Please wait while we load your article...

Home > Hibiscus Tea

Learn more about "Hibiscus Tea"

Hibiscus tea

Hibiscus tea is the infusion made from the calyces (sepals) of the ''Roselle (plant)|Hibiscus sabdariffa'' flower, a herbal tea drink consumed both hot and cold by people around the world. It is also referred to as '''roselle''' (another common name for the hibiscus flower), '''flor de Jamaica''' in Latin America, '''karkady''' in the Middle East, '''bissap''' in West Africa, '''sorrel''' in Jamaica, and '''red sorrel''' in the wider Caribbean, and other names in other regions. Hibiscus tea has a tart, cranberry-like flavor, and sugar is often added to sweeten the beverage. The tea contains vitamin C and dietary mineral|minerals and is used traditionally as a mild medicine. Hibiscus tea contains 15-30% organic acids, including citric acid, maleic acid, and tartaric acid. It also contains acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanidin and delphinidin, that give it its characteristic deep red colour.

In Latin America and the United States

"Agua de Flor de Jamaica" (Anglicisation|Anglicized as ), also called ''agua de Jamaica'' and ''rosa de jamaica'', is popular in Jamaica, Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America and the Caribbean. It is one of several common ''aguas frescas'', which are inexpensive beverages typically made from fresh juices or extracts. Agua de Flor de Jamaica is usually prepared by steeping the calyces, along with ginger (in Jamaica), in boiling water, straining the mixture, pressing the calyces (to squeeze all the juice out), adding sugar, and sometimes a little rum (in Jamaica), and stirring. It is served chilled. In Panama both the flowers and the drink are called ''saril'' (A derivative of the Jamaican word '''sorrel'''.). It is prepared by picking and boiling the calyces with chopped ginger, sugar, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is traditionally drunk around Christmas and Chinese New Year, diverging from Mexico and Central America and much more in line with the Caribbean, due to the strong West Indian influence in Panamanian culture specially in Panama City and most of Panama's Atlantic coast. Dried hibiscus calyces, often labeled Flor de Jamaica, have long been available in health food stores in the United States for making this tea, especially in California and other areas influenced by Mexican customs. Flor de Jamaica has a reputation for being a mild natural diuretic.

In the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean

Karkady ( and also spelled ''karkade''; )is served hot or chilled with ice. When cold it is commonly referred to as ''einab''. It is very popular in some parts of the Middle East, and especially in North Africa. This drink is said to have been consumed in ancient Egypt - a preferred drink of pharaohs. In Egypt and Sudan, wedding celebrations are traditionally toasted with a glass of hibiscus tea. On a typical street in downtown Cairo, one can find many vendors and open-air cafés selling the drink to both the local crowd and curious tourists. In Egypt, ''karkade'' is used as a means to lower blood pressure if consumed in high amounts. In Africa, especially the Sahel, hibiscus tea is commonly sold on the street and the dried flowers can be found in every market. Variations on the drink are popular in West Africa and parts of Central Africa. In Senegal, ''bissap'' is known as the "national drink of Senegal". Similar beverages include ''wanjo'' in The Gambia, ''dabileni'' in Mali, and ''zobo'' or ''tsobo'' in northern Nigeria.Recipe at ''Congocookbook.com'' Retrieved on 05-23-07. Hibiscus tea is especially popular in Sudan, where more of it is drunk than true tea, and where it is often prepared by soaking the calyces in cold water for a few days and then straining the result. Hibiscus tea is often flavored with mint or ginger in West Africa. In the Caribbean the drink, called sorrel, is made from the fresh fruit, and it is considered an integral part of Christmas celebrations. The Caribbean Development Company, a Trinidad and Tobago brewery, produces a ''Sorrel Shandy'' in which the tea is combined with beer.

In Asia

In Thailand, roselle is drunk as a tea, believed to also reduce cholesterol. It can also be made into a wine, especially if combined with Chinese tea leaves, in the ratio of 1:4 by weight (1/5 Chinese tea). It is also drunk cold and sugared. Roselle is popular in Malaysia too. In China candied flower petals are occasionally available.

Medical studies

A study published in the ''Journal of Human Hypertension'' has shown that drinking hibiscus tea can reduce high blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes. The study results showed the average systolic blood pressure for those drinking hibiscus tea decreased from at the beginning of the study to at the end of the study, one month later. A study of 65 subjects published in 2009 found that 3 cups of hibiscus tea daily for 6 weeks reduced systolic blood pressure by 7 mm Hg in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive participants. In those with mean systolic blood pressure over 129 mm Hg, the reduction was nearly 14 mm Hg. The study's lead author has noted that hibiscus flowers contain anthocyanins, which are believed to be the active antihypertensive compounds, acting as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. A study published in 2007 compared Hibiscus sabdariffa L. to the drug the drug lisinopril on people with hypertension. Hibiscus "decreased blood pressure (BP) from 146.48/97.77 to 129.89/85.96 mmHg, reaching an absolute reduction of 17.14/11.97 mmHg (11.58/12.21%, p < 0.05)." Blood pressure "reductions and therapeutic effectiveness were lower than those obtained with lisinopril (p < 0.05)." The authors concluded that hibiscus "exerted important antihypertensive effectiveness with a wide margin of tolerability and safety, while it also significantly reduced plasma ACE activity and demonstrated a tendency to reduce serum sodium (Na) concentrations without modifying potassium (K) levels." They attributed the blood pressure reducing effect of hibiscus to its diuretic effect and its ability to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme through the presence of anthocyanins. A 2004 study compared the effectiveness of hibiscus to the ACE-inhibiting drug captopril. The authors found that the "obtained data confirm that the H. sabdariffa extract, standardized on 9.6mg of total anthocyanins, and captopril 50 mg/day, did not show significant differences relative to hypotensive effect, antihypertensive effectiveness, and tolerability."

References

External links

- Information about Roselle by J. Morton (1987), part of the New Crop Resource Online Program at Purdue University
- Informacion sobre la Flor de Jamaica by Huisman/ Rodriguez (2004), vinculo a un sitio con informacion sobre la Flor de Jamaica en Colombia Category:Aguas frescas Category:Herbal tea Category:Mexican cuisine Category:Mexican beverages Category:Diabetes Category:Hypertension

Related Images

- Dried hibiscus calyces.

Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL

Welcome to Start Learning Now. Explore to your heart's content, and we hope you enjoy reading the material we have assembled for you here!

Related News

Further Resources


	home lucky pick

Related Resources