A rounded, gourmand herbal infusion of raspberry and mint with apple, liquorice, hibiscus and blackberry leaf. No tea leaf, so naturally caffeine-free. Organic.
It contains liquorice — which matters more than people expect
Liquorice is not just a flavour. It contains glycyrrhizin, which acts on the body's mineralocorticoid pathway: it makes the kidneys retain sodium and excrete potassium. In sufficient quantity, and over time, that raises blood pressure and lowers blood potassium, which can cause muscle weakness, cramps and — rarely but genuinely — dangerous heart rhythm disturbances.
This is not folklore. The European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food concluded that 100 mg of glycyrrhizin a day should be regarded as an upper limit for regular consumption, and noted that some people are sensitive at lower intakes. Cases of liquorice-induced high blood pressure and low potassium appear regularly in the medical literature, usually in people who ate liquorice sweets or drank liquorice tea daily for weeks.
The amount in a blended fruit infusion is modest, and an occasional cup is not the issue. Drinking it several times a day, every day, for weeks is.
Take particular care, or avoid it, if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, low potassium, or if you take diuretics, corticosteroids or digoxin.
In pregnancy, keep liquorice intake low. Finnish research following children whose mothers consumed large amounts of liquorice during pregnancy found associations with poorer cognitive and behavioural outcomes and earlier puberty. Finnish authorities advise pregnant women to avoid liquorice as a result.
Hibiscus
The deep red colour and the tartness both come from hibiscus. It is genuinely acidic — that is malic and citric acid, and it is why the drink is sharp.
Two notes. Hibiscus has been shown in trials to lower blood pressure modestly, which cuts against the liquorice in the same cup and is a reason to be careful if you take blood pressure medicine. And it can reduce the absorption of chloroquine and interact with hydrochlorothiazide.
Two notes on the ingredient list
The producer's list gives "hibiscus and hibiscus flowers" twice, which is simply a duplication, and it carries the word Brombeerblatt — German for blackberry leaf, usually left untranslated. Blackberry leaf is a traditional European infusion herb in its own right: mildly astringent and tannic, and the backbone that stops a fruit tea tasting like squash.
Caffeine-free
No tea leaf at all, so this is one for the evening.
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