Almost every person in the world knows a plant called Sudanese rose or hibiscus, from the petals of which they make a very tasty hibiscus drink. He perfectly quenches thirst in the heat and warms in the cold. It has a pleasant aroma and a rather unusual taste, with a slight acidity.
Habitat
Despite the popular belief that this culture is from India, Sudan is its homeland. In this country, it grows in the form of a bush. In Egypt, where the rose is actively grown, the plant has a tree shape. Also, this rose is cultivated and grown in Japan, Ceylon, Mexico, China and Thailand.
Short description
Sabdarifa hibiscus, hibiscus and Sudanese rose are all the names of one plant.
Hibiscus petals are cup-shaped, fleshy, dark red in color. After the bud withers, the petals greatly increase in size. The rest of the plant is green, sometimes with a reddish tint. All of them are edible, except the root.
The plant prefers a hot climate. The higher the temperature, the more the stem of the plant stretches, and the flowers acquire a more saturated color. Bush roses can reach 6 meters in height.
Her root system is mixed, with primary and secondary rods.
Practical use
It is rose petals that are used to make tea, jelly, compotes and sauces. In the food industry, hibiscus is used for tinting food.
In countries where this plant is primordial, all parts of the rose (except the root) are consumed as a raw vegetable dish.
Hibiscus found its application in folk medicine. Flowers and leaflets are part of the funds from malignant neoplasms.
Use petals and for the preparation of hair dye (black color). And unique ornaments are made from seeds. Naturally, one of the most popular drinks in the whole world is Sudanese rose tea.
Taste variety
Depending on the place of growth, hibiscus tea has a completely different taste. The one we are used to is rose tea grown in Egypt. The drink has a dark red color and a sour taste.
Hibiscus grown in Thailand gives a sweet taste, and the drink from it will be red. Tea from a Mexican plant is orange in color and has a brackish taste.
Composition
The useful and harmful properties of any plant largely depend on the area where it grows. The better the environmental situation, the greater the benefits. This also applies to hibiscus.
The plant has a lot of vitamin C, due to which a sour taste appears. In addition, in hibiscus there are vitamins of groups B, E, K, D, PP and A. There are a lot of trace elements in the rose. These are P, Fe, Ca, Zn and others.
How to make tea
The most common and easiest way to make a drink: pour 2 teaspoons of hibiscus with 250 milliliters of water and boil over a fire for 3-5 minutes. Then you can add sugar to taste. The cooked broth can be cooled and ice added to quench your thirst in the summer heat.
The petal can be eaten after making tea as a vitamin supplement.
Beneficial features
Even in ancient times, people knew about the benefits of Sudanese roses, used it for cooking, even sewed clothes from it. The plant was used as a medicinal one, although there was no scientific evidence for this. People used exclusively their observations and experience of their ancestors. The remains of this flower were found even in ancient tombs.
First of all, Sudanese rose is a powerful antioxidant and a means to prevent the appearance of neoplasms. Regular use of a hibiscus drink helps smooth wrinkles. But the list of useful properties does not end there.
Ascorbic acid, which is contained in the plant, allows you to protect the body from viruses and colds. Hibiscus helps reduce body temperature and has a slight diuretic effect.
A positive effect was observed when using hibiscus to solve problems with the genitourinary system in men, including impotence.
Hibiscus stabilizes blood pressure and is beneficial for the kidneys and stomach. After drinking a slight laxative effect is noted.
An increase in the permeability of the vessel walls and a decrease in the level of bad cholesterol is achieved due to the presence of anthocyanins in the flower, which give a red color.
With a hangover, it is also recommended to drink a drink with hibiscus. And if you drink tea on an empty stomach, then you can get rid of parasites.
Quercetin contained in rosebuds helps to improve visual acuity and get rid of a number of eye pathologies.
Will hibiscus help you lose weight?
It has already become clear that the Sudanese rose really benefits. Hibiscus also has fat-splitting properties. Regular consumption of hibiscus tea helps:
- Removing excess fluid from the body.
- Acceleration of metabolic processes (due to the fructose present in the plant).
- Bowel cleansing.
- Has a mild laxative effect.
All these factors are the basis of most diets. Hibiscus also has a tonic effect, that is, relieves the feeling of fatigue.
In many sources, you can find the following recommendations for weight loss using Sudanese roses: you need to drink a drink for 21 days, then take a 7 day break. The course can be repeated several times. Naturally, you can’t jam tea cakes and give up physical activity. In this case, the effect should not be expected.
Hibiscus Harm
The benefits of Sudanese roses are obvious. However, no plant can suit absolutely everyone.
Hibiscus will have to be abandoned for people who have high acidity and a history of gastric ulcer.
Do not use Sudanese rose hypotonic. A drink from this plant can provoke a sharp and strong drop in blood pressure.
While pregnant, tea is not contraindicated, but do not abuse it too much. Ladies in position can drink no more than 2 cups per day. The same applies to babies (from 12 months). They can drink stewed fruit from the plant, but not too much.
But the drink can be consumed by food allergies, because the red color is achieved not due to chemical additives, but due to anthocyanins.
Plant value for cosmetology
Egyptian legend says that the Saudi rose was called the “flower of the pharaohs.” Cleopatra not only consumed hibiscus in the form of tea, but also took baths with tincture from the plant. Therefore, her skin acquired a shade of copper, which could not be done by any other means.
Modern girls use hibiscus in the following cases:
- For skin problems. It is necessary to apply the soaked petals of the plant as masks.
- Welding allows you to get rid of bags under the eyes.
- Porridge from petals eliminates excess fat content.
Growing a house
The Sudanese rose, the benefits and harms of which we examined above, can easily be grown on the windowsill in your apartment. In industrial volumes, it will not be possible to obtain material for tea, but flowers will be enough to prepare a mask.
It is unlikely to buy seeds for bush cultivation, so you have to use the services of foreign online stores or try to find seeds in a bag with hibiscus. After the plant has grown, it can be propagated by cuttings.
If you find the seeds in a bag of tea, then they must be soaked in water. As soon as a small and tender sprout hatch, you need to carefully plant the seed in a small pot. According to the degree of growth of the seedling, the capacity with the soil will have to be changed to a larger one. The soil should be light, with sand, peat and humus. During the growth period, it is necessary to add new land or transplant into containers with finished land.
The plant loves plentiful watering and a lot of light. In the room, the temperature should not drop below + 20 degrees. The rays of the sun should not be straight.
If there is not enough moisture, then the tips of the leaves begin to dry out, which is corrected by simply spraying from the spray gun. In no case should you put a pot of hibiscus on a draft. As soon as the room temperature changes sharply or a draft appears, the rose immediately discards the flowers. The bush will begin to bear fruit only after 5 years. When the flowering of the Sudanese rose begins, the photo of which is presented in the article, it is difficult to look away from the bush. But in order to achieve flowering, you have to work hard. The plant must be regularly fed with fertilizers, physically destroy insects.
Drink drinks from Sudanese roses, cold or hot. They are able to cheer up and are a great antioxidant. In no case do not boil hibiscus leaves with boiling water. In this case, they lose all the useful and vitamin elements.