Research report
Beverage and culture. “Zhourat”, a multivariate analysis of the globalization of a herbal tea from the Middle East ☆
Highlights
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- Seventy-seven botanical ingredients of “Zhourat” tea were identified and quantified.
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- A novel methodology is presented for analyzing multi-ingredient botanicals.
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- Salience index is used to determine the key species of the mixture.
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- Key ingredients are Rosa x damascena, Alcea damascena, Matricaria chamomilla.
Abstract
The
“Zhourat” herbal tea consists of a blend of wild flowers, herbs, leaves
and fruits and is a typical beverage of Lebanon and Syria. We aim to
evaluate cultural significance of “Zhourat”, to determine cultural
standards for its formulation including key ingredients and to determine
acceptable variability levels in terms of number of ingredients and
their relative proportions, in summary what is “Zhourat” and what is not
“Zhourat” from an ethnobotanical perspective. For this purpose we
develop a novel methodology to describe and analyse patterns of
variation of traditional multi-ingredient herbal formulations, beverages
and teas and to identify key ingredients, which are characteristics of a
particular culture and region and to interpret health claims for the
mixture. Factor analysis and hierarchical clustering techniques were
used to display similarities between samples whereas salience index was
used to determine the main ingredients which could help to distinguish a
standard traditional blend from a global market-addressed formulation.
The study revealed 77 main ingredients belonging to 71 different species
of vascular plants. In spite of the “Zhourat's” highly variable
content, the salience analysis resulted in a determined set of key
botanical components including Rosa x damascena Herrm., Althaea damascena Mouterde, Matricaria chamomilla L., Aloysia citrodora Palau, Zea mays L. and Elaeagnus angustifolia
L. The major health claims for “Zhourat” as digestive, sedative and for
respiratory problems are culturally coherent with the analysis of the
traditional medicinal properties uses of its ingredients.
Keywords
- Ethnobotany;
- Herbal teas;
- Health claims;
- Functional foods;
- Factor analysis;
- Hierarchical clustering
Introduction
“Zhourat”
(usually known as “Zahraa” in Syria) is a traditional local herbal tea
and beverage consumed by Lebanese, Syrian, Assyrian and Armenian rural
populations in the Middle East. This drink is also consumed very often
in cafes in major cities of Syria, Lebanon and nearby countries (Carmona, Llorach, Obon, & Rivera, 2005).
The diaspora of Lebanese, Syrians, Armenians and Assyrians as a result
of economic, social and political factors acting strongly in the area,
has spread “Zhourat” consumption, across the five continents, e.g. with a
population of c. 4 million people in Lebanon, Lebanese diaspora reach
14 million (Itani, O'Conell, & Mason, 2013).
Besides the Middle East, one can find grade mixtures, distributed for
consumption in Europe, Africa, Australia, North and South America. This
globalization of “Zhourat” involves modifications in the list of
ingredients and their relative proportions. Since the ingredients and
“Zhourat” itself as a whole are also used as a medicinal resource within
the traditional and local medicine system these changes may disappoint
the reasonable expectations of consumers who are accustomed to the
traditional formulas.
“Zhourat”
(“Zuhurat”, “Zhurat” or “Zahraa”) as an herbal tea consists of a blend
of wild flowers, herbs, leaves and fruits. These are selected from over
70 species which are known for their healing properties. “Zhourat” is
often taken by adding several drops of rose water to it, especially in
the afternoon. “Zhourat” has soothing effects, thus, it is usually
consumed at dusk. Moreover, it facilitates digestion and is safely
consumed by children as it does not contain caffeine.
This healthy drink is served in tea houses, restaurants, cafes or at
home, where drinking it is perceived as a social activity. The
consumption frequency of “Zhourat” varies from one region to another. In
southern Lebanon, it is usually consumed as a relaxing tea at night
before bed while it is taken as a breakfast tea in other regions. It is
also common to have it as a hot drink after meals. However, “Zhourat” as
a functional or nutraceutical food, due to its health benefits, merits
further investigation.
Several research papers (Batal, Hunter, 2007, Hwalla, Tannous, 2008 and Jeambey et al, 2009) and books (Yazbeck, 2009 and Zurayk, 2008)
describe the traditional diets and cuisines of the region.
Ethnopharmacological studies on traditional medicine tend to avoid
conducting scientific investigation on “Zhourat” because of its manifold
ingredients and its classification as a fairly common drink (El Beyrouthy, Arnold, Delelis-Dusollier, & Dupont, 2008).
The use of medicinal plants is still common in Syria, Lebanon,
Palestine, Jordan, and Israel where several publications cite
single-species herbal teas. However, the mixtures of herbs are rarely
included in those publications excluding the study of “Zahraa”, the
Syrian variant of “Zhourat” by Carmona et al. (2005).
The
lack of information on ingredients, proportions, uses for this herbal
mixture known as “Zhourat” made the present investigation indispensable.
It is of high importance that such herbal mixes be documented in order
to preserve the traditional knowledge of flora which is on the verge of
being lost for young people and modern herbalists (Azaizeh, Saad, Khalil, & Said, 2006) and to furnish criteria to the industry to produce a blend coherent with local cultural traditions.
Therefore
we aim to evaluate cultural significance of this beverage, to determine
cultural standards for its formulation including core ingredients and
to determine acceptable variability levels in terms of number of
ingredients and their relative proportions, in summary what is “Zhourat”
and what is not “Zhourat” from an ethnobotanical perspective. With this
purpose on mind we develop a novel methodology to describe and analyse
the patterns of variation of the traditional multi-ingredient
formulations, beverages and herbal teas and to qualitatively and
quantitatively identify key or most important ingredients of the blend.
We apply this methodology to “Zhourat” samples consumed in Syria,
Lebanon and abroad and determine their degree of similarity and patterns
of variation in order to determine cultural standard
