Some of you who like to taste various traditional or local drinks from all around the world would probably know or be familiar with what called Zobo drink. You can find it at any international restaurant, Nigerian restaurant or even at the house of your colleagues who like to have cooking experiment of any traditional recipes. At general, consumers of Zobo drink would firstly impress that it is tasty and refreshing and you may do so. However, those are not the things that make it special because to make Zobo drink, anyone needs specific natural essence which is originally from West Africa. Apart of it, Zobo drink also offers various health benefits which could not be ignored and will be sorry to missed. You would not just get the better healthy by consuming Zobo drink regularly, but also cure certain illnesses you may suffer.
Anyway, before explaining about its health benefits, it would be better for you to know other information about Zobo drink as listed below;
Naming and Origin
Zobo drink is the original name from Nigeria, West Africa. It changes its name in different countries, as Zobo drink is enjoyably consumed and drunk in various places all around the world. At Carribean, people call it Sorrel, while in Sudan, it is called Karkade. Mexicon people also like to consume this drink and call it Aguas Fercas. However at general, as you mention Zobo drink, people would understand that what you mean is that one, one of most popular local and traditional drinks in the world coming from Nigeria. The major producer of this drink is from Yoruba, in which its people are greatly creative in cooking ideas of Zobo as they make it soup, jam, tea and others.
The basic essence of this drink is (dry) Roselle leaves or popularly known also as Hibiscus Sabdariffa leaves coming from a species of Hibiscus plant, original and native of West Africa. This shows that you can mix various secondary—natural—essences to your Zobo recipe, but the existence of the leaf is a must. Uniquely, it is also known that no matter what secondary essences you mix into your Zobo drink, the drink would still be tasty, thick, colorful and pleasant. People believe that the Hibiscus leaf has its own certain strength so its taste would be well-kept and strongly tasted although it is mixed with other essences.
Availability
If you’d like, you can make home-made Zobo drink by yourself. You can simply find the ingredient as well as recipe at some online or offline sources. It would be better for you to make it at home especially if you have any favorite natural essences or flavors such as ginger, garlic, pineapple and so on and so forth. Those three materials are generally used as the combination in making Zobo drink, certainly with water. Other than those, you can also use honey, orange, lemon, lime, strawberry etc as you like. In the sense of flavor, you can choose either organic/actual or flavor based on your choice of appetite. Some say that using actual fruit would make the drink tastes soar.
However, if you are not a type of patient person who would like to be creatively slice and make Zobo drink by yourself or at home, some ready-to-drink products are available in the powder. You can buy it then mix it with hot or cold water as you want then enjoyably drink it at your quality time.
Health Benefits
Because the Roselle leaf has already had sweet natural taste, most of Zobo drink lovers do not put sugar in their drink and so do the restaurants. A few of them still use low-cholesterol sugar for some reason, particularly because they like sugar so much. This one factor is what makes Zobo special because it offers natural sweet taste which is certainly safe and not endangering health. Fortunately, health benefits of Zobo drink is not that one and even a sort of immeasurable because if gives nothing but natural touch, organic essence and fresh nutrients without any contamination.
Anyway you should know as well about the good nutrients that Zobo drink has. This applies to the Roselle leaf only and this shows that the benefit can vary and increase when you put other essences to your Zobo drink in addition to the main essence. Some of those nutrients are
- Water soluble antioxidant
- Huge amounts of vitamin C
- Organic acids including citric acid, tartaric acid and maleic acid
- Acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides as like delphinine and cyanidin.
- Anti-hypertensive properties
- Anti-bacterial propertis
- Enzyme inhibitor
- High level of antioxidant
Those nutrients and good essence contained at Zobo drink, particularly at Roselle leaf, work well to prevent and or cure some illnesses below;
a. High Blood Pressure, Constipation, Diabetes and Constipation
According to a research conducted by United States Department of Agriculture, Zobo drink is significantly effective for curing some disease and health disturbances ranging from high blood pressure or hypertension, diabetes and constipation. Particularly to the high blood pressure case, Zobo drink is effectively useful as it can lower the blood stream by ‘using’ its enzyme inhibitor which is able to block the production of amlysea. Amlysea itself is an enzyme which can break down complex starches and sugar.
This closely relates to natural essences contained at Zobo drink or its main basic leaf which is naturally sweet and rich of good nutrients including anti-hypertensive properties. Automatically, those all essences could work together to control sugar level at the blood stream so that body metabolism as well as digestion system run well and properly.
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b. Lost of Appetite
In addition the sense of mood, lost of appetite also closely relates to digestive system. Zobo drink offers various nutrients needed and nutritionally necessary ranging from iron, caffeine-free, niacin, carotene to calcium so the consumers would get his/her appetite back as the digestive system returns normal. Those nutrients work hand by hand to overcome any bacteria and worm in digestive system supported by anti-bacterial properties which is also found at Zobo drink.
c. Fever, Cold and Infection
The richness of vitamin C in Zobo drink is naturally effective for curing as well as preventing fever, cold and infection. This was stated by Abimbola Ajayi, a nutritionist and director of Family Health and Nutrition.
d. Kidney Disease
People with kidney disease are advised to consume Zobo drink as it contains 15 to 30 percent of organic acid as mentioned above. The mechanism is all about the more ability of kidney to filter out some waste products such as the uric and oxalic acid. Those two wastes can form a sort of stone at the kidney and when it gets bigger, it would be excessively heavy.
However, it is advisable for them not put sugar in the liquid so that the natural essences of Zobo could well-preserved and not contaminated with other non-natural essences such as sugar as we find at regular market. A nutritionist say that the main advantage of local and original drink is because it is made through fermentation process producing microorganism that the good nutrients which already exist would increase more and more.
e. Cancer
Zobo drink could prevent cancer as it is rich with anti-oxidant essences. Consuming any food or raw materials rich with anti-oxidant would significantly strengthen the immune system especially in fighting free radical. As a consequence, body would be well-kept from various diseases, including cancer which regularly occurs as an impact of free-radical contamination.
Harmfulness
Beyond all of its good nutrients and function, it is not advisable for pregnant woman to drink Zobo drink as it can stimulate blood stream and make the menstruation comes then lead to the abortion. Breastfeeing woman is also suggested not to drink it as it can endanger the mother and her baby. Regular consumers should also not drink Zobo too much as continual consumption can give bad impact to their kidney (s).