Hibiscus

Parts Usually Used

: Leaves and root

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

The name Hibiscus refers actually to a genus including about 200 species of plants, a number of which have medicinal uses. The hibiscus best known for medicinal properties is Musk-Mallow. : Musk-mallow is an annual or biennial plant; the stem, growing from 2-6 feet high, bears alternate leaves which are usually sharply lobed and irregularly toothed but sometimes only shallowly lobed and like maple leaves.

Both sides are thinly hairy. The large, axillary flowers are yellow and have red centers. An oblong, pointed, hairy capsule up to 3 inches long contains the kidney-shaped, grayish-brown musk-odored seeds. : Musky scented perennial; 5-7 feet high. Lower leaves often 3-lobed; median leaves lance-shaped. Flowers to 8 inches across; white, with a purple-red center; June to September.

Sometimes called mallow rose and wild cotton. : An herbaceous plant of the West Indies which is used like althea. : Found in tropics of the Old World. Both roots and fruit are used as demulcents, the leaves as emollient poultices. Known as okra or gumbo. : Marsh hibiscus, found in the swamps of the eastern United States. Used like althea. : Rose of China, Chinese hibiscus. Grown mostly for ornament, this shrub or small tree also has astringent and demulcent properties.

: Guinea sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, reselle; a tall annual plant found in the tropics of the Old World. The herb is useful as a diuretic and refrigerant. Hibiscus Sandariffa var. : Also called Jamaican sorrel, is a strong grower whose calyx is harvested for use in sauces and jellies. : A perennial herb found in Indochina. The root is said to be highly effective against excessive mucous discharge (blenorrhagia).

: A trailing shrub found in the tropical countries of Asia and Africa. It is used to soothe coughs and as an emollient. : Corkwood, Cuban bast, mahoe; A shrub or tree found in tropical countries. The inner bark has mucilaginous and emollient properties. : Flower-of-an-hour, Venice mallow; originally from central Africa, now found as a weed in North America. The plant has mucilaginous and emollient properties.

Where Found

: Grows wild in Egypt, India, and the East and West Indies; it is also cultivated elsewhere. : Marshes. Maryland to Florida; Alabama to Indiana.

Medicinal Properties

: Antispasmodic, nervine, stomachic.

Legends, Myths and Stories

In herb and spice shops hibiscus is sold under the name of Nubia flowers, red mallow, African mallow, carcade, or roselle; all these terms refer to hibiscus flowers. These are the dried calyxes and outer calyxes, harvested during fruiting season, of H. sabdariffa L. A shrubby member of the mallow family that is probably native to Africa but grows also in China, Mexico, Thailand, and the Sudan.

Slightly tart taste. The flowers do markedly improve the taste of all tea blends to which they are added.

Uses

Historical herbalists prepared an emulsion from the seeds of Hibiscus abelmoschus for spasmodic complaints, while an emulsion prepared with milk was traditionally applied to itchy skin. In Egyptian folk practice, the seeds were chewed for stomach complaints, to freshen the breath, and as an aphrodisiac. Due to their mucilaginous qualities, the leaves and roots of Hibiscus moscheutos were historically employed as demulcents and emollients for dysentery as well as lung and urinary complaints.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known as the Chinese hibiscus or Rose of China, was regarded as having demulcent and astringent qualities. In Malaya, a decoction of the roots was traditionally utilized as an eyewash, while Asian herbal traditions employed the bark as an emmenagogue. Herbalists utilized the flowers for fevers and mild gastrointestinal complaints. In Ayurvedic medicine, where the flowers are known as Japa, traditional practitioners utilized them for dysmenorrhea, coughs, and as a blood purifier.

How Sold

Commercial hibiscus teas are made either from the flowers or from the calyces of the flowers. Also available as a tincture.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F. A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.

David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992