How to Make Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea

SERVINGS: 4

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 2 MINUTES

MEAL: DRINK

STYLE: WESTERN

PREPARATION: BOILED, TEA

EAT IN: SUMMER

How Can Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Luscious, vibrant Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea delights your eyes as well as your taste buds. You will feel soothed by this tea, which is nothing short of beautiful. Hibiscus with mint is particularly refreshing on a hot summer's day, with cooling properties that bring arctic relief. Hibiscus improves liver function and restores your liver, which may be taxed by the heat. So find a shade tree and let out a big sigh. Your body will feel calm and relaxed after a fresh glass of Hibiscus Mint Tea.

Experiment with Sun Teas

This variation on sun tea is perfect for cooling down on a hot day. Using heat from the sun instead of from boiling water allows the herbs to retain their vibrant flavors as well as health benefits. Boiled water extracts more bitters, whereas sun tea extracts more subtle flavors. Brewing your teas with solar heat can be a nice way to preserve antioxidants and other nutrients which may be destroyed in the boiling process. This is not to suggest that sun teas are better or more healthful than regular teas - but they can be a nice addition to your summer diet.

Cool Down

Hot summer days cause your heart to beat faster and your blood to circulate rapidly. The furious pace of summertime circulation stresses out your liver. Hibiscus restores your liver & even cools down your blood by purging hot bile from the gall bladder. Thanks to high levels of antioxidants, hibiscus reduces low-grade systemic inflammation. These antioxidants help you feel brighter and refreshed. Take special notice of how hibiscus relieves tension around the eyes. The astringency of hibiscus also reduces inflammation in the skin and digestive tract, bringing cooling relief.

In summer, the deep red hue of hibiscus is particularly appealing. In the heat of the season, your body naturally craves foods and berries with red, blue and purple hues such as blueberries, strawberries and hibiscus. These foods are high in beta carotene, which nourishes the liver. Together, hibiscus's refrigerating qualities, antioxidants, and beta-carotene help your liver complete the natural spring detox cycle.

Mint assists hibiscus by dilating capillary beds and opening pores, which allow you to release heat more efficiently. This dilatory effect also disperses fluids creating a sense of opening and relief, which reduces reactive emotions and tension common to Pitta body type.

Reduces Blood Pressure

Hibiscus is a traditional remedy for high blood pressure due to its diuretic action and blood thinning properties. This traditional use of hibiscus is backed up by a 2008 USDA study. Participants who drank hibiscus tea had 8 times more positive effect than the placebo group. If high blood pressure is an issue for you, enjoy hibiscus tea daily. Hibiscus tea protects your heart in more ways than one: it contains bio-flavonoids, believed to prevent build-up of plaque in the arteries.

By its diuretic action, hibiscus also helps support the body when you are dealing with kidney disease, diabetes, obesity and liver issues. Hibiscus contains high levels of vitamin C. It supports female reproductive health. Then next time you sip a hibiscus cooler, let these facts slip into your mind and appreciate its refreshing gifts even more.

Note: Vata should take caution not to drink too much Hibiscus, as its cooling qualities could squash
your appetite & delicate digestive fire.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

LEARN MORE

Is Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main states (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which states are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every state has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite state. Learn More	COLD ABOUT COLD GUNA Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	ASTRINGENT ABOUT ASTRINGENT GUNA Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT Sattvic SATTVIC Sattvic foods promote awareness and a refreshed mind by nourishing the body without taxing digestion. Sattvic foods do not stimulate desire or nervous energy. They create clarity instead of drowsiness or heaviness. LEARN MORE ABOUT SATTVIC , Prana PRANA Prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life energy, similar to Qi in Chinese Medicine. Many herbs stimulate your energy, or improve the flow of prana through your body. Generally, prana needs to be increased in spring after a sleepy winter. LEARN MORE ABOUT PRANA TYPE Flowers SUBTASTE Aromatic AROMATIC Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues. LEARN MORE ABOUT AROMATIC NUTRIENT Antioxidant COLOR Red

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion	Quenches thirst QUENCHES-THIRST An herb or substance that relieves thirst. LEARN MORE ABOUT QUENCHES-THIRST , Appetite suppressant APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT Suppresses hunger without causing weight gain LEARN MORE ABOUT APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT , Antispasmodic ANTISPASMODIC Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, colic or IBS. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTISPASMODIC , Stomachic STOMACHIC An herb that increases appetite or settles a nauseas or nervous stomach. These generally increase the digestive fire, therefore relieving symptoms of sluggish or difficult digestion. LEARN MORE ABOUT STOMACHIC
Heart & Circulation	Refrigerant REFRIGERANT An herb or substance that strongly cools the body. Can be helpful in cases of heat conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT REFRIGERANT , Opthalmic OPTHALMIC Benefits the eyes. LEARN MORE ABOUT OPTHALMIC , Hypotensive HYPOTENSIVE An herb that lowers blood pressure. LEARN MORE ABOUT HYPOTENSIVE
Immune System	Anti Inflammatory ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Reduces inflammation in the body. Different herbs and carriers target different body systems. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Kidney & Urinary	Diuretic DIURETIC Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIURETIC
Mind, Stress & Sleep	Relaxes solar plexus RELAXES-SOLAR-PLEXUS Soothes and comforts the muscles of the upper abdomen, reducing any tension or pressure in the solar plexus area. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELAXES-SOLAR-PLEXUS , Relaxes eyes RELAXES-EYES Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELAXES-EYES
Skin Care & Beauty	Refreshes skin REFRESHES-SKIN Flushes the lymphatic system to cool, awaken, and revive the skin. LEARN MORE ABOUT REFRESHES-SKIN , Diaphoretic DIAPHORETIC An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIAPHORETIC , Skin Tonic SKIN-TONIC An herb that strengthens and nourishes skin, improving tone, color, moisture and complexion. LEARN MORE ABOUT SKIN-TONIC
Find Your Symptom	Refreshing REFRESHING Stimulates and wakes up the body, leaving it feeling cool, fresh, and energized. LEARN MORE ABOUT REFRESHING
Bowel-Poop-Elimination	Relieves burning RELIEVES-BURNING Herbs that soothe a burn or reduce an internal burning sensation, such as aloe vera. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIEVES-BURNING