Over the years, many of us have developed a taste for the tarty touch of hibiscus in our tea and of course, it comes with benefits beyond the flavour. Hibiscus tea is made by steeping parts (dried calyces and the flower) of the hibiscus plant aka Hibiscus sabdariffa. It’s a part called calyx that protects and supports the flower. It makes a great drink in both, hot and cold forms as its flavour is similar to that of cranberries.Â
Categorized as an herbal tea, Hibiscus is highly beneficial for health. It’s naturally calorie and caffeine-free. It is linked to improved blood pressure results, aiding weight loss, and so on. Hence, much like green tea, Hibiscus tea sales are also rising with time.
How To Make Hibiscus Tea?
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The best part is that, other than your morning tea, you can make so many drinks using the hibiscus plant such as red sorrel, agua de Jamaica, Lo-Shen, Sudan tea, and Karkade. As you brew the fresh flower or the hibiscus tea powder, it releases a ruby red colour that instantly makes you feel pleasant and joyful, at least that’s what it does for me.
To prepare the tea, you need the tea in powder form (you can also use fresh or dried hibiscus flowers,) honey, lime juice, and water. Boil the water and add a teaspoon of tea to it. Let it brew until the powder is fully dissolved in the warm water. If you’re using flowers, dried or fresh, give it 15-20 minutes to boil. Add lime juice and honey as per your taste. Strain the tea. You can consume it immediately as a hot beverage or store it in the refrigerator and drink it later as a summer-soother.
You can try our hibiscus blends for additional benefits — Green Tea with Shatavari and Ashwagandha, Green Tea with Moringa Leaves, Tulsi Green Tea with Ashwagandha, Green Tea Slimming Weight Loss Evening Tea and Colon Cleansing Bowel Detox Tea.
Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea For Hair
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This ruby-red drink is so much more than a regular tea. You can boil the hibiscus leaves and flowers to use the extract in your oil, shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask to reap the most benefits. It can benefit the health of your hair in many ways. We have listed a few benefits of hibiscus tea for your hair.
Hair Growth
The naturally occurring amino acids in hibiscus tea provide hair with the nutrients it needs to promote hair growth. It helps the body build keratin which is the protein your need in order to stay healthy and grow, so if you’ve been worried about the volume and lustre of your hair, hibiscus tea is good for you.
â—ŹÂ Â Â Â Â Hair Conditioning
The high amount of mucilage present in hibiscus flower and leaves act as a natural conditioner. It can restore the nourishment that is usually stripped away while shampooing.
Cures Baldness
Hibiscus extract can treat baldness without any side effects, unlike the medicines used to treat baldness.
Kills Dandruff and Itchiness
Hibiscus also controls the oil secretion from the glands and maintains pH balance. This helps in treating itchiness and dandruff.
Prevents Greying of Hair
Traditionally, hibiscus extract was used as a natural dye but it also contains vitamins and antioxidants that produce melanin, a pigment that gives back the hair its natural colour.
Hibiscus Tea Benefits For Skin
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Hibiscus is one of the most powerful beauty ingredients we have today. You can add the hibiscus extract to your natural products or just buy the products that use hibiscus as an ingredient. This red powder works like magic dust for your skin in so many ways.
Powerful Anti-Ageing Ingredient
It acts as an anti-ageing agent by nourishing the skin elastin, all thanks to the antioxidants.
Cures Pigmentation
Citic and malic acid present in the flower cure pigmentation by evening out the skin tone.
Damage-proofs Skin
The antioxidants not only heal but also prevent the skin from pollution, weather, and harmful rays. Basically, they damage-proof it.
Purifies Skin
Hibiscus increases cell turnover that helps in getting rid of dead skin cells and allows the clearer and more nourished skin to appear.
Moisturises with Love
The high mucilage content in the flower provides moisture to the skin making it look gentle, hydrated, and soft.
Health Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea
Traditionally, hibiscus tea is used in African countries to decrease body temperature, soothe a sore throat, and treat heart diseases. In Iran, it is used to lower blood pressure. Hibiscus tea is great for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol but not just that, it can be much more beneficial to your health than you realise.  Â
- It lowers blood pressure for people with high BP.
- If you consume it twice a day for a month, it will start showing good results by lowering bad cholesterol in your body.
- It also helps in managing weight and is a healthy alternative drink for people who are trying to lose weight.
- It has a tarty taste and is naturally calorie and caffeine-free which is good for your overall health.
- It helps in the production of protein and is good for liver health.
- It may also help in preventing cancer as it is high in polyphenols.
- As it is rich in antioxidants, antidepressants and has antibacterial properties, it helps the body in its fight against harmful bacteria.
FAQs
What are the side effects of drinking hibiscus tea?
Hibiscus tea has some uncommon side effects. You may experience upset stomach or stomach ache temporarily, gas, nausea, constipation, pain during urination, ringing in the ears, shakiness, or headache.Â
Can I drink hibiscus tea every day?
A study published in 2010 in the Journal of Nutrition stated that drinking hibiscus tea regularly can lower the blood pressure for people with high blood pressure.
Is Hibiscus good for kidneys?
Hibiscus along with controlling blood pressure improves cardiovascular health and is a good friend of the entire urinary tract, so, yes, it is good for kidneys.
Does hibiscus tea make you sleepy?
The tarty drink contains melatonin and promotes a good, soothing sleep cycle. During a six week study, researchers found that three cups of hibiscus tea daily lowered systolic blood pressure without any side effects.
