I drank half a cup of hibiscus tea. I love tea and always fit some form of it into my day. I start my morning with coffee, have water all day, then have a cup of tea before bed. Chamomile, a fruit-flavored green tea, or a cup of Sleepytime. Last night was the first time in about 5 or 6 years that I've drank hibiscus tea.

I drank the tea (maybe half of the 6 ounces that I brewed) at around 7:30 - 8 o'clock. I had a really good night's sleep but woke up this morning feeling slightly tired. I took my meds for the day, including the BP meds, and then I checked my BP.

My reading was 105/57. This is no more than 5 minutes after taking my meds so the BP meds could not have had time to start working.

Since I've had a lingering bug of some kind for the past couple of weeks, I wondered if that affected my BP. However, my BP reading earlier this week was in the normal 120-something range.

One of my former doctors told me once that, when I am experiencing a new symptom, I should consider anything new about my diet, exercise, or other behaviors. So, when I was thinking about this, I realized the tea was the only new thing I was eating or drinking.

I had already checked if hibiscus tea was okay for CKD patients. But I did a lazy check and, as soon as I saw that it was low potassium, my research was done. If I'd checked further, I would have known that the tea works almost as well as prescription meds for lowering BP.

I have questions:

1. Why isn't the tea prescribed for HBP patients? It can at least be mentioned.
2. How did I know nothing about this tea and its effect on blood pressure?

I  am certainly going to be asking my doc about this at the next appointment. I know that there may be reasons that I am prescribed the meds instead of being told to drink the tea but... C'mon! 

If as little as 3 or 4 ounces of tea can do what a pill can, I'd much rather drink the tea. But I guess the tea is much more affordable than the pills... 

Now, at least, I know. Also, I know that I cannot just keep drinking this tea with a willy-nilly attitude. I can't afford an ambulance if I happen to pass out with low blood pressure. On the other hand, when my BP skyrockets, I think I might have a sip of hibiscus tea...

Peace

--Free