Hibiscus is a highly adaptable plant that has many valuable medicinal and edible properties. It has the ability to constrict and relieve pain. Let's take a closer look at the edible benefits of hibiscus!
【What is Hibiscus?】
The dried fruit of hibiscus is oval or rectangular in shape, about 2 centimeters long and 1.6 centimeters in diameter. Some have already split into 5 petals, with a yellow-green color and a hairy surface. The base has a persistent 5-lobed calyx, with star-shaped hairs on the outside and narrow linear bracts below the calyx, arranged in a circle or partially shed. There are residual flower stalks.
The fruit is divided into 5 chambers. The seeds are triangular or slightly kidney-shaped and flattened, gray-brown in color, dull, with long, strap-like hilum at the lower end, surrounded by numerous milky-white to gray-yellow hairs, about 3 millimeters long. Dried, yellow, with green stems and seeds that do not scatter are considered the best.
Hibiscus is highly adaptable to its environment, tolerating dry and infertile soil. Its soil requirements are not strict and it prefers a warm and humid climate. It is slightly shade-tolerant, moisture-tolerant, repair-tolerant, heat-tolerant, cold-tolerant, and prefers warm conditions.
However, cultivation in the northern regions requires protective measures for winter. It prefers moist but drought-tolerant conditions and can grow in heavy clay soil. It has strong sprouting ability.
【Edible Benefits of Hibiscus】
Hibiscus is a treasure trove of benefits. The bark of hibiscus is warm in nature and sweet in taste. It clears heat, promotes diuresis, kills insects, and relieves itching. It is considered an excellent remedy for treating tinea. The hibiscus root has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and promoting diuresis. It can be used together with hibiscus bark to treat stubborn tinea. Hibiscus seeds can be used to treat yellow pus sores.
Of course, hibiscus also has good relieving effects on cough, ventilation, and rheumatism.
In addition to its medicinal value, hibiscus can also be used as an industrial raw material. Its stem bark contains 39% cellulose, which is soft, flexible, and water-resistant. It can be used as rope and textile raw materials, as well as for papermaking.
There are many ways to consume hibiscus. One common method is to steep it in tea or cook it in porridge.
For example, hibiscus flower porridge is made by first preparing the ingredients, including 10 hibiscus flowers, 100g glutinous rice, and a suitable amount of sugar. Then, clean the hibiscus flowers with water and rinse the glutinous rice. Finally, cook the glutinous rice in a pot until it is done, then add hibiscus flowers and sugar, simmer for a moment, and it is ready to serve.
