Nigeria: Experts caution pregnant women on zobo drink safety

In Nigeria, zobo is a widely consumed beverage, often touted as a natural blood tonic and a healthy drink. Its refreshing quality makes it appealing, especially for pregnant women seeking relief from nausea, heat, and fatigue. However, health experts are urging caution, stating there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to confirm its safety for expectant mothers.

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As a result, the available evidence remains insufficient to establish its safety for regular use during pregnancy.

Obstetrician and gynaecologist Emmanuel Arekhandia told PT Health Watch that large-scale, well-designed clinical trials proving the routine safety of zobo throughout pregnancy are absent. While research on non-pregnant adults has linked hibiscus, the key ingredient in zobo, to potential benefits like modest blood pressure reduction and improved metabolic markers, these findings cannot be directly applied to the unique physiological state of pregnancy.

Arekhandia noted that the limited studies exploring hibiscus for conditions like anemia during pregnancy were too small to establish safety for mothers or babies. Concerns are largely based on laboratory and animal studies, some of which suggest that concentrated hibiscus extracts might stimulate uterine contractions or, in high doses, lead to reduced birth weight and altered reproductive hormone levels in offspring. Crucially, these effects have not been confirmed in human pregnancies, and the dosages used in animal experiments often far exceed typical beverage consumption.

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The findings cannot automatically be applied to pregnancy, as the physiological changes that occur during gestation require more rigorous safety evidence.

Further concerns include potential interactions between hibiscus and certain medications, such as chloroquine, paracetamol, and antihypertensives, although the clinical significance during pregnancy is unclear. Zobo's known blood pressure-lowering effect could also pose a risk if consumed excessively, potentially leading to dizziness, fainting, or hypotension, particularly in women already experiencing normal or low blood pressure. Given the lack of robust human safety data, experts recommend pregnant women exercise caution.

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Some animal studies suggest that concentrated hibiscus extracts may stimulate uterine contractions. Others have linked high doses to reduced birth weight and alterations in reproductive hormone levels in offspring.