He hibiscus It is a plant that not only stands out for its incredible beautyalso hide nutritional and medicinal properties that make it a real treasure. They know it well in Mexico, where a delicious drink made from hibiscus is typical: Jamaican water.
With a beautiful bright red color and somewhat acidic flavor, you can drink it cold to cool off in summer or hot to comfort you in winter.
What is Jamaican water?
Jamaican water is a drink that is prepared from dried hibiscus flowers. Despite its name, it does not come from Jamaica, but is a very typical drink in Mexico and also throughout the Caribbean area, where Hibiscus is known as Jamaica flower (or Jamaica rose). In recent times, however, Jamaican water has gained a lot of popularity in other countries as well.
It was the Spanish who brought the hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) to Mexico from the Philippines, but it is actually a plant native to Africa (Egypt, Sudan and Senegal), although Mexico is currently a major producer, in part due to the success of Jamaican water.
This drink has very close ties with a very sugary hibiscus infusion which is taken (both hot and cold) in areas of Asia Minor and East Africa called karakadé (or caracadé) tea.
How to prepare Jamaican water
He Jamaican wateras we mentioned before, is made from infused dried hibiscus flowers. Below we explain the basic recipe, but you can adapt it to your taste.
Ingredients for about two liters of Jamaican water:
- 100 grams of dried hibiscus flowers
- 1 liter of water to infuse the hibiscus flowers + 1.5 liters of cold water
- Brown sugar or agave syrup (to taste)
- Ice
Preparation
- Put the dried hibiscus flowers and the liter of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- When the water starts to boil, lower the heat to minimum and leave it for 10 minutes.
- After that time, turn off the heat and let the infusion cool.
- Strain it to separate the hibiscus flowers and add the 1.5 liters of cold water and the sugar or agave syrup.
- Stir it well so that the sugar dissolves and you can serve it.
To enjoy ice-cold Jamaican water, add several ice cubes to the glass where you are going to serve it. It is also delicious if you add a cinnamon stick or a few mint leaves.
What is Jamaican water for?: benefits and properties
If there is something that stands out about the hibiscus, it is its content in vitamin C and anthocyanins (responsible for its red color), antioxidants that can help prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals and, consequently, reduce the risk of some chronic diseases.
In addition to being a good option for rehydrate yourself in hot momentsis a diuretic drink and has a slight laxative effectwhich helps avoid constipation and maintain digestive health. Anthocyanins also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can help combat chronic inflammation.
On the other hand, Hibiscus infusion is also a good relaxant.especially if it is hot, and can help you fall asleep if you take it before bed.
There is evidence that frequent consumption of hibiscus infusions May help reduce LDL cholesterol levels (the “bad”), and thus reduce the risk of heart disease, although more studies are needed to confirm this. It is also believed that, thanks once again to its anthocyanin content, it can help reduce blood pressurebut at the moment there is no conclusive scientific evidence in this regard either.