Thanks to my friend Kris at Lululemon, I discovered roselles at the Island East Markets. I’d seen them before — those purply red flowery bulbs with spiky petals — but never really knew what to do with them until I ran into Kris with a bag of them. Turns out they can be used to make tea, and come with a bucketload of health benefits.

Did you know roselle can:

• cure coughs, fights cancer
• lower blood pressure
• get rid of bloating as a diuretic
• aid weight loss by blocking starchy carbohydrates
• give you antioxidants and minerals especially vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamins B1, B2 and B6
• improve skin tone, plus many more benefits

Roselle tea is super easy to make. All you have to do is take approximately 15-20 roselle buds and boil them in a pot of water for about 20 minutes (make sure you wash the roselle thoroughly or you’ll find little bugs floating up to the surface like I did)! If you want, you can add rock sugar or honey to offset the roselle’s acidity. Drain the softened roselle out and drink the tea hot or cold. That’s it!

Some people say roselle tea tastes like Ribena but I find it more acidic and tart. I like to drink it unsweetened and cold from the fridge, and it’s a nice way to mix it up with my red date and goji berry teas. Enjoy!

You can find fresh and dried roselle at Island East Markets every Sunday from 11am-6pm from the many Hong Kong organic farmers.