2014-05-06 10:11:38
Green tea is made from the leaves of a herb called Camellia sinensis. It originated in Asia but now has spread through most cultures. Recently, green tea and sour tea have been studied as a possible treatment strategies to help prevent and control the side effects of diabetes.[1] One study examined whether they would help those diabetics who had mildly elevated blood pressure. There were 100 patients studied in total and they were asked to drink green tea and sour tea three times a day, 2 hours after each meal. They did this for 4 weeks. The results showed that the blood pressure of those drinking both kinds of tea decreased by the end of the trial. When sour tea is discussed, it is usually referring to tea made from the herb Hibiscus sabdariffa. By itself, sour tea has also been studied for its ability to lower blood pressure. In a randomized controlled trial, it was compared versus black tea.[2] Patients were asked to drink 2 cups a day for 1 month. The results showed that patients who drank the sour tea had decreases in blood pressure, while those who drank black tea had increases in blood pressure. Together, all this information suggests that both green tea and sour tea would be good options.
References
(1) Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Ahadi Z, Barzegar K. The effect of green tea and sour tea on blood pressure of patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial. J Diet Suppl. 2013;10(2):105-15.
(2) Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Jalali-Khanabadi BA, Afkhami-Ardekani M, Fatehi F, Noori-Shadkam M. The effects of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on hypertension in patients with type II diabetes. J Hum Hypertens. 2009;23(1):48-54.