The Journal of

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of renal failure. High blood pressure, specially its glomerular type is one of the dominant factors in the development of nephropathy in diabetic patients. The present study evaluates the effects of Hibiscus Subdariffa on blood pressure and urinary albumin in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Methods: Current study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial on 41 patients with diabetic nephropathy (15 males, 26 females). Patients were divided in two randomly chosen groups. The first group received herbal supplements of Hibiscus Subdariffa (tablets, 425 mg twice daily) while the other one received placebo. At baseline and at the end of an eighth weeks period, systolic, diastolic blood pressure and urinary albumin were measured.

Results: At the end of the study period, Systolic blood pressure in the Hibiscus group dropped of 135 to 119.5 compared to the baseline. The level of reduction was statistically significant (p<0.05). At the end of the eighth weeks, urinary albumin concentration was reduced up to 20mg in the Hibiscus group. The level of reduction was statistically significant (p<0.05). The above mentioned changes were not observed in the placebo group.

Conclusions: The study showed that Hibiscus Subdariffa supplementation causes a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and urinary albumin. Thus, Hibiscus Subdariffa supplementation would be able to slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy.