Hibiscus flower

Hibiscus flower is not only a beautiful flower, it is also an edible one, believed to be native to Africa.

There are hundreds of varieties of hibiscus. The red one is the most commonly used for teas drinks and cooking, but the white one as well as the blue one may be used as edible.

Hibiscus is rich in Iron, copper and manganese ,and it is a good source of vitamin C and antioxidant, and therefore a great support for cancer prevention and anti-aging.
The hibiscus tea consumed daily may help reduce blood pressure.
Some studies have also found that hibiscus tea can help increase HLD cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol in type 2 diabetes.

Although hibiscus flower is most commonly used to makec  tea in the US, I have grown up in africa drinking hibiscus decoction as a refreshing drink.

 There are two very simple ways to prepare the hibiscus drink. The dried hibiscus flower is put into a jar of fresh water and left overnight, or it is boiled for a few minutes in hot water and left to cool down. in either cases, once the flower has released all its pigments, and the water is red, the flowers are removed from the water. You can then add any type of sweetener of your choice, or leave it natural. In Africa, people would add sugar and a small amount of vanilla  and/or mint and lemon to add to the taste. Red hibiscus decoction is drank fresh or with some ice. This is apparently a decoction that was known from ancient egyptians.