Among the world's favorite hot drinks, tea from hibiscus petals is one of the first places in popularity. This is not just a way to keep warm, but also an excellent tonic. As often happens, hibiscus tea has not only an impressive list of useful properties, but also contraindications.
Second name - Hibiscus
On sale you can find packaging on which there is no mention of hibiscus at all. Only the name Hibiscus is indicated. It is quite justified. Sudanese rose, or rosella, is a stunted shrub native to India. Petals, cups and subtleties of its flowers are dried and used for brewing tea.
Today in many countries all kinds of hibiscus are grown. However, it is from India that the raw materials of the best quality are supplied. Hibiscus tea tastes good, pleases the eye with a bright scarlet shade, helps against depression and restores strength.
Sudanese rose can be grown at home. Beautiful flowering is the best reward to the owner. However, one should not expect that such buds will be as tasty as those brought from India. Growing conditions play a huge role. The abundance of the sun, the composition of the soil are crucial.
How to make a drink?
There are many different ways. Everyone chooses one that is more to their taste. Among the most popular methods for making tea from a hibiscus flower are:
- Hot brewing. A teaspoon of dried flowers is poured into a glass of hot water (95 ° C). Insist 5 minutes is enough. The method is good because it is suitable for use during any meal.
- Cold brewing. A tablespoon of petals is poured into 0.5 liters of water at room temperature. The container is covered with a lid. The drink is infused for 8 hours. When used, honey is added to the mug to taste.
- Decoction. Boil a tablespoon of hibiscus tea in 0.5 l of water over low heat for 3 minutes. You can serve immediately or strain and put in the refrigerator.
- Infusion. Two teaspoons of the petals are poured into 0.5 liters of hot (but not boiling) water and placed in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. The resulting drink is very similar to cherry juice in taste and contains a maximum of healing substances.
- Egyptian. A tablespoon of hibiscus tea (hibiscus) is placed in a glass of cold water and left for 2 hours. Then the infusion is boiled for 5 minutes. You can drink the drink cold or hot.
- In Thai. In a coffee Turk, 3 teaspoons of petals are poured with a glass of hot water. After boiling, throw a clove bud, a drop of cinnamon or a pinch of cardamom. After 3 minutes, the drink is ready.
How to drink hibiscus tea?
Hot infusion is an excellent cold remedy. Those who suffer from low blood pressure can drink it regularly. Delicious additives: mint, honey, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lemon. Guests can be offered several options to choose from.
In the summer, it is useful to keep a jug with chilled infusion in the refrigerator. Citric acid contained in the petals perfectly quenches thirst. Serve on the table in glasses with ice. Prepared in advance, the drink is stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If there are no contraindications, then up to 3 liters of tea is permissible per day.
Hibiscus is popularly known as an excellent alternative to cabbage pickle in the fight against hangover. If a person suffers from high blood pressure, then it is permissible to drink no more than 3 glasses a day. The concentrated infusion is diluted with plain and mineral water.
Health benefits of hibiscus tea
Eating hibiscus, a person receives a whole set of valuable trace elements. Among them:
- vitamins of the PP, A, B, and C groups;
- phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium;
- flavonoids;
- organic acids;
- pectins;
- antioxidants.
The drink is part of many diets. This is not surprising, because 100 g of prepared tea contains:
- fat - 0 g;
- carbohydrates - 0.6 g;
- protein - 0.3 g;
- calories - 5 kcal.
It is important to remember that drinking fasting tea is not worth it. It’s better to finish their meal. This will help to avoid excessive irritation of the gastric mucosa.
What diseases can I drink hibiscus?
If a person is sick and undergoing treatment, then it is best to ask a doctor. The specialist will say for sure: it is possible or not to drink the infusion of hibiscus in a particular case. It is traditionally believed that the drink is useful for diseases:
- Heart and blood vessels.
- Gastrointestinal tract.
- Colds, flu.
- Allergy.
- Insomnia.
- Salt deposits.
- Cholecystitis.
- Low pressure.
- Neurosis.
- Constipation
- Helminthiasis.
Fresh, juicy petals are a well-known treatment for wounds, tumors, and bruises. This is due to the bactericidal, regenerating properties of the plant. A concentrated infusion of dried flowers is used in the treatment of skin diseases, inflammations.
What to do with a cold?
During an influenza epidemic, hot drinks have a beneficial effect on the patient's condition. Hibiscus tea has the same effect in tonsillitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, and other colds. The effect is not only in the warming of the nasopharynx and lungs. The healing effect is due to a rich set of vitamins and antiseptic properties of the plant.
The beneficial properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea are undeniable, but they are even more pronounced in combination with other cold remedies. For example, you can brew hibiscus with raspberries, lemon, lime, lingonberries. A hot drink goes well with honey, as well as with berries, mashed with sugar. An excellent remedy for vitamin deficiency is the infusion of hibiscus with rose hips.
Who is contraindicated for hibiscus?
Doctors forbid patients with inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract to drink hibiscus tea. Gastritis, gastric ulcer, pyelonephritis - this is an incomplete list of contraindications. There is also the phenomenon of individual intolerance to the plant.
When a person is prone to allergic reactions, try the drink carefully. Drinking acid-rich tea on an empty stomach is not recommended. If the pressure is above normal, then it is better to completely abandon the use.
Endocrinologists believe that with diabetes, hibiscus is an excellent prophylactic. The glycemic index of the drink is 0. You can sweeten a glass of infusion with a spoon of fructose, then its calorie content will be only 38 kcal.
The beneficial properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea in relation to a particular person should be evaluated comprehensively. If there is no explicit ban for health reasons, then you can try. For example, replace the usual morning cup of coffee with a glass of hot or iced tea.
Hibiscus diet
It is a mistake to believe that hibiscus can burn fat. This is not true. However, in a diet, a healing drink is often used. There are several reasons for this:
- With its help, harmful substances are actively washed out of the body, restoring the natural balance of the liquid.
- Sour tea helps get rid of hunger, having a meager calorie content.
- Hibiscus can be included in the mono-diet, preventing a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body.
Nutritionists remind: after drinking the drink, you must necessarily rinse your mouth, and even better to brush your teeth. High acid content has a devastating effect on tooth enamel.
Can I drink tea from Hibiscus during pregnancy?
Expectant mother needs to remember not only about her health, but also about the baby. Surprisingly, tastes are laid at a very young age. To understand whether a child likes a drink, you can feel good. If mom has no contraindications for hibiscus, then it’s worth a try. Sour drink, as confirmed by many evidence of young mothers, helps to cope with the unpleasant consequences of toxicosis.
Meanwhile, do not get carried away. Pediatricians advise during pregnancy to limit 1-2 cups per day. After childbirth during breastfeeding, you will have to refuse to use. The reason for this is a certain harm to hibiscus tea. Due to its bright color and high acidity, the product is assigned to the list of possible allergens.
Is it possible to drink such tea for children?
Pediatricians are of the opinion that babies up to a year should refrain from tasting a drink. This tender age is especially prone to allergic reactions. It’s not worth the risk. But older children can be offered to try sour infusion.
Parents should remember that preparing a drink for a child is not the same as for adults. The usual concentration (1 teaspoon of petals per glass of water) is halved. Over time, the strength of the infusion can be gradually increased, remembering the properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea. It is believed that at 7 years old, 1-2 cups a day is enough. On an empty stomach, it is better to drink pure water, since Hibiscus acid irritates the mucous membrane too much, provoking heartburn.
Hibiscus infusion for pancreatitis and liver diseases
There is no definitive ban on use in diseases of the pancreas. But this does not apply to acute pancreatitis. At this time, an acidic drink may worsen the condition of the patient. After removing the acute syndrome, after 2-3 weeks, begin to take tea 1-2 times a day.
The benefit is a high concentration of vitamins and valuable trace elements in the plant and drinks from it. In addition, the infusion helps with diarrhea and vomiting, as it has a pronounced astringent effect. Doctors recommend drinking only freshly brewed tea, and even better diluted with pure or mineral water.
In gallstone disease, periods of exacerbation and remission are observed. If the patient experiences pain, takes medication, undergoes a course of physiotherapy, recently underwent surgery, then it is necessary to refrain from using hibiscus. During the recovery period, the drink is prepared from dried hibiscus petals and chopped mint leaves (in a 1: 1 ratio). A teaspoon of the mixture is brewed with a glass of hot water. You can drink with a drop of honey 1-2 times a day.