What is Sorrel (zobo / sobolo)?

What is sorrel, and what is it used for?

Sorrel is a tart red drink made from Hibiscus sabdariffa. The part used is the dried calyx, the thick cup that holds the flower. In West Africa it is known as zobo, sobolo, bissap and yakuwa.

The dried calyces are steeped in hot or cold water. The drink is deep red and sour. Sugar, ginger, cloves, mint or pineapple are often added.

People drink it as a daily refresher. Some also take it in the hope of easing high blood pressure.

The evidence verdict: hibiscus tea does lower blood pressure a little in short trials. The drop is modest. Most other claims rest on long tradition, and tradition is not proof of effect or of safety.

How does Sorrel (zobo / sobolo) work?

How is it thought to work?

The blood pressure effect is real but small, and the reason for it is not fully settled.

In test-tube work, hibiscus extracts block ACE, an enzyme that tightens blood vessels. This is the same target as some blood pressure drugs. Whether tea drinking does this in your body has not been shown.

In animals, hibiscus acts as a mild diuretic, meaning it makes the body pass more urine. Losing fluid and salt can lower pressure a little. Human proof of this pathway is limited.

The red colour comes from anthocyanins, a group of plant pigments. In cell studies these soak up damaging molecules and calm markers of inflammation. Such lab findings do not tell you what happens in a person.

What forms does Sorrel (zobo / sobolo) come in?

What forms is it sold in?

Sorrel is sold as a drink, as a tea and as a supplement.

- Loose dried calyces, sold by weight in markets. - Tea bags and herbal tea blends. - Bottled or sachet zobo and sobolo drinks, often heavily sweetened.

Other forms include:

- Powdered extracts, capsules and tablets. - Syrups, jams and sorrel wines. - Fresh or dried leaves (yakuwa), cooked as a green vegetable in soups and stews.

Street-sold and bottled versions can carry a lot of added sugar. That matters if you have diabetes or are watching your weight. Capsules are far more concentrated than a cup of tea.

Where it comes from:

Where does it come from?

Hibiscus sabdariffa has been grown across West Africa, Sudan and Egypt for centuries. The drink is called karkade in Sudan and Egypt, bissap in Senegal, zobo in Nigeria and sobolo in Ghana.

In Hausa the plant is yakuwa, and both the calyx and the leaf were used. The leaves went into soups and sauces as a sour green.

Traditional healers gave the drink for fever, to "cool" the body, for swelling and for high blood pressure. Caribbean sorrel, taken to the islands through the slave trade, became a Christmas drink. These records describe what people did, not what works.

What does Sorrel (zobo / sobolo) help with?

• Mildly raised blood pressure: This is the only use with decent human evidence. Several short trials found hibiscus tea lowered the top blood pressure number by roughly 5 to 7 points. The trials were small, ran a few weeks, and used strong daily brews. Sorrel is not a replacement for prescribed blood pressure medicine.
• Everyday hydration and a low-calorie drink: Unsweetened sorrel is water with flavour and almost no calories. That is a plain, sensible use. Sweetened bottled zobo is a different thing and can carry a lot of sugar.
• High cholesterol: Results are mixed and weak. Some small trials showed slight drops in total and LDL cholesterol, others showed none. No trial has shown that drinking sorrel changes your risk of heart attack.
• Mild fluid retention: Tradition used it to make the body pass more water. Animal work supports a mild diuretic effect. Good human studies on swelling are lacking, so treat this as unproven.
• Fever and "cooling" the body: A long-standing West African use, often as a chilled drink during hot weather or illness. There is no human trial showing it brings a fever down. A cold drink feels cooling without acting on the illness.
• Menstrual and womb complaints: Some traditions used strong brews to bring on a late period. This is also why strong amounts were avoided in pregnancy. Human evidence is absent, and the same belief is a reason for caution, not a reason to try it.

Which foods are rich in Sorrel (zobo / sobolo)?

1. Dried hibiscus calyces (zobo, sobolo, bissap, karkade)
2. Hibiscus leaves (yakuwa) cooked as a green vegetable
3. Bottled and sachet sorrel drinks
4. Herbal tea blends with hibiscus
5. Sorrel syrups, jams and preserves

Practical Tips:

Sorrel is an ordinary food in West Africa and the Caribbean. As an unsweetened drink it is low in calories.

Check the label on bottled versions. Many carry several spoons of sugar per serving.

What are the side effects of Sorrel (zobo / sobolo)?

• Stomach upset or cramps
• Heartburn, from the acidity
• Loose stools or diarrhoea
• Dizziness or light-headedness if blood pressure drops too far
• Low blood sugar in people on diabetes medicine
• Wear on tooth enamel with heavy daily sipping
• Rare allergic reaction: rash, itching or swelling
• Extra sugar and calories from sweetened bottled versions

Good to know:

How common and how serious are side effects?

For most healthy adults, sorrel as a drink is well tolerated. Problems are usually mild and settle when you stop.

The effects that matter are the ones tied to medicines. Dizziness from a double blood pressure drop, or a low blood sugar, can be serious.

Allergy is rare but real. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat needs emergency care.

How much Sorrel (zobo / sobolo) should you take?

• Recommended daily: Sorrel is a food, and most labels do not give a medical dose. Tea packets often suggest one to two cups a day, using roughly 1.5 to 3 g of dried calyx per cup. Research studies used stronger brews, near 10 g of dried calyx daily. This is background information, not advice for you. If you take blood pressure, diabetes or malaria medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist before drinking it daily.
• Best time of day: The time of day does not appear to matter. Some people prefer it cold in the afternoon or with a meal. If you take chloroquine or another antimalarial, timing will not fix the problem. Speak to your doctor instead.
• With or without food: Either is fine. Taking it with food can soften the stomach upset some people get from the acidity. Strong tea with meals may cut how much iron your body absorbs from food. If you are prone to low iron, keep it away from your main meals.
• Time to effect: In blood pressure trials, changes showed up over two to six weeks of daily use. Nothing useful happens in a single cup. It may also do nothing for you. Average results in a trial hide people who did not respond at all.
• How long to take it: Most trials ran between two and six weeks. Nothing reliable is known about drinking strong daily brews for years. Very high doses of concentrated extract have harmed the liver in animals, so long-term capsule use is not well supported. Occasional sorrel as a drink is an ordinary food habit.