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Hibiscus sabdariffa
Another delivery arrived from Santa, a term of endearment my husband Peter and I use for UPS. One of our not so elf-like friends placed a small box at the front door. It was what I anticipated, a box of goodies I ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs. This box contained four bags of herbs, two of these bags of herbs are hibiscus [whole dried flower and powdered], which is our featured herb of the month for July.
Hibiscus is one of many edible flowers that you can use to add interest and beauty to recipes. Hibiscus blossoms, also called Roselle, and known in Mexcio as Jamaica – pronounced “ha-MIKE-ah”, create one of the most beautiful and delicious floral infusions you can imagine.
As a beverage, hibiscus is great served warm or cold. Classic hibiscus tisane or infused drink is a wonderful way to help cool the body, and with the triple digit heat we have been experiencing this week in the high desert, a hibiscus drink is much appreciated. Here’s a bit of trivia, in North Africa, Hibiscus tea has long been known to act as a natural body refrigerant, and Pharaohs once drank this tea to refresh themselves in the desert heat.
Today I took advantage of the sun’s intense heat and making sun brewed hibiscus tisane.
Sun Brewed Hibiscus Tisane
This beverage contains 0% caffeine
4 tablespoons dried hibiscus flower petals or 8 whole hibiscus blossoms
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, optional
Sweeten with sweetener of choice [agave, stevia leaves], to taste
Place all ingredients, except sweetener, into a glass vessel and place outdoors in direct sunlight. Allow it to brew in the sun for 1-3 hours. Stir in sweetener of choice and serve.
The results yield a deep crimson color beverage. It has a pleasant fragrance and a tart cranberry-like flavor with a hint of citrus; it’s delicious.
Ways To Use Hibiscus
The petal blossoms are slightly acidic. Use fresh petals sparingly in salads or as garnish. The dried maroon petals are perfect for making tea infusions. Hibiscus combines well with mint.
Use the petals to infuse granitas, ice cream, and sorbets, or make popsicles! The powder form is great for making smoothies, dressings, and creams. Add color and flavor to all sorts of drinks and recipes using either the powder or dried flower petals.
Health Benefits
The red, pink, orange and yellow hues of the hibiscus flower signal its rich supply of carotenoids – like beta-carotene and lycopene, flavonoids, and phytonutrients that provide powerful antioxidants, namely vitamin C , all helping to maintain the body’s good health. Hibiscus also acts as a diruetic. Studies show it may also lower blood pressure, help reduce the oxidtion of LDL cholesterol [the cause of plaque build up arteries], and help maintain a healthy heart.
Herb of the Month Giveaway
Each month we feature an herb, highlight its benefits, showcase it in a raw vegan recipe, and offer a giveaway of an assortment of products featuring the herb of the month courtesy of our wonderful sponsor Mountain Rose Herbs.
At the end of this month July, a name will be drawn from the comment section of this post, and Mountain Rose Herbs will send an awesome assortment of products featuring Mint to the winning participant.
Thank you in advance for your participation and good luck!
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I’ll definitely be giving this brew a try, though I’ll have to wait a few months as it’s the middle of winter here in Melbourne and I don’t want to drink anything that will make me colder!
I recently stumbled upon hibiscus paired with lucuma in a raw chocolate bar – the tart petals brightened up the rich, sweet lucuma-infused chocolate beautifully.
Thanks for another thoughtful post!
Love Hibiscus tea. I have been drinking it since the 60s. Back in the days when U made all your own wonderful blends of herbal teas. I love the tangy taste and the red color. It is so refreshing and Yummy.
Happy Tea Time!
LunaDove
Oh, wow!! I just ordered some hisbiscus powder and whole leaf flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs. I can’t wait to receive my order and to try this refreshing sun-brewed tisane.
Wow! Thanks for a new idea to add to my sun brewed teas.
i usually make mine with some ginger too. :)
I want to try out this tea! I’ve never had “real” hibiscus tea! :)
I LOOOVE Mountain Rose Herbs, the only place I get my aromatherapy and body oils! Thanks for the giveaway! :)
Have a nice weekend!
Oh! That tea looks so beautiful. I love hibiscus, they are just lovely. But I have never tried eating them… it would be interesting to try.
Love Mountain Rose Herbs, they have the nicest oatstraw ever!
Awesome! I just noticed dried hibiscus blossoms at my local Trader Joe’s and I wanted to try them in something. Now I have a recipe! Thanks!
LOVE Hibiscus!! So refreshing in the summer. Please add me to the giveaway.
That looks so interesting! The only “flower” I have cooked with before is lavendar, which I baked into an awesome creme brulee.
Such a beautiful looking drink, I bet this would be fantastic chilled! Great post, thanks :)
I’ve been seeing more an more posts on hibiscus flowers, the “sun tea” is a great idea – I can easily to that to learn what the flavor is.
Oh. My. Howwwww beautiful.
Cool, I can use this recipe as a starter for my water kefir grains
I didn’t know hibiscus was available in powdered form! I also didn’t know low long it takes to sun-brew. Great post, thanks.
I loved this when I was down in the states, trickier to find it in Canada though.
I am looking to brew up a drink much like yours but need some help…I just ordered the hibiscus powder from you guys and don’t really know the best way to brew it…do I just throw it in hot water…is it too fine for a disfuser? I want to mix the hibiscus with cranberry and Polm to make a killer energy drink…I will brew this put over ice then add a packet of emergen-c and some Tri-vita flex…old folks JOLT cola. Anything you can think of that will help make the hibiscus work would be appreciated.
Thanx Lou Berthelson aka Coach B
I am a big tea drinker so this post really was delightful!
andra :)
Hibiscus tisane is a very refreshing summer drink. I use the dried petals to make an infusion, add fresh lemon juice- sweeten with a little agave and serve over ice. It’s a little bit of summer heaven!
I never thought of making my own hibiscus tea! I’ll have to try some :)
The gorgeous green smoothie looks amazing! So curious what you put in it – I make green smoothies and from the color of yours, it looks like swiss chard and mango:) And then the hibiscus tisane…great idea!!! Also very interesting to know that it has a cooling effect. Perfect for Southern California where it is quite hot…Thanks for your beautiful newsletter!
I know it as Jamaica and it is said that it is good for your heart and cholesterol.
The first time I had Hibiscus was 8 years ago/ A Mexican friend made the iced drink for me. I fell in love with the drink. I bought packages of the petals in Mexican markets in NY. A spritz of selter makes a bubbly refreshing drink. The only thing you have to be aware of.. It can stain big time. so do not spill it! ;)
I love hibiscus tea, especially with mint and lime. It would be nice to make a jug of sun brewed tea, but it has been raining all summer. Good thing you can enjoy it anytime…
I love hibiscus tea and we make frozen treats out of them as well… thanks for more info
I enjoy read thie newsletter!
Hibiscus adds such a great color to drinks and flavor too. Add its health benefits and you just about have perfection!
Could you feature rose hips?
This looks delightfully refreshing! I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the suggestion.
i cant wait to order some hibiscus flower petals and make my own tea infusions with ice and also water infusions with all kinds of edible flowers from my garden. thank you so much for the inspiration. ciao…….cindy
Great post! Thanks so much for sharing. When I lived in Mexico, Hibiscus tea was frequently served and used as an effective diuretic. Great information!
[...] Sun Brewed Hibiscus Tisane at Raw [...]
This looks beautiful and refreshing. I wouldn’t mind trying it.
Hibiscus tea is one of my favorites! There was a small health food store on the side of the highway where I used to live that always made such great hibiscus tea that they served when you were in there.
Ooh yum! Is the sun-brewing an important step or can it be refrigerated?
Hi Karena – sun-brewing is one way to make it. You can also steep it at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
[...] Hibiscus :: Herb of the Month + Sun Brewed Hibiscus Tisane [...]
I’d like to announce that Valerie of Marathon Val as our winner of July’s Herb of the Month giveaway ~ Congratulations!!!
Valerie’s comment and response to the Hibiscus post:
“That looks so interesting! The only “flower” I have cooked with before is lavendar, which I baked into an awesome creme brulee.”
Our sponsor Mountain Rose Herbs is sending Valerie a fun package of organic hibiscus products. We hope you enjoy these products.
I would also like to thank each of you for your participation.
August herb of the month will be announced soon.
The hibiscus flower pictured in your article isn’t roselle, (hibiscus sabdariffa), which is generally the flavorant used in rose-hip or other herb teas and served as “Karkade” or “Jamaica”, the beverage. It’s a flower from the ornamental shrub type hibiscus known as hibiscus rosa-sinensis.
Kindest regards,
Cyra
Thanks for all the great info on Hibiscus Tea, I have 5 Hibiscus plants in my yard. Can I use the flowers from my (white and pink) plants to make tea? Can I use the flowers after they have bloomed and are ready to fall to the ground or must I pick the flower at it’s bloomed stage? Every site I visit shows a red dried flower. I also read that the green leaves can be used to brew tea for your nerves, any thoughts on that?
Oh this is so fabulous. I am writing my thesis on raw food athletes and this tea would be a great addition for ahtletes who need to cool down after training outdoors.
Thank you so much for the great info. Question: how easily dies hibiscus grow in Ontario climates?
Sarah xoxo
Love this article on my favorite herb. I must be honest I was never aware it could be ordered in powder form. Thanks for posting such interesting information. It is appreciated.
Received my first newsletter. Thanks it is the greatest!
This article is great to see. We have a product made from hibiscus called Hibisca. If you want the same great taste stop by our site http://www.tryhibisca.com.
I’ve tried the Jamaica drink and love it. Thank you for this raw healthy version
I have a variety of them at home but i never knew of their medicianl effect…but i’m not sure if those at home are good for making tea. I will try anyway and i hope they are not poisonnous
Dear Rachie