Karkade: Benefit And Harm

Karkade is a plant of the mallow family, reaching a height of up to 3.5 m, and the stem and leaves are green with red shades. Flowers 5-7 cm in diameter with a strong aroma. Its scientific name is Hibiscus sabdariffa.

Karkade is native to India, now it is also grown in many countries with a tropical climate: Sudan, Egypt, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Mexico.

In Sudan, the drink made from karkade became so popular that it received another name of its own – Sudanese rose.

In Egypt, hibiscus tea was called the drink of the pharaohs, which gives vitality and immortality.

In Malaysia, karkade, known as bunga rai, is the national flower. It is depicted on the coat of arms of the country, as, according to Muslims, its five petals correspond to the five commandments of Islam.

When the petals wither, flower cups remain on the plant. Surprisingly, it is then that they gather juice, increase in size, and become ready for harvesting. You can make a wonderful tonic tea from the dried cups of the carcade flowers.

Depending on the place of growth, the color and taste of karkade tea will differ. The color of the infusion of Egyptian carcade is cherry, the taste is sour. Mexican carp is richly orange in color, and slightly salty in taste. And tea from karkade, grown in Thailand, is sweeter and has a beautiful purple color.

Karkade benefits

Karkade contains 13 organic acids, including citric, malic, and tartaric acids, which give the tea a sour taste and quench thirst.

Vitamins, microelements, and biologically active substances contribute to the strengthening of immunity, being excellent prevention against colds and flu, increasing physical endurance, and reducing nervous tension.

The composition of the plant includes anthocyanins. Karkade tea owes its color to them. Anthocyanins strengthen the walls of blood vessels, regulate their permeability and contribute to lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Karkade has an antispasmodic effect, improves the production of bile, and has a beneficial effect on the liver and genitourinary system. Regular use contributes to the normalization of metabolism and has a beneficial effect on the activity of the pancreas and stomach.

Tea has a mild laxative effect. Regarding this, it has been established that stable normalization of the work of the gastrointestinal tract is achieved with systematic use of karkade for at least 15 days, then a week’s pause and drinking for at least 7 more days.

Karkade tea removes the effects of alcohol poisoning, which is also an important factor in maintaining health.

Karkade does not contain oxalic acid, due to which kidney stones are formed, so it has no contraindications for patients with kidney diseases.

Harmful effects of karkade

Those who suffer from gastritis with increased acidity and peptic ulcer disease are not recommended to drink tea with karkade, as the drink increases the acidity of gastric juice.

Care should also be taken when using people with very low blood pressure.

It is not recommended to give karkade tea to children under one year old.

How to properly brew karkade

Let’s start with the fact that you need to cook karkade exclusively in glass or earthenware. The fact is that when the drink comes into contact with metal, it reacts with it and emits substances that lose all the useful properties of the infusion of Sudanese rose.

Hot brewing karkade

When brewing hot, 1.5-2 teaspoons of raw materials or 3-4 whole “flowers” are poured with 300 ml of boiling water, and the drink is allowed to infuse for 5-6 minutes. If you prefer a very rich taste, you can put more karkade. However, remember that it is better not to use highly concentrated infusions on an empty stomach.

Cold brewing karkade

With this method of preparation, the petals or cups are poured with cold water in the same proportions as with conventional brewing, and infused for 3 hours. It is believed that this method allows you to preserve all its useful properties in karkade. However, boiling water does not harm them either.