Linn.
Synonym: Abelmoschus moschatus Medic.
Family: Malvaceae.
Habitat: Throughout the warmer parts and hilly regions of India; also cultivated.
English: Musk Seed, Muskmallow, Ambette Seed.
Ayurvedic: Lataakasturi, Lataakas- turikaa, Kattaphala, Katuka.
Unani: Mushkdaanaa.
Siddha/Tamil: Kasturi-vendai.
Action: Seeds—diuretic, antispas- modic, stomachic, nervine (nervous debility, hysteria and other nervous disorders). Used externally for skin diseases and itch. Mucilage made from the root and leaves is prescribed in venereal diseases, urinary discharges and painful micturition. Seeds, steeped in water, are used for asthma, cold, flu.
Fatty oil of seeds contains phospholipids—alpha cephalin, phosphatidyl- serine and its plasmalogen and phos- phatidylcholine plasmalogen. Absolute contains farnesol and ambrettolic acid lactones.The seeds contain chiefly 2-trans, 6-trans-farnesyl acetate, 2-cis, 6-trans farnesyl acetate and ambrettolide. The leaves contain beta-sitosterol and its beta-D-glucoside.
Dosage: Seed—2-4 g powder. (API Vol. IV.)
(Sorrel)
Dried Hibiscus flowers are made into a tea that offers very high health benefits. Hibiscus tea is known to lower blood pressure, reduce high cholesterol and strengthen the immune system (it’s rich in Vitamin C). Hibiscus flower infusions have known to reduce hypertension as well, in people prone to this condition. A recent study reveals that hibiscus tea is rich in antioxidants, which protect the body against cell-damaging free radicals. Red zinger tea and sorrel tea contain hibiscus.... hibiscus flower tea
Linn.
Family: Malvaceae.
Habitat: Native to the West Indies; now cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Assam and Tamil Nadu.
English: Roselle, Jamaican Sorrel, Natal Sorrel, Red Sorrel.
Ayurvedic: Ambashtthaki.
Siddha/Tamil: Sivappu Kashmakki, Pulichai-keerai, Gogu, Seemai Kaseru.
Folk: Laal-ambaadi, Patavaa, Patsan.
Action: Digestive, choleretic, antibilious, laxative, diuretic, hypotensive, antiscorbutic. Used as a cardiac and nervine tonic for disorders of circulation, also for calcified arteries.
Key application: Flowers—used for loss of appetite, for colds, catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract and stomach, for disorders of circulation. (Included among unapproved herbs by German Commission E.)The seeds contain sterols, including 3.2% ergosterol; leaves contain sitosterol-beta-D-galactoside. Flowers contain myricetin, kaempferol and quercetin, but did not contain free mutagenic flavonol aglycons.The aqueous extract of flower buds has been reported to decrease blood pressure, cause relaxation of rat uterus. Succulent sepals and leaves—hypoten- sive, antimicrobial and anthelmintic.Oil and unsapanofiable matter—antibacterial, antifungal.
Dosage: Root—5-10 g. (API Vol. III.)... hibiscus sabdariffa