Do you use hibiscus in your diet? You might want to. This edible flower can lend a delightful subtle flavor to everything from tea to ice cream to seltzer water and beyond.

It’s much more than just a colorful decoration for the garden. Besides being very pretty, this tropical flowering plant can provide some important health benefits, too. For instance, information from the Cleveland Clinic (www.health.clevelandclinic.org) says:

It’s full of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and anthocyanin. The more antioxidants we get into the diet, the better. They destroy harmful molecules known as free radicals (which cause damage to cells that contribute to diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes).

Hibiscus fights inflammation, which plays a role in the development of numerous illnesses, including cancer, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

This flower lowers blood pressure. This no-joke condition leads to serious health problems like heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. While you don’t want to give up your medications right off the bat, research shows consistently drinking hibiscus tea can move you in that direction.

It lowers cholesterol. High cholesterol is another health problem that affects millions of adults and contributes to serious diseases like heart attack and stroke. It fights bacteria because of its antibacterial properties.

It supports liver heath. Hibiscus extract protects the liver from a variety of toxins, likely due to its powerful antioxidant activity. Scientific research even demonstrated anti-cancer activity in laboratory tests of liver cells.

And it tastes delicious! The fruity flavor of hibiscus is tangy and sweet, making it perfect for tea.

While it’s available as a powder and extract as well, food researchers and dieticians recommend you stick to the tea application. Hibiscus tea (whether you buy it already prepared, use tea bags or steep it yourself from the dried plant) is the least expensive and most readily available. And the powders and extracts may differ in strength and concentration, so you may be getting a dose that’s too strong.

To make hibiscus tea: Steep dried hibiscus buds (called calyxes) in boiling water. If you’re not into the DIY method, you can also purchase dried hibiscus or hibiscus tea bags.

Hibiscus flowers can often be found in health food stores, bulk bins, or Hispanic and Middle Eastern markets. You can also order dried flowers online.

It makes a delicious iced tea as well as a hot drink, plus it stores for up to five days in the refrigerator. And it’s easy to experiment with:

• Add lemon wedges or pieces of orange zest to the flowers to add some citrus flavor.
• Add a cinnamon stick or slices of ginger to the flowers for a lightly spicy kick.
• Swap the sugar for honey or agave for a slightly different flavor and make it refined sugar-free.
• For a different and fun twist, add some cold soda water.

I’ll close with a lovely recipe for hibiscus tea that pairs with fresh mint. It’s yummy and considering all its health benefits, it’s a terrific alternate to summertime lemonade!



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    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com