How To Use Hibiscus Tea

[alyeva]

Tea Hibiscus is a herbal shrub plant that comes from tropical AFRICA and is grown in many countries all over the world, including Malaysia. It belongs to the Malvacaea family. In Europe it is known as “roselle”, in Latin America “jamaica”, in the Middle East “karkady”, “bissap” in West Africa and “red sorrel” in the Caribbean.

Besides The Useful Effects On Health Hibiscus;

Sabdariffa calyces are used in commercial productions of jam, jelly and sauces as well, but also as an elegant, exclusive supplement to champagne.

The Hibiscus Tea Plant;

Has a great ornamental value due to its interesting foliage. Hibiscus Sabdariffa is a short-day plant which gets its first naturally appearing flowers, when the night is longer than the day during the autumn and winter months. These flowers are the basic for the great and special fruits. The beautiful red calyces (fruits) are picked when they are still soft, before they dry out and drop their seeds for the next generation.



Hibiscus Sabdariffa likes water, light and sun, and prefers a place with the option of both sun and shade. It can stand drying out, so even if it hangs a bit, it can often times freshen up again after some water.

It likes to grow, and is for that reason ideal for re-potting to a bigger pot a long the way.
Hibiscus sabdariffa, or sour tea, is a genus of the Malvaceae family. In Iran, it is typically known as sour tea. In English-speaking countries it is called Red Sorrel. Originally from Angola, it is now cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions, especially from Sudan, Egypt, Thailand, Mexico and China.

The calyces of Hibiscus Sabdariffa; are prolific in many modern commercial blends of cold and hot drinks due to its pleasing taste, as well as having decorative, culinary and medicinal uses. In Egypt and the Sudan, it is used as a beverage that helps to lower the body temperature, to treat cardiac conditions, and as a diuretic.

In African; folk medicine it has been used for its spasmolytic, antibacterial, cholagogic, diuretic and anthelmintic properties. Other uses in North Africa include cough and sore throat, while the leaf pulp is made into a topical application for external wounds and abscesses.

In Europe; the dried calyces (the cup-like structures that are formed by the sepals) are used mostly as a tea. Hibiscus is commonly used in combination with lemon balm and St John’s wort for restlessness and poor sleep onset. Historically, folk medicine has used H. sabdariffa for the treatment of high blood pressure, liver diseases and fevers.

For More: https://www.plantshospital.com/hibiscus-tea/

[thanrose]

Remains to be seen if this is going to be forum participant or just promoting a website. Moderator, feel free to delete my comments if you determine alyeva is the latter.

Hibiscus sabdariffa is probably not going to grow for many of us. Maybe hardy to USDA Zone 8? And it is not all that interesting as a hibiscus if you already grow Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Maybe as ornamental as okra, only shorter and not thorny. The red calyces below the spent bloom are pretty enough.

If you've ever had Red Zinger tea, its color and most of the flavor is due to H. sabdariffa. If you are a serious cranberry fan, this doesn't really have that taste. It is red and sour though.

My personal experience is with it as an iced tea with stevia. I brew as normal tea, steeping a palmful of the calyces in a pint of freshly boiled water, or a teabag of red or lemon zinger in a cup of hot water. Steep maybe five minutes. Sweeten, cool, and ice.
It is very refreshing, more so than lemonade or beer or coconut water, all of which people use when they are hot and sweaty.

I buy it in an ethnic market, but I suppose you could get it online. Just pick the twigs and gravel out of it for a better experience. As my grandmother said, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."