The hibiscus flower is a beautiful sight -- large and brightly colored. But you can appreciate hibiscus for more than its beauty. Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces are used for tea that goes by a variety of names: roselle, flor de Jamaica, karkade, bissap, zuring, wonjo, red sorrel, lo-shen, oseille rouge, vinagreira, azeda de Guine, Sudan tea, Queensland jelly plant, lemon bush and Florida cranberry. Regardless of the name, the deep red tea made with this tropical and subtropical plant is enjoyed the world over.
Methods of Tea Preparation
Hibiscus tea is usually made by boiling fresh or dried Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces in water. Calyces are the red, leaf-like plant parts that grow around the base of the flowers and protect them. In the Sudan, the calyces are not boiled but soaked in water for a few days. The strained liquid is then sweetened and drunk. The tea is drunk hot or cold, sweetened with sugar or honey, flavored, spiked with rum or made into wine. Hibiscus tea is available commercially packaged in bulk containers of loose, dried calyces or in ready-to-brew teabags.
Beneficial Ingredients
Hibiscus tea contains many compounds that have the potential to promote good health. The calyces contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C and the flavonoids gossipetin and hibiscin. The tea has phytosterols, which lower cholesterol, and tannins, which have antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties.
Hibiscus acid is a starch blocker: It inhibits the activity of the enzyme alpha-amylase, which breaks dietary starch into sugars the body can absorb. Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan found in a study published in 2001 in the journal "Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry" that hibiscus acid had a weak but definite ability to block starch digestion. Talk to your doctor before trying hibiscus tea as a starch blocker or herbal remedy, and follow his advice.
Research Into Medical Benefits
Hibiscus tea's role as a folk medicine for high-blood pressure has been substantiated by scientific research. In a 2009 study published in the "Journal of Nutrition," Tuft University researchers looked at the effectiveness of hibiscus tea in treating people with mild hypertension. The researchers found that hibiscus tea significantly lowered systolic blood pressure. The tea also significantly lowered mean arterial pressure.
The flavonoids in hibiscus have significant antioxidant properties. Researchers at Chung Shan Medical University in China studied the antioxidant capabilities of hibiscus. Their study was published in "Food and Chemical Toxicology" in 2006. The researchers found that hibiscus anthocyanins blocked the oxidizing action of low-density lipoprotein.
Malic acid, which is probably responsible for hibiscus tea's somewhat sour taste, has been studied as a possible treatment for fibromyalgia symptoms. A 1995 study published in the "Journal of Rheumatology" found that a malic-acid supplement safely reduced pain and tenderness in those with fibromyalgia.
Safety of Hibiscus Tea
Parts of hibiscus sabdariffa have been used for thousands of years by cultures worldwide for food, medicine and beverages. The plant has been served raw in salads, cooked and eaten as greens and made into pie fillings, jelly and syrup. The seeds are even ground into meal and brewed as a coffee substitute. There have been few reports of adverse effects from hibiscus tea made from hibiscus sabdariffa.
References
- Purdue University Horticulture & Landscape Architecture: Roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa L.; Morton, J.; 1987
- Journal of Nutrition: Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults; McKay DL; 2009
- Food and Chemical Toxicology: Hibiscus anthocyanins-rich extract inhibited LDL oxidation and oxLDL-mediated macrophages apoptosis; Chang YC; 2006
- Journal of Rheumatology: Treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome with Super Malic: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover pilot study; Russell IJ; 1995
- Hibiscus.org: HIBISCUS: To Eat or Not to Eat?; Colleen Keena
- Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry: Hibiscus Acid as an Inhibitor of Starch Digestion in the Caco-2 Cell Model System; Chanida HANSAWASDI; 2001
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