Spring is here, which means summer is just around the corner. If you live in a place with extreme weather like me, you know summer is as brutal as winter, so as I switch my wardrobe, I switch my diet. Summer, for me, is a synonym for refreshing drinks, smoothies, ice cream, shaved ice, iced tea, salads, fruits, and anything that helps me stay refreshed and survive a scorching hot day. Hibiscus has a lot of good properties for your health, delicious flavor, and beautiful intense color, which makes this drink good for you and appealing to the eyes.
For centuries, people have used hibiscus seeds, flowers, leaves, and stems in food and traditional medicine. Nowadays, you can find hibiscus-flavored jams, jellies, sauces, syrups, and teas worldwide. Hibiscus is especially popular in Western Africa, Central, South America, and the Caribbean. Also known as roselle or sorrel, it has been used to treat everything from high blood pressure to indigestion. Modern science also supports the idea that this time-tested remedy offers a variety of health benefits. However, Beth Czerwony, RD, cautions that we need more research to know precisely how hibiscus supplements can help treat certain conditions. Beth recommends drinking hibiscus tea rather than powder or extract. “Hibiscus tea, whether you buy it already prepared, use tea bags or steep it yourself from the dried plant, is the least expensive and most readily available.” The powders and extracts may differ in strength and concentration, so you may get a too strong dose.
Hibiscus helps keep the liver healthy, according to several studies. The extract protects the liver from various toxins, likely due to its potent antioxidant activity, and it’s even demonstrated some anti-cancer activity in laboratory tests of liver cells; in other clinical trials, drinking hibiscus tea has been shown to lower blood pressure in humans. However, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health points out that hibiscus and other herbal remedies only slightly lower blood pressure.
Several studies suggest that hibiscus tea may be associated with weight loss and protect against obesity. One study gave 36 overweight participants either hibiscus extract or a placebo. After 12 weeks, hibiscus extract reduced body weight, body fat, body mass index, and hip-to-waist ratio (10Trusted Source). An animal study had similar findings, reporting that giving obese mice hibiscus extract for 60 days led to a reduction in body weight (13Trusted Source). Current research is limited to studies using concentrated doses of hibiscus extract. More studies are needed to determine how hibiscus tea may influence weight loss in humans.
Test-tube studies have found impressive results regarding the potential effect of hibiscus extract on cancer cells. Like berries, hibiscus is high in polyphenols, which are compounds that have been shown to possess powerful anti-cancer properties (14Trusted Source).
This recipe is for a strong product like a hibiscus extract; it has a robust taste, so once it is cooled, feel free to adjust the drink to your liking, adding or subtracting the sugar or water content. It may seem like a good amount of sugar, but hibiscus tea is nicknamed “sour tea” for a reason (it has acids like citric acid), and adding sugar helps balance the flavor. If you can’t or don’t want to have sugar, you can always use monk fruit or any other sweetener of your choice. Hibiscus tea is high in antioxidants and does not contain caffeine. Some agua fresca de jamaica recipes call for cinnamon, some call for piloncillo, some use vanilla, you could even avoid the strawberries, and so on, but one of my favorite versions is this one because you can appreciate the hibiscus flavor with a pleasant fruity hint. When making this, you can avoid the strawberries or substitute them with raspberries, blueberries, or any other berry or fruit; but consider if the fruit you are using is a little more tart or sour. Strawberries are sweeter, so you may need a bit more sugar than stated here. Hibiscus tea is a much healthier drink alternative than soda and other sugary drinks.
This drink is excellent as it is, but this can always be turned into a refreshing adult drink by adding vodka or any liquor you prefer to make a beautiful and delicious tasting cocktail. I recommend a glass container to store this preparation because hibiscus can stain some plastics easily. This drink is easy to infuse by substituting regular sugar for infused sugar.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of dry hibiscus flower
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar
10 sliced strawberries/ 20 raspberries or blueberries
Method:
In a saucepan, put the water, strawberries, and flowers. Stir a few times to combine everything and get some humidity in the dry flowers.
Take it to the stove and bring it to a soft boil at medium heat.
Let boil for approx 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it steep for at least hrs, or you can do this overnight. You want to extract as much flavor as you possibly can. If doing overnight, cover it and put it in the fridge.
Add the sugar and dilute to fit your liking; you can always add or subtract sugar and water content.
Pour in a jar or covered container and store in the refrigerator. Glass container is recommended as the hibiscus may stain some plastics.
Serve over ice and a few slices of fresh strawberries to enhance the flavor.
Enjoy!
The author shall not be liable for any damage or injury alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided here. Neither is responsible for any allergic reaction or adverse reaction to any ingredient (including infusions). No legal, nutritional, or medical advice is intended with this information, and under no circumstances should any infused product be given to children without professional medical guidance.