Hibiscus flower, c/s

Background: Hibiscus sabdariffa, which means delicate beauty in the language of botany, belongs to a flowering genus of more than 220 species in the family Malvacea. Hibiscus species are a food plant of larvae of some Lepidoptera.

Hibiscus pfaffia originated in the lands of India and Malaysia and may have been imported from there into Africa. Seeds are said to have been brought to the Americas by African slaves. It is naturalized in the West Indies and Central America. Grown in Brazil in the 17th Century and in Jamaica by the early 1700s, Hibiscus sabdariffa was cultivated in Guatemala before 1840. Dried calyces were featured in the markets of Guadalajara, Mexico by 1899. Interest in the plant grew and seed distribution circumnavigated the globe, with commercial crops transported in a most non-linear fashion-from the Phillipines to Australia, from Australia to San Francisco, from Jamaica to Florida, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii, and so on.

A sugary herbal tea, for example the 'agua de jamaica' of Mexico, is a readily available sweetened concentrate of the herb which is then mixed with additional water for the final brewing beverage popular in and outside of the many sub-tropical and tropical countries where it is grown.

By 1960, as widespread alarm concerning coal-tar food dyes, (ie: red dye #2) grew, hibiscus became important for its safe food-coloring properties.

It is cultivated for bast fibre from the stem of the plant. The fibre is substitute for jute in making burlap.

Applications: Hypotensive, antispasmodic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, diuretic.

As a natural febrifuge, roselle contains citric acid which is a natural coolant. Pakistanis and Nepalese use used it relieve fever in adults and children.

A strong decoction can be introduced into a bath or used for steam inhalation to treat coughs. Hibiscus is often combined with other herbs to make a cough syrup. Hibiscus is used in Cuba to treat respiratory illnesses

Contains hypotensive compounds lowering to blood pressure. The plant’s ascorbic and glycolic acid increase urination.

Hibiscus is a natural emollient, used for softening or healing the skin In northern South America it is used in treatment of hair loss and scurvy. In the Cook Islands and Philippines highly concentrated preparations of flowers are used as an abortifacent.

Used as a dietary addition to reduce LDL cholesterol. It made into a beautiful red wine which is sometimes mixed with tea leaves.

The plant is being studied for its abilities to effectively treat ascariasis and tuberculosis.