Hibiscus, tea: useful properties and contraindications

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Among the world's favorite hot drinks, hibiscus petal tea occupies one of the first places in popularity. This is not just a way to keep warm, but also an excellent tonic. As is often the case, hibiscus tea has not only an impressive list of useful properties, but also contraindications.

The second name is hibiscus

On sale you can find packages that do not mention hibiscus at all. Only the name "karkade" is indicated. This is quite justified. Sudanese rose, or rosella, is a low-growing shrub native to India. The petals, calyxes and subcups of its flowers are dried and used to make tea.

Today, many varieties of hibiscus are grown in many countries. However, it is from India that raw materials of the best quality are supplied. Hibiscus tea tastes good, pleases the eye with a bright scarlet hue, helps with depression and restores strength.

Sudanese rose can be grown at home. Beautiful flowering is the best reward for the owner. However, do not expect such buds to be as tasty as they are.brought from India. Growing conditions play a huge role. Abundance of sun, soil composition are crucial.

How to make a drink?

There are many different ways. Everyone chooses the one that is more to their taste. Some of the most popular methods for making hibiscus flower tea include:

1. Hot brewing. A teaspoon of dried flowers is poured into a glass of hot water (95 ° C). It is enough to insist 5 minutes. The method is good because it is suitable for use during any meal.
2. Cold brew. 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.
3. Decoction. Boil a tablespoon of hibiscus tea in 0.5 liters of water over low heat for 3 minutes. Serve immediately or strain and refrigerate.
4. Infusion. Two teaspoons of 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.
5. In 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.
6. Thai. In a coffee pot, 3 teaspoons of petals are poured into 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. Tasty additions: mint, honey, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lemon. There are several options for guests to choose from.

In the summer it is useful to keep a jug of chilled infusion in the refrigerator. The citric acid contained in the petals perfectly quenches thirst. Serve in glasses with ice. The drink prepared ahead of time is stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If there are no contraindications to taking, then it is permissible to drink up to 3 liters of tea per day.

Hibiscus is popularly known as an excellent alternative to cabbage pickle in the fight against a hangover. If a person suffers from high blood pressure, then it is permissible to drink no more than 3 glasses per day. The concentrated infusion is diluted with ordinary and mineral water.

Benefits of hibiscus tea

Eating hibiscus, a person receives a whole set of valuable trace elements. Among them:

• vitamins of groups PP, A, B, and C;
• phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium;
• flavonoids;
• organic acids;
• pectins;
• antioxidants.

The drink is part of many diets. This is not surprising, since 100 g of brewed tea contains:

• fat – 0g;
• carbs – 0.6g;
• protein - 0.3 g;
• calories - 5 kcal.

It is important to remember: you should not drink tea on an empty stomach. Better finish themmeal. This will help avoid excessive irritation of the stomach lining.

For what diseases can you drink hibiscus?

If a person is sick and is being treated, it is best to ask a doctor. The specialist will say for sure: it is possible or not to drink an infusion of hibiscus in a particular case. It is traditionally believed that the drink is useful for diseases:

1. Heart and vessels.
2. Gastrointestinal tract.
3. Cold, flu.
4. Allergy.
5. Insomnia.
6. S alt deposits.
7. Cholecystitis.
8. Low blood pressure.
9. Neurosis.
10. Constipation.
11. Helminthiases.

Fresh juicy petals - a well-known remedy for the treatment of wounds, tumors, hematomas. 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.

How to deal 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 sore throat, pharyngitis, rhinitis and other colds. The effect is not only in warming the nasopharynx and lungs. The healing effect is due to the rich set of vitamins and the antiseptic properties of the plant.

The beneficial properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea are undeniable, but they will appear even brighter in combination with other cold remedies. For example, you can brew hibiscus with raspberries, lemon, lime blossom, lingonberries. Hotthe drink goes well with honey, as well as with berries mashed with sugar. An excellent remedy for beriberi is an infusion of hibiscus with wild rose.

Who is contraindicated for hibiscus?

Doctors forbid drinking hibiscus tea to patients with inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. Gastritis, gastric ulcer, pyelonephritis - this is an incomplete list of contraindications. There is also the phenomenon of individual plant intolerance.

When a person is prone to allergic reactions, you should try the drink carefully. It is not recommended to drink acid-rich tea on an empty stomach. If the pressure is above the norm, then it is better to refuse to use it at all.

Endocrinologists believe that hibiscus is an excellent prophylactic in diabetes mellitus. The glycemic index of the drink is 0. You can sweeten a glass of infusion with a spoonful of fructose, then its calorie content will be only 38 kcal.

Useful properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea in relation to a particular person should be evaluated comprehensively. If there is no explicit prohibition for he alth reasons, then you can try. For example, replace your usual morning cup of coffee with a glass of hot or cold tea.

Diet with hibiscus

It is a mistake to believe that hibiscus can burn fat. This is not true. However, in dietary nutrition, a healing drink is often used. There are several reasons for this:

1. With its help, harmful substances are actively washed out of the body, restoring the natural fluid balance.
2. Sour teahelps to get rid of hunger, having a meager calorie content.
3. Karcade can be included in mono-diets, preventing deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body.

Nutritionists remind: after drinking, be sure to rinse your mouth, and even better brush your teeth. The high content of acids has a devastating effect on tooth enamel.

Can I drink hibiscus tea while pregnant?

Expectant mother needs to remember not only about her he alth, but also about the baby. Surprisingly, tastes are laid at a very early age. To understand whether the child likes the drink, you can by your own well-being. If mom has no contraindications to hibiscus, then it's worth a try. A sour drink, as many testimonies of young mothers confirm, helps to cope with the unpleasant consequences of toxicosis.

Meanwhile, you shouldn't get carried away. Pediatricians advise during pregnancy to limit yourself to 1-2 cups per day. After childbirth, you will have to refuse to use during breastfeeding. The reason for this is the certain harm of hibiscus tea. Due to its bright color and high acidity, the product is included in the list of possible allergens.

Can children drink this tea?

Pediatricians are of the opinion that babies under one year old should refrain from tasting the drink. This tender age is especially prone to allergic reactions. It's not worth the risk. But older children can be offered to try the sour infusion.

Parents should remember that preparing a drink forthe 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, keeping in mind the properties and contraindications of hibiscus tea. It is believed that at 7 years old, 1-2 cups a day is enough. It is better to drink clean water on an empty stomach, as the acids of hibiscus irritate the mucous membrane too much, provoking heartburn.

Hibiscus infusion for pancreatitis and liver disease

There is no categorical ban on use in diseases of the pancreas. But this does not apply to acute pancreatitis. At this time, an acidic drink can lead to a deterioration in the patient's condition. After the removal of the acute syndrome, after 2-3 weeks, they begin to take tea 1-2 times a day.

The benefit lies in the high concentration of vitamins and valuable trace elements in the plant itself 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.

With cholelithiasis, periods of exacerbation and remission are observed. If the patient experiences pain, takes medication, undergoes a course of physiotherapy, has recently undergone surgery, then it is necessary to refrain from using hibiscus. During the recovery period, the drink is prepared from dried hibiscus petals and crushed 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 honey1-2 times a day.