Hibiscus flowers are native too the tropics and pack quiet some health benefits. not only stunning to look at they are fairly hardy and easy to grow.
Having grown up in India surrounded by beautiful tropically plants I have a special love for them. And, California weather mimics Mediterranean climate, not tropically though, some hardy tropically plants do thrive well. Last fall I bought a plant from my local garden store and forgot to bring the plant indoors. To to my surprise it came back to life in late spring and has been blooming like crazy. I posted the blooms on my Instagram stories last week.
Hibiscus is rich in vitamin C and packed with bioflavonoids. Hibiscus is known to lower blood pressure, helps with depression to menstrual cramps, also known to effect estrogen levels so use with some caution. (This statement is not verified by FDA but is known in alternate medicine)
The refreshing beverage is great hot or chilled. However today with this merciless heat I’m enjoying it chilled.
Heres the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons organic dried hibiscus flowers
- 6 cups of Water
- 1 stick lemongrass chopped into 4 pieces, tender part only
- 3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or local honey more if you like your tea sweeter) I made it without any sweetener and loved its tart flavor
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh Lime Juice
Bring the water up to a boil with lemongrass pieces if using. Add the dried flowers cover, turn the heat off and let it steep for 10 minutes.
Drain the tea through a Tea strainer and let it cool. You can add lemon juice and sweetness at this point.
Transfer to a bottle and leave it to chill in the refrigerator for a hour at least.
Serve over ice or skip the chilling and serve hot tea.
Enjoy!!
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