Hibiscus Tea

I have had the most beautiful 8-10 inch red hibiscus flowers all summer long. The bloom only lasts for one day, but every morning there would be a new bloom to take its place.

You can see here they are starting to die back for the winter.

While we were in the Bahamas several years ago... oh my.. like 15 years ago.. I drank what they called Jamaican Tea. It was made from the Hibiscus flower. I had forgotten all about this until someone told me yesterday that the flower was edible. So... here goes!!

I picked flowers from the bush last night and put them in the dehydrator.

This morning i put the dried petals in 2 cups of boiling water and let them steep for 10 minutes

I added water to make 2 quarts and 1/2 cup of sugar.

(add less sugar next time.. its really sweet)

I poured it over ice and enjoyed.

Ok.. it makes a really pretty pink tea that over ice turns are a pretty lavender color. Its very sweet. I added too much sugar. I drink tea unsweetened and coffee almost black so why i put so much sugar is beyond me. The tea has a tart sweetness. It smells heavenly.

Now for the science. While my tea was steeping I did some more research online about Hibiscus. Didn't want to get dead ya know...LOL. Come to find out it has a natural chemical in the flower that naturally lowers blood pressure in moderately hypertensive people... THAT ME!!. In 2008, the FDA did a study that showed drinking 2 -3 cups of fresh hibiscus tea actually lowered the blood pressure without the need for drugs.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026022_blood_hibiscus_tea.html

Its really good too.. even a little too sweet. I think I would like the tartness of the less sweetened. I like the idea its natural.
I'll let y'all know how it goes!! Rasing my pink tea... cheers.