Hibiscus tea from H. syriacus or H. moscheutos?

12 years ago

I understand that H. sabdariffa is the hibiscus most commonly used for tea. I have Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) and rose mallow (H. moscheutos) plants.

Have any of you made tea from the flowers of either of these hibiscuses? Do you know if they have the same medicinal properties as sabdariffa? If so, at what stage should the flowers be picked? Do you use whole flowers or calyxes only or...? How do you preserve them for tea?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (7)

fatamorgana2121
12 years ago
As I just answered in your elderberry post, not all elderberries are edible yet they are all in the same genus, Sambucus. So, no. One hibiscus species does not equal another hibiscus species.

If you visit the Plants For a Future site (pfaf.org) a do a search for hibiscus, you will get a listing with the plants you are asking about. Read their edible and medicinal qualities. They are quite different.

FataMorgana
kk1515
12 years ago
flowers from this plant family clear heat and some are moistening, don't know of any that cannot be used internally. this is the same family that gives us marshmallow and okra.
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Ah yes, the actual subject of this thread. The Hibiscus species in question is H. sabdariffa (just click on the link in the first post for the low quality study that mentions this). As to apollog's feeling compelled to indulge in name-calling because I "distort" discussion in threads, the history of our interactions is marked by his misquoting and mischaracterizing what I've said. The discussion on "alkaline water" in particular features the usual apollogian tactics of going off into tangents, failing to address the multiple expert opinions I cite (pretending that I alone hold such opinions) and above all, volleying insults. Somehow I manage to handle these distortions of debate calmly without indulging in personal attacks. I am able to do this because I have evidence on my side and don't need to distract people by assaulting the character of those with whom I disagree. "Ad hominem abusive: Ad hominem abusive (also called argumentum ad personam) usually and most notoriously involves insulting or belittling one's opponent, but can also involve pointing out factual but ostensibly damning character flaws or actions which are irrelevant to the opponent's argument. This tactic is logically fallacious because insults and even true negative facts about the opponent's personal character have nothing to do with the logical merits of the opponent's arguments or assertions. This tactic is frequently employed as a propaganda tool among politicians who are attempting to influence the voter base in their favor through an appeal to emotion rather than by logical means, especially when their own position is logically weaker than their opponent's. Examples: "You can't believe Jack when he says God exists because he doesn't even have a job." "Candidate Jane Jones's proposal X is ridiculous. She was caught cheating on her taxes in 2003." Employing fallacious tactics like ad hominems and strawmen (creating arguments your opponent has not made which are easier to tear down than what he actually said) are excellent evidence of how barren one's position really is. Amen.
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I live in Canada in a city in Ontario. I believe that I am in Zone 6. I have had Rose of Sharon at my home for a couple of decades. I have pink, purple and white with a red throat, but one day one of my seedlings turned out to have a white bloom with a white throat. My backyard has too much shade and root competition and the Rose of Sharons there have been slow to grow, but my pink one is mature. I also have three Rose of Sharons at the side of my house, located against my brick wall and close to my neighbor's property. It is there that they grow beautifully, with abundant blooms, beginning early. There is a huge difference between these Rose of Sharon and the ones in my backyard. I have determined that the Rose of Sharons require at least several hours of sun or more and a sheltered spot is ideal. I have been growing Rose of Sharon from seed and have found that the shrub will produce blooms in the third year of growth. But last year I decided to take two cuttings from my friend's double Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus). It turned out to be an interesting experiment. Both cuttings "took" and I overwintered the cuttings in my house. Early spring they developed dust mites. When it was warm enough to put them outside in their pots, I did that. They were sprayed for the dust mites. I think the pesticide was too strong for the plant and the leaves curled up. But I proceeded to nuture them! This is what amazed me: the cuttings are quite small (maybe 10 inches high and one of them has buds on it! Now mind you the leaves still don't look that great, but I looking forward to seeing the bloom. My conclusion: much better to take cuttings. I am thinking that by next year the leaves should look "normal."
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jolj
12 years ago
I tried your site & it would not search anything for me.
I did not find the two hibiscus in my Poisonous plant field guide.
kk1515
12 years ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus

perhaps you can find what you are looking for here...scroll to the bottom and scroll on the species you want to know more about. neither of these two are poisonous and are in fact commonly used in herbal medicine, especially in summer to cool the body down.
jolj
12 years ago
That is what I thought, but I always check my:
Peterson Field Guide Venomous Animals & Poisonous Plants.
I started this when I taught wild craft & poisonous plants to Boy Scouts.My son will soon be an Eagle Scout!

I have Hibiscus syriacus.
island2island
11 years ago
Not saying you can't make tea from the other hibiscus but the H sabdariffa is the one that red zinger tea and the mexican drink flor de jamaica are made from. They have a very fleshy calyx that is very unlike the other hibiscus and that is what you make the tea from. I used to live in Hawaii and grew sabdariffa easily. Would preserve the calyces in syrup. They are spectacularly beautiful plunked into a champagne glass with champagne poured over them (makes the champagne pink and slightly fruity/tannic with bubbles rising from the red "flower") Tried to grow here and even with starting indoors early, the plant did not bear flowers before the frost. I think you will need a greenhouse to grow in this zone. The plants get pretty big (24-36" even in a 2 gallon pot) and need a lot of light so hard to grow indoors (tried to bring it in before frost and keep it alive but no success)
fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
I've had difficulty overwintering H. sabdariffa as well. I suspect they resent everything about my house in the winter - colder, darker, and drier than they prefer.

They do start from seed easily if you want to grow them and seed is available from online seed vendors. Look for the name "roselle" since that is what the seed is often called in the catalogs.

FataMorgana

Hibiscus tea from H. syriacus or H. moscheutos?

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