General
info
· About 300 species
are found worldwide. Its beauty makes it one of the most widely cultivated
of flowers, in brilliant huers of red, orange, or purplish-reds, with
short-lived but continuing blooms.
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· An erect, much-branched,
glabrous shrub, 1 to 4 m high.
· Leaves: glossy green, ovate, acuminate, pointeed, coarsely-toothed,
7 to 12 cm long, alternate, stipulate.
· Flowers: solitary, axillary, very large. Outermost series of
bracteoles 6, lanceolate, green, and 8 mm long or less. Calyx green,
2 cm long, lobes ovate. Petals commonly red, obovate, entire, rounded
tip, and imbricate. Stamens forming a long staminal tube enclosing the
entire style of the pistil and protruding out of the corolla. Ovary
5-celled, styles 5, fused below.
· Fruits: capsules, loculicidally 5-valved, but rarely formed
in cultivation
Distribution
Ornamental cultivation
throughout the whole country.
Cuttings used for propagation.
Parts
utilized
· Flowers,
roots, and leaves.
· Harvest the roots and leaves anytime of the year.
· Wash, cut into slices, and sun-dry. The flowers should
be collected from May to August, sun-dry.
Constituents and properties
· Considered emollient,
emmenagogue, anodyne, expectorant, refrigerant.
· Anti-infectious, anthelmintic, antiinflammatory, diuretic,
antipyretic.
· Hypotensive, antispasmodic.
· Prepared drug has sweet taste, neutral natured.
· The Hibiscus with five petals noted for its medicinal properties,
the flowers are considerede astringent. The roots contain a mucilage
that is soothing on the mucous membranes of the digestive and respiratory
tracts.
· Studies have isolated flavonoids, cyanidin, quercetin, hentriacontane, calcium oxalate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid.
Constituents
Hibiscotin.
Flowers: Flavonoids and proanthocyanidins which are antioxidant, antipyretic,
analgesic, spasmolytic.
Polysaccharides which promote wound healing and are immune-modulating. (Link)
Uses
Folkloric
· Mumps, infection
of the urinary tract: use dried drug materials 15 to 30 gms, boil to
decoction and drink.
· For abscesses, carbuncles and boils: crush fresh leaves and
poultice the infected area. Also, pound flower buds into a paste and
apply to external swellings; also used for boils, cancerous swellings
and mumps.
· Decoction of roots, barks, leaves and flowers used as an emollient.
· Decoction from roots of red and white-flowered plants used
as an antidote for poison.
· Bark is an emmenagogue; also used to normalize menstruation.
· Seeds used as a stimulant and for cramps.
· Decoction of leaves for fevers.
· For headaches, an infusion of leaves or poultice of leaves.
· Leaves are mildly laxative.
· Mucilage during labor.
· Red flowers are purgative; when taken with papaya seeds, may
be abortive.
· Infusion of leaves as an expectorant in bronchitis.
· Hair stimulant: oil made by mixing the juice of fresh petals
and olive oil for stimulating hair growth.
• In Costa Rica, used as a purgative.
• In Venezuela, used to treat tumors.
• In the Carribean, used as analgesic,
anti-inflammatory.
• In the Dominican Republic, used
to treat hematomas.
Culinary
A tasty tea is brewed from
its petals.
Studies
• Biologic Activities: Studies have demonstrated
anti-bacterial, hypotensive, antispasmodic, and chemopreventive activities.
It has shown glucose lowering in diabetic rats. Leaf extract has shown
to promote hair growth.
• Post-Coital
Antifertility Activity:
(1) The study explored the antifertility and estrogenic activity of
root extracts of H. rosa-sinensis. A strong anti-implantation and uterotropic
activity was observed. (2) Study of different extracts on the postcoital antifertility properties showed only the flower extracts were 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. Extracts from H mutabilis, H schizopetalus and M grandiflorus did not markedly affect pregnancy.
• Wound Healing Activity: Results on flower extracts study suggest
H. rosa-sinensis aids wound healing in the rat model.
• Cardioprotective: Cardioprotective effect of the Hibiscus
rosa sinensis flowers in an oxidative stress model of myocardial ischemic
reperfusion injury in rat: The study concludes that the flower
of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis augments endogenous antioxidant activity and
prevented isoproterenol induced myocardial injury.
• Spasmogenic / Spasmolytic Constituents: Presence of cholinergic and calcium channel
blocking activities explains the traditional use of Hibiscus rosasinensis
in constipation and diarrhoea: Study indicates the crude
extract had spasmogenic and spasmolytic constituents to explain its
traditional use in constipation and diarrhea.
• Phytochemical / Hypotensive Activity: Flowers extract studies isolated four new phytoconstituents. The hydroalcholic extract showed the most significant hypotensive activity.
• Hypoglycemic / Hypolipidemic Activity: (1) Study of ethanol flower extract on lipids and blood glucose of STZ-induced diabetic rats showed a lipid lowering effect (decrease cholesterol and serum triglycerides with increase in HDL) and diminution in blood glucose comparable to that of glibenclamide but through a mechanism other than insulin release. (2) Study showed a hypolipidemic effect compared to the standard drug guggulipid. Histopath findings in rat liver supported the role of H rosa sinensis root extract in preventing cholesterol HFD-induced hepatic steatosis.
• Antitumore / Anticancer: Study to investigate the ameliorative potential of H rosa sinensis extract in mice skin showed the extract of HRS exerts a protective effect against tumor promotion stage of cancer development.
• Excipient Potential: Study concludes that a novel hydrophilic excipient, a mucilage extracted from H rosa sinensis can be used in the development of sustained-release tablets.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated for ornamental use.
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