It’s going to be almost 80 degrees in Colorado this weekend. It’s time for some cooling summer beverages.
In today’s tea blend, I added a handful each of dried red clover blossoms, Oatstraw, and Mallow flowers. Normally I like adding just a bit of fresh lavender but mine is still recovering from the winter.
Here are some other ideas for some herbs you can use:
I would use a mixture of these different herbs rather than a lot of a particular herb. This gives the tea a nice flavor instead of being too strong with one particular flavor.
The following recipe is very forgiving – I rarely measure anymore but it’s good to do that at first to get an idea of proportions. I’ve learned over the years that people at parties enjoy lovely-tasting tea – not so much the medicinal-tasting tea.
When I make really large batches of tea, I like to make a really strong tea that I then dilute later with water. This way I don’t have to use as much energy to heat all that water plus it’s easier to strain off a couple of quarts rather than a couple gallons.
Ingredients for the Hibiscus Tea Recipe
- 9 quarts water, divided
- 5 heaping tablespoons fresh mint (spearmint, peppermint or whatever mint you have growing works great. I prefer spearmint)
- 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus
- 3 tablespoons other fresh herbs (or roughly 30 grams dried) – see above for some ideas
- 1/2 cup honey (or to taste)
Directions for the Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Boil two quarts of water in a large soup pot. Turn off the heat. Add the herbs. Stir well and let steep, covered, for 15 minutes.
Strain. Add honey while still warm and stir until dissolved.
Let cool.
Put in a 3 gallon iced beverage cooler. Add the remaining 7 quarts cold water to fill 3/4 of the container.
Add ice at the event.
This makes approximately 3 gallons of tea (including the ice).
Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
Hibiscus is cooling during hot weather months. Originally from northern Africa, this ruby wonder is famed for its ability to cool and calm summer heat. It’s both tart and refreshing, helping you to quench thirst and rehydrate. It’s also a demulcent, which soothes dryness and restores moisture throughout the body.
That alone could qualify it as an important herb, but hibiscus has many gifts!
Hibiscus is widely used to support both heart health and to address metabolic issues like type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
There’s even been some interesting human studies showing its wide range of benefits.
- Both hibiscus tea and green tea were shown to significantly decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure in individuals who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and were mildly hypertensive.1
- In one trial, 40 adult patients with metabolic syndrome were either given 500 mg of hibiscus calyx powder or a placebo. After four weeks, those taking the hibiscus powder had significantly reduced triglycerides and reduced systolic blood pressure compared to those taking the placebo.2
- In addition to benefiting people with high blood pressure, hibiscus extracts have been shown to positively affect blood lipids by reducing total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.3 4 5
- In another small study, hibiscus was shown to be more effective than a commonly prescribed diuretic for lowering blood pressure.6
- In one trial conducted on 54 male soccer players, hibiscus tea extract was shown to decrease negative oxidative stress and increase total antioxidant capacity.
It’s important to know what you are using. Many plants are commonly called hibiscus; however, they are not interchangeable with Hibiscus sabdariffa.
Wishing you happiness and health,
Chrystal Cocek
Integrated Earth Medicine
Loveland Colorado Herbalist