You’ll Love This Hibiscus Tea Recipe and Its Benefits

This hibiscus tea recipe gives you a ruby-red herbal tea with a cranberry-like taste.

It’s sour and tart!

So, you’ll need lots of sweetener.

But it’s worth it! It’s so good!

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Hibiscus or sorrel?

The hibiscus I am talking about here has the Latin name: Hibiscus sabdariffa.

So, it is the same as roselle and sorrel. The tea is sometimes called sour tea, sorrel, agua de Jamaica, Jamaica tea, karkadé and Italian tea. It is beloved throughout the world!

I’ve posted about sorrel drinks before. I had a tree a while ago that gave me so much flowers I froze several bags full. Here’s how the tree looked way back when:

Isn’t the hibiscus beautiful? Do you see those red outer petals or calyxes? They are used to make this hibiscus tea recipe and that’s why it is so Christmas red!

Sorrel - Sepals

You can also use dried hibiscus calyxes to make this tea. But, fair warning, the dried petals make a much stronger, deeper red tea. The color is really pretty but the tea will be very sour and will require much more sweeteners.

Get dried sorrel on Amazon:

sorrel
sorrel flowers

Hibiscus Tea Benefits

What is hibiscus tea good for? For starters, it is more than just a ruby-red, delightful drink. There are many hibiscus tea benefits and they are backed up by scientific evidence. It’s not hearsay or anecdotes.

Let’s get to those benefits.

1. It is full of antioxidants

This 2016 study found many antioxidant compounds in the tea like:

  • delphinidin
  • cyanidin
  • kaempferol
  • quercetin
  • hibiscus lactone
  • hibiscus acid
  • caffeoylquinic acids.

Many of these are anthocyanins – a group of powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

2. It lowers bad cholesterol

A very small clinical study from 2017 showed hibiscus extracts reduced total cholesterol better than a common statin drug called simvastatin. But, if you are taking the drug, don’t drink this tea since it causes “a significant herb-drug interaction” and reduces the effects of the drug.

Another small 2017 clinical study found drinking hibiscus lowered triglyceride levels in the blood.

Also, a 2013 review noted hibiscus tea had a “favorable influence on lipid profiles including reduced total cholesterol, LDL-C (bad cholesterol), triglycerides, as well as increased HDL-C (good cholesterol).” The antioxidant anthocyanins are believed to be the cause of these hibiscus tea benefits.

3. It reduces blood pressure

This clinical study revealed mildly hypertensive patients who had 3 glasses of hibiscus tea every day for a month saw lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Another 2010 study also proved the blood pressure lowering benefits of sorrel tea.

Have in moderation

The tea may have antiviral benefits as well; but too much tea isn’t good for you. High doses of hibiscus may negatively affect your liver. So, it is best to make this hibiscus tea recipe in moderation… or dilute it.

How to make Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus tea recipe (in french press)
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Hibiscus Tea

This hibiscus tea recipe will give you a wonderful, ruby-red herbal tea that has a sour, cranberry-like, tart taste. With the right sweetener, it is the perfect tea for winter (it has that incredible Christmas red color).
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Caribbean
Keyword: hibiscus tea, sorrel drink
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh hibiscus calyxes (or 1 cup dried hibiscus calyxes)
  • 5 cups boiling water
  • sweetener of your choice

Instructions

  • Add boiling water to sepals.
  • Leave to steep for 15 mins.
  • Alternatively, boil sepals and water over medium heat for 15 minutes.
  • Strain, sweeten and serve hot or chilled.

This hibiscus tea recipe is better than the Starbucks one!

What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know. And be sure to pin this for later:

Hibiscus Tea Recipe Plus Its Benefits #hibiscustea #hibiscustearecipe #sorrel #sourtea

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3 Comments

  1. thank for the info deeply appreciated…i normally used these tea and was just preparing some bay leaves to put them in tea bags, also orange peel, lemon grass, pepper mint, ginger, and other herbs such as buddy-me-eye.5 stars

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