Ginger tea, traditionally made by steeping ginger root in water, is a popular wellness beverage. Ginger has been used medicinally for everything from reducing nausea to fighting inflammation.

A recent TikTok claims that adding beet peels to ginger tea can help manage blood pressure. The creator says beets can lower blood pressure and improve circulation

How Ginger Tea With Beet Peels Might Lower Blood Pressure

One of the reasons behind the theory is that beets are naturally high in nitrates. These compounds are converted into nitric oxide in the body, which can help relax and widen blood vessels and lower the pressure the heart needs to push against, according to Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LDN, director of Nutrition Programs and associate professor at USF College of Public Health, told Verywell.

Some of the compounds in ginger may also have similar effects, especially when it comes to improving blood flow and managing blood pressure.

“Ginger contains bioactive compounds like gingerols and shogaols, which have vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects,” Dolores Woods, RDN, LD, nutritionist supervisor with the Nourish Program at UTHealth Houston, told Verywell.

Woods said that these compounds work by blocking calcium channels in the walls of your blood vessels, relaxing them and lowering your blood pressure.

Why Beet Juice Might Be a Better Option

When it comes to lowering blood pressure, combining ginger and beets may offer benefits. However, there’s little research on beet peels and ginger tea, specifically, for managing blood pressure.

“You might get benefits from one or the other, and combining them is unlikely to hurt, but we don’t have rigorous data showing mixing them adds more benefit than the sum of each alone,” Wright shared.

Woods explained that, in general, the lack of larger randomized trials on ginger and blood pressure means we can’t necessarily conclude how beneficial it might be. “Most studies were conducted using ginger supplements, not ginger tea,” she noted.

Similarly, most research on beets and blood pressure involves participants consuming more than just beet peels. “Most of the benefits are in the entire beetroot, and eating just the peel may not have an effect on blood pressure,” Woods said.

If you’re not interested in chowing down on an entire beet, even beet juice appears to be more beneficial than beet peel tea.

“For benefits from beets, studies showing blood-pressure reductions typically used somewhere between about 70 milliliters and 250 milliliters of beet juice daily,” Wright added.

Is It Safe to Drink Ginger Tea With Beets Everyday?

Beets are a wonderful addition to a healthy diet, but moderation is crucial, especially for people prone to kidney stones.

“Beets are high in oxalates, which may raise the risk of kidney stones in susceptible people,” Wright said.

She also noted that since beets may lower blood pressure, people taking blood pressure-lowering medications should be mindful of how much beet tea they consume.

And while a cup of ginger tea every day isn’t dangerous for most people, there are still some situations in which more isn’t always better. “In high doses, ginger may interact with blood pressure medications and blood thinners, increasing bleeding risk,” Woods said.