Nayanthara deletes post on benefits of hibiscus tea after The Liver Doc calls her out

Weeks after popular Hepatologist Cyriac Abby Philips, known by his social media handle name The Liver Doc called out actor Samantha for endorsing nebulisation hydrogen peroxide and distilled water as an alternative treatment for viral infections, the doctor has now hit back at actor Nayanthara for her post on the health benefits of drinking hibiscus tea.

Nayanthara claimed that the drink helps cure everything from diabetes to acne, heart-related ailments and even seasonal illnesses.

Cyriac Abby Philips criticised her for "misleading her 8.7M followers," stating that none of the health benefits she attributed to hibiscus tea had been scientifically proven.

In her post, Nayanthara wrote, "This has to be my most favourite Tea, And the most exciting one in the meal plan curated by the genius Munmun Ganeriwal. It has long been used in Ayurveda. It is high in antioxidants and is helpful in diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart related ailments. It is very cooling for the system hence it is great for those who have acne, heat boils on skin etc."

She added, "Hibiscus tea is great for the monsoon season as it is rich in vitamins and keeps our immune system in equilibrium. It has antibacterial effects that protects from seasonal infection/ illness. PS: anyone who needs the recipe can check with Munmun Ganeriwal. Stay healthy. Stay happy." The post has now been taken down from her handle.

In a detailed post, the doctor replied, "If she had stopped at hibiscus tea is kind of tasty, that would have been ok. But no, they have to go ahead and blow their health-illiteracy trumpet and also claim that hibiscus tea is helpful in diabetes, high blood pressure, acne, antibacterial and protects against the flu. Well, none of the above claims have been proven."

He also pointed out that there are no studies to prove that hibiscus tea prevents acne or is antibacterial or prevents seasonal infections in humans. "Evidence, or it did not happen. To claim otherwise, is delusional and disservice to public health," he said.

Clarifying to his audience that this post by Nayanthara seems like "an advertisement for her ‘celebrity nutritionist’," he wrote, "She describes herself as 'the only gut microbiome specialist in the world who combines traditional Indian foods, ancient Indian yogic practices and Ayurveda principles with gut microbiota study to understand and fight obesity and other diseases,' which which literally translates to "absolute BS," bordering on 'quackery.'"

He strongly advised against the regular consumption of hibiscus tea due to insufficient evidence on its safety, stating it's "better to be safe than sorry."

"Be very careful about having hibiscus tea on a daily basis. Firstly, to clarify, hibiscus tea is made from Hibiscus Sabdariffa or Roselle. Do not confuse it with Hibiscus Macranthus, which is a herb claimed to promote male fertility and increase testosterone, which has been shown in at least one rat study; overall, understudied. The influenza does not clear this aspect," he elaborated and urged people to follow “real doctors advice for bettering your health."