What Benefits Does hibiscus tea have?
Hibiscus tea is a delicious herbal drink that you can enjoy hot or cold. You can make your tea with only hibiscus flowers or combined with other herbs and spices. I definitely prefer it as a blend of several herbs because it’s very tart by itself. What is hibiscus tea good for? Here are some examples of how you can benefit from it:
- It will cool you on a hot summer day.
- Drink it to replace red wine and lose weight.
- It can stimulate your digestion.
- Need to reduce blood pressure? Drink it daily and in big amounts.
- It will also reduce your triglycerides and improve heart health.
Hibiscus tea as a red wine substitute
As a weight loss nutritionist, I often hear from my clients that they would like to drink less wine. Not only does wine add unnecessary calories, but it also inhibits your self-control and often stimulates appetite. As a result, you might notice a weight increase after a night out or a weekend of social drinking and eating.
Drinking water with dinner every night is just not that exciting, would you agree? So I came up with this drink as a beautiful and tasty replacement for red wine. My favorite thing about this tea is its deep burgundy color. It looks just like red wine!
If you serve hibiscus tea in a wine glass, no one can tell you are drinking something other than wine. You get to partially enjoy the wine-drinking experience without getting extra calories and the side effects of consuming alcohol.
Eating and drinking are not just about taste and smell. The experience includes texture, temperature, and visual aspects. Sometimes there is an auditory component as well, as the sizzling of bacon. Did you know that Coke is developing a can that makes a louder sound when you open it? Yes, they are doing it to enhance your experience!
So by keeping the visual component of the wine drinking, we are making it easier for ourselves to substitute the wine with a non-alcoholic beverage.
Health benefits of recipe ingredients
Hibiscus is well known for its ability to support heart health. Studies show it can reduce blood pressure and improve triglycerides when taken over a long period. It’s tart by taste and has moistening qualities, which are terrific during the hot summer or dry winter months. It contains Vitamin C, β-carotene, calcium, and iron.
Ginger can be added or omitted from the recipe. Here is why you might choose to keep it. Ginger is spicy and stimulating, and it’s perfect for people who tend to have cold hands and feet. It also does wonders for improving digestion. For example, ginger is excellent for reducing bloating and gas or if you are feeling heavy after meals. It’s also famous for reducing all kinds of nausea.
Orange peel is in the recipe mostly for its delicious flavor. Typically, I dry or dehydrate organic orange peels from oranges that my family eats in the winter. You can also buy them dried if you don’t want to bother slicing and drying orange skins. I have added a link to the ingredient list for your convenience. Orange peels have a slightly bitter taste and are excellent for stimulating digestion. They are a superb source of flavonoids and, of course, vitamin C.
Here is the hibiscus ginger tea recipe I perfected over several months. The drink is very flavorful, however, feel free to add or omit ingredients to fit your taste preference.
Hibiscus tea
Ingredients:
1-inch fresh ginger root, chopped
1 packet of Stevia, this is my favorite blend of Stevia and erythritol
2 Tbsp Hibiscus flowers
1 TBsp Orange peel
6 cloves, optional
1 quart of boiling water
Directions:
- Boil about a quart or a liter of water.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a 1 quart Bodum French press. You can use whatever tea kettle you have that holds a quart of water. I like using the Bodum one because it has a metal mesh that keeps all the ingredients down when I pour or strain the tea.
- Pour boiling water over the ingredients and let steep for a while. I usually make my tea in the morning, let it steep all day, and strain it before dinner. You might choose to refrigerate it before drinking or add ice cubes, but I prefer it room temperature. I also like adding sparkling water to the tea for yet another dimension to the flavor and texture.