Iced tea with hibiscus

Say hello to hibiscus

With its vibrant pink-red colour, tart flavour, and impressive health benefits, it’s no surprise hibiscus is a popular plant. Let’s start by finding out a little more about the star ingredient in this iced hibiscus tea recipe.

Native to India and Malaysia, today farmers cultivate hibiscus in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. While we’re most familiar with its use in hibiscus tea recipes, there are several other ways to harness the plant. This includes not only culinary purposes but also medicinal, decorative, and even cosmetic ones. For example, you can eat the leaves as a vegetable, or roast and grind the seeds as a coffee alternative.(1) People additionally add the flower to skincare products like soaps and scrubs.

Practitioners of traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda have used the plant to boost wellbeing for centuries. Besides brewing a hibiscus tea recipe, they may create an extract or tincture from it. And in some cultures, people apply hibiscus paste topically to treat certain skin disorders. What’s interesting is that modern research is finding evidence to back up many of these time-honoured uses of hibiscus.

So, does this flower really add more than a vivid cherry hue and tangy taste to this hibiscus tea recipe? It’s time to find out.

The health benefits of hibiscus

The deliciously refreshing flavour of an iced hibiscus tea recipe is reason enough to make it! However, here at Erbology, we like to create drinks that benefit your wellbeing in addition to tasting good. And happily, this one does just that. Here’s how.

Among the most famous health benefits of hibiscus is its ability to have a positive influence on blood pressure. Numerous studies have revealed that it can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, possibly as effectively as pharmaceutical medication.(2) This is hugely advantageous because hypertension may increase the risk of heart disease, plus damage the eyes, brain, and kidneys. So, treating yourself to a hibiscus tea recipe could improve your cardiovascular health.

Speaking of heart health, some research has found that hibiscus might help to lower cholesterol levels too.(3) Results in this area have been mixed though, so we need further study to clarify these findings.

Interestingly, the plant may also be able to protect against obesity by preventing fat cells from accumulating.(4) As such, drinking an iced hibiscus tea recipe like this one could help with healthy weight management. In a similar vein, hibiscus might additionally assist in lowering blood sugar levels.(5) However, further investigation is necessary to verify these results.

Many of the health benefits of a hibiscus tea recipe come from the plant’s potent bioactive compounds. For example, the plant is rich in free-radical-fighting antioxidants, which defend our cells from harmful oxidative stress. What’s more, it contains powerful polyphenols that may possess anti-cancer properties.(6) The plant might even have antibacterial effects, but again, we need further research to confirm this.(7)

How to make hibiscus iced tea

Now that we know what hibiscus is and why it’s good for you, let’s turn to the practical details of how to make hibiscus tea. The first point to note is that there are no actual tea leaves involved! As such, it’s naturally caffeine free and you can enjoy it at any time of day. The drink is also exceptionally quick and easy to whip up, making it a convenient choice too.

To start, pour a quarter of a cup of lemon juice and three or four tablespoons of orange juice into a jug. Fresh is ideal, but juice from a carton works just as well. Next, add two tablespoons of honey. You can swap this for agave nectar or a similar liquid sweetener if you want to make a completely vegan hibiscus tea recipe. Now sprinkle in half a teaspoon each of aronia powder and hibiscus powder, and mix well to dissolve them. This is when you’ll see your hibiscus tea recipe turn a beautiful shade of crimson!

Add a cup of ice cubes to the jug, along with three or four lemon slices. Lastly, pour in 500 millilitres of water and give your hibiscus tea recipe a final stir. This will ensure an even flavour and colour throughout the drink.

Now you’re ready to serve your hibiscus iced tea. Simply pop a few ice cubes and lemon slices into glasses, then pour the tea on top. If you’re not drinking it all immediately, keep the jug in the fridge so your hibiscus tea recipe stays cold. And if you’re serving it in company, straws and cocktail umbrellas make fun extras!

A sea of citrus

Hibiscus may be the centrepiece of any hibiscus tea recipe, but the other ingredients have key roles to play too. And that’s not just in terms of flavour. For example, the citrus fruits in this drink also bring plenty of health benefits to your glass.

First, lemons and oranges are both fabulous sources of vitamin C. This is crucial for supporting the immune system and wound healing, plus helps to keep your skin elastic and smooth. Citrus fruits also contain other key nutrients like potassium and B vitamins, which further support wellbeing. As if that weren’t enough, they’re additionally rich in potent plant compounds which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.(8)

Several of these plant compounds have particularly beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. One reason for this is that both chronic inflammation and oxidative stress can increase the risk of heart disease. What’s more, flavonoids like naringin and naringenin – found in both oranges and lemons – may have further heart-related benefits. They could help to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and reduce cholesterol levels.(9) All of which means adding citrus to a hibiscus tea recipe might protect against conditions like heart attack and stroke.

One of the more unusual benefits of adding citrus fruits to a hibiscus tea recipe is that they can lessen the risk of kidney stones.(10) That’s thanks to the citric acid in them. This can raise the pH of urine and thereby help prevent kidney stones from forming.

Lastly, there’s also the possibility that using citrus fruits in your hibiscus tea recipe could be good for your brain. This is because certain flavonoids they contain may boost cognitive function and aid in staving off neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s.(11)

Introducing our organic hibiscus powder

To get the most benefit from this iced hibiscus tea recipe, the quality of the ingredients is key. That’s why we source our hibiscus directly from small farms in Uttar Pradesh, North India. Here they cultivate the plants using strictly organic techniques, without any chemical pesticides. After harvesting, our producers carefully dry the flowers and powder them in small batches. We don’t add any filler ingredients like flavourings or preservatives, so what you receive is 100% pure organic hibiscus powder. To minimise our impact on the planet, we ship this to you in environmentally friendly amber glass jars. Please reuse or recycle yours once it’s empty!

We love this iced hibiscus tea recipe, but it’s far from your only way to take the powder. The food’s sharp fruity and floral flavour (similar to pomegranate and cranberry) means it’s a very versatile ingredient to use. Another easy option is to mix a teaspoon into hot water for a warming hibiscus tea recipe. You can also stir some into your favourite juices and smoothies to give them a delicious, poppy-red burst of nutrition.

If you fancy using hibiscus in food rather than drinks, try sprinkling some over yoghurt, desserts, or a breakfast bowl. It’s even possible to use the powder when making sweet treats like cakes, brownies, cookies, energy balls, and ice cream. We positively encourage you to get creative with it!

One final point to note is that this hibiscus tea recipe might not be suitable for everyone. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have an existing health condition, speak to a doctor before consuming the plant. This is to help you avoid any unwanted side effects or interactions.

The addition of aronia

This hibiscus tea recipe contains not one but two colourful and health-boosting functional foods. The second is another tangy, vivid red powder, this time made from a berry called aronia. And just like hibiscus, it adds a wealth of nutritional benefits to the drink.

For starters, aronia powder is bursting with anthocyanins and other polyphenols that protect us from oxidative stress and inflammation.(12) These anthocyanins may also have cancer-fighting properties, however further study is necessary to confirm this.(13) Aronia is a fabulous source of vitamin C and iron too. The latter is essential for making haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. Vitamin C actually helps you to absorb iron from plant sources more easily, so this is a perfect pairing.

Such anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities are part of the reason why aronia can support heart health. The fact that the berries may be able to reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure bolsters this.(14) Taken together, these results mean adding aronia to your hibiscus tea recipe could make it extra beneficial for cardiovascular health.

Interestingly, studies indicate that aronia might be good for your gut microbiota too.(15) This has a wider influence than you may think, because your gut microbiome affects everything from immunity to brain health. And speaking of immunity, aronia may further support the immune system through its antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects.(16) So that’s a lot of persuasive reasons to use the powder in a hibiscus tea recipe!

Meet our organic aronia berry powder

Just like the hibiscus, quality is vital when it comes to choosing an aronia powder for your hibiscus tea recipe. To ensure that ours measures up, we source it directly from small organic farmers in Eastern Europe. Our team picks the berries by hand during the annual harvest season, then immediately freezes them. This keeps the fruit fresh without the use of preservatives. We pulverise them into a fine powder in small batches when needed, and pack this in recyclable amber glass jars.

As with all our foods, we don’t sneak any bulking agents or other additives into our organic aronia berry powder. So rest assured you won’t find any artificial flavourings, colourings, or filler ingredients in your jar. Just a beautiful bright pink powder with a gorgeously sweet and tangy berry flavour!

While aronia is a great addition to a hibiscus tea recipe, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy it. You could blend some into a smoothie, stir it into juice, or sprinkle a little over a breakfast bowl. We personally like using aronia powder when baking recipes such as bliss balls, because it adds both colour and flavour. Yet you’re not restricted to only sweet dishes. Aronia also brings a unique fruity twist to savoury meals like stews and soups that we know you’ll love!

Customising this hibiscus iced tea recipe

We absolutely adore having a cooling glass of this hibiscus iced tea on hot summer days. Its refreshing taste makes it a wonderful way to stay hydrated when out in the sun. However, if you’re brewing it at a chillier time of year, you could always use hot water instead of cold. And leave out the ice cubes, of course! But that’s not your only option for customisation.

As well as switching between iced and hot hibiscus tea recipes, you can play around with the ingredients to make this drink your own. For example, you might like to use lime or yuzu juice instead of – or in addition to – orange or lemon. This is an easy way to alter the citrus profile of the beverage and gain a greater depth of flavour. Alternatively, use sparkling water rather than still to add a little fizz to your glass. A sprig of mint leaves on top is also a lovely finishing garnish for your iced hibiscus tea recipe.