Re: althea....hibiscus

[Guest guest]

Just a smattering of what you can find on the internet:

From http://www.herbalremedies.com/hibiscus.html

Hibiscus General InformationHibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia, even though its origins are in China. Some call it “shoe flower” as the flower was used for polishing shoesin the West Indies. Hibiscus is used in a variety of ways. Before the advent of cosmetics, the petals were used to darken and enhance women’s eyebrows.Poultices made from the juice of the leaves and root were used on skin eruptions and glandular swellings, and the Chinese have long used Hibiscus juiceto relieve painful and excessive menstruation and for the prevention of miscarriages. In Belize, the leaves are used to relieve headaches and fever.

- - - - - - - - - - - -Hibiscus Uses & Scientific Evidence ForToday, Hibiscus is still used for fevers and glandular infections, but it is also used to treat cystitis, venereal disease, coughs, and promote hair growth.The mashed leaves are applied to the head to soothe a headache. It is believed that Hibiscus works well as a blood purifier, and it is used for the reliefof painful and excessive menstruation.

Hibiscus Dosage InformationHibiscus comes in various forms and is an ingredient in many products. If using fresh Hibiscus, use it quickly after picking it, as the flowers cannot bekept fresh in or out of water. For use as a blood purifier, infuse the fresh petals in boiling water, and serve sweetened and flavored with a squeeze oflime juice. You can fry the flower in butter to use for excessive menstruation. For other formulations and products, it is best to read and follow productlabel directions.

Hibiscus Safety & Interaction InformationThere are no known safety issues or interactions associated with Hibiscus when taken in the recommended doses. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursingwomen, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not known.

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From http://www.hibiscus.org/toeat.php

Although there is a long history, dating back to Roman times,http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mallow07.html,of plants of the hibiscus family being used as a food or as a medicine, extreme care must be taken.

Firstly, it is obviously necessary to be certain of the identification of the plant. I have purchased hibiscus species from nurseries that have been incorrectlylabelled so the label on the plant is not a guarantee of correct identification.

Secondly, it has been suggested that one species of hibiscus may be an abortifacient.http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Hibiscus+diversifolius

Thirdly, DRUG INTERACTIONS need to be considered. See the following site for information on Hibiscus sabdariffa:

"Due to the diuretic action of this herb the following drug interactions are possible: increased risk of toxicity with anti-inflammatory analgesics; ifhypokalemia occurs possible antagonism with antiarrhythmics and potentiation of muscle relaxants; antagonizes antidiabetic (hypoglycemic) drugs; may potentiateand/or interfere with antihypertensives; may potentiate lithium therapy; when taken with corticosteroids there is a risk for hypokalemia; may potentiateother diuretics and increase the risk of hypokalemia. Due to the antihypertensive (hypotensive) action of this herb the following interactions are possible:when taken with anesthetics an increased hypotensive effect; potentiation of antihypertensives; when taken with diuretics difficulty with diuresis andhypertension may result; antagonism of sympathomimetics".http://www.nutritionfocus.com/nutrition_supplementation/herbs/Hibiscus.html

Finally, there are recorded instances of individual's who have had adverse reactions to members of the hibiscus family. In the Australian Food Plants StudyGroup Newsletter of February 1995 it was reported that one reader had suffered kidney damage from drinking Hibiscus heterophyllus tea over a few days.A message, no longer available on the internet, was posted to a bulletin board indicating that after three to four weeks of drinking hibiscus tea, theauthor experienced a very intense, hard heartbeat a day.

For those still interested in the edible or medical uses of hibiscus and hibiscus-like plants, the following references may be of interest.

INFORMATION ON THE WEB

1. Probably the starting point for whether any particular hibiscus is edible is to check sites that deal with CROPS such ashttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Indices/index_ab.html,which lists Abelmoschus esculentus, A. manihot and Hibiscus sabdariffa.

The Famine Foods is one part of this site and it is worth checking the Malvaceae sectionhttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/faminefoods/ff_families/MALVACEAE.htmlMalvaceae on the Famine Foods site include Hibiscus divaricatus, H. heterophyllus, H.mutabilis, H. sabdariffa, H. syriacus, H. trionum.

Another site that deals with crops ishttp://www.newcrops.uq.edu.au/listing/listingindexh.htmSpecies listed include Abelmoschus esculentus, A. manihot, A. moschatus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, H. sabdariffa, H. syriacus, H. tiliaceus.

2. It is useful to check whether the species is on the Plants for a Future (PFAF) site for detailed information on the species, including edibility andmedicinal useshttp://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html

type in hibiscus and click on the species in which you are interested. Edible species listed include:Abelmoschus esculentus, OkraAbelmoschus manihot, AibikaHibiscus acetosella, False roselleHibiscus cannabinus, KenafHibiscus diversifolius, Swamp hibiscusHibiscus heterophyllus, Native rosellaHibiscus mutabilis, Cotton roseHibiscus rosa-sinensis, Chinese hibiscusHibiscus sabdariffa, RoselleHibiscus sinosyriacus, Rose of SharonHibiscus syriacus, Rose of SharonHibiscus trionum, Flower of an hourHibiscus moscheutos, Swamp rose mallow (no reports of edibility but is listed as having medicinal properties).

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From http://www.healthrecipes.com/hibiscus.htm

This is a free excerpt from the book, God's Banquet Table

HIBISCUS This is a lovely annual flower with beautiful red flowers, commonly grown in flower gardens or indoor pots. The flowers are not just for ascetic pleasure,but have amazing flavoring qualities. In Africa, Karkade is the name given to a delicious hibiscus punch. It is also a great contribution to the popularrosehip tea giving it a lemony flavor and lovely red color.

Here’s a recipe of the popular African hibiscus punch.

2 cups water2 heaping tsp. hibiscus flowers2 cloves1/2 tsp. cinnamon small piece of vanilla pod

Add to boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey. Can be served hot or cold.

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From

http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-09-15-1

Hibiscus Flower Powerful Cholesterol Fighter

Folk treatment shows promise in animal trialsBy Liz BrownBetterhumans Staff9/15/2004 4:15 PM

The folk treatment hibiscus flower extract helps control cholesterol levels in animals and may reduce heart disease in humans, suggests a new animal study.

Hibiscus tea has long been thought to have health benefits such as prevention of constipation, nausea and bladder infections. Not surprisingly, the specieshibiscus sabdariffa is used in folk medicine to treat hypertension and liver disorder.

Chau-Jong Wang and colleagues atChung Shan Medical Universityin China wanted to find out if such uses had any merit. As a result, their study adds to evidence (such as this 2003 study, and this 2002 study)that the plant fights heart disease.

"These data strongly suggest that the extract has potential to prevent cholesterol deposition and may therefore be useful in the prevention and even treatment of a number of cardiovascular diseases in which cholesterol plays a major role," say the researchers.

Oxidation protection

Commonly grown for their large flowers, there are more than 200 species of hibiscus plants. As do red wine and tea, hibiscus flowers contain many antioxidants that can prevent oxidation that damages cells in the body.

In particular, Hibiscus contains flavonoids, polyphenolic compounds and anthocyanins which can prevent the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) that carry cholesterol from the liver to the cells around the body. When LDLs oxidize, they can cause high cholesterol levels and heart disease.

To test the power of hibiscus, the Chung Shan researchers divided lab rats into four groups and gave them either regular diets or high-cholesterol diets for three months. Each group was also supplemented with different amounts of hibiscus extract.

After the three months, the researchers did blood tests on the rats. The results showed that hibiscus significantly reduced cholesterol content in the blood and prevented oxidation of LDLs in the rats with high-cholesterol diets.

The research is reported in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

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From

http://herbalafrica.co.za/HerbsHibiscus.htm

Hibiscus sp.

Introduction:Recorded Medicinal uses:

The Shangaan use the Hibiscus sp. leaves in the form of tea for the treatment of hypertension, profuse menstruation and PMS.

In Guinea the plant is regarded as mucilaginous and tonic to heart and stomach. The seed is aromatic and has a musk-like odour used in perfumery under thename "Ambretta".

In South America and West Indies, the seed is a snakebite remedy. The leaf gives a very fair zone of inhibition, when tested for its antibacterial effect.

The leaf of Hibiscus sp. is used by the Xhosa as a dressing for septic wounds and is said to contain Mucilagae.

In the East Indies and Senegal the seed has been used as a remedy for eye diseases and dysentery. The seed oil contains 55.9% of stearic acid, 9.1% of palmitic,32.6% of oleic and 2.4% of linoleic. The flower yields a pigment canna hibiscetin.

The Swati use a decoction of the root and flower in pneumonia. A hydrochloric acid extract of the leaf and stem has given positive alkaloid tests.

A small piece of the root of Hibiscus malacospermus Harv. is chewed by the Europeans in Lydenburg (South Africa) to relieve heartburn. The Southern Sothouse the plant as a colic remedy. The Southern Sotho, also use the Hibiscus malacospermus E. Mey ex Harv. as a remedy for headaches and other ailments.

The root of Hibiscus pusillus Thumb. is used by the Zulu as an emetic in the treatment of "bad dreams" and by men as part of the preparation for courting.

The Zulu use a lotion of the leaf and stem of Hibiscus surattensis L. for the treatment of penile irritation of any sort, including venereal sores and urethritis.It is sometimes applied as an ointment for the same purposes. An infusion is also used as an injection into the urethra and vagina for gonorrhoea and otherinflammations.

Study - extracts from:Hibiscus 6-06-2000.txtJournal of Ethnopharmacology.Volume 65, Issue 3 AbstractJune 1999 ArticlePages 231-236PII: S0378-8741(98)00157-3Copyright © 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland LTD. All rights reserved.The effects of sour tea (hibiscus sabdariffa) on essential hypertension. M. Haji Farajia,* and A.H.Haji Tarkhaniba, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Eveen - Tehran19395-4139, Iran.b, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Faculty of Medicine, Eveen - Tehran19395-4139, Iran.

Considering the high prevalence of hypertension, its debilitating end organ damage, and the side effects of drugs used for its treatment, we conducted thisexperimental study to evaluate the effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on essential hypertension. For this purpose, 31 and 23 patients with moderateessential hypertension were randomly to an experimental and control group, respectively. Patients with secondary hypertension or those consuming more thantwo drugs were excluded from the study.

Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured before and 15 days after the intervention. In the experimental group, 45% of the patients were maleand 55% were female, and the mean age of the patients was 51.5±10.1 years. Statistical findings showed an 11.2% lowering of the systolic blood pressureand a 10.7% decrease of diastolic pressure in the experimental group 12 days after beginning the treatment, as compared with the first day.

The difference between the systolic blood pressures of the two groups was significant, as was the difference of the diastolic pressures of the two groups.Three days after stopping the treatment, the systolic blood pressure was elevated by 7.9%, and the diastolic pressure was elevated by 5.5% in the experimentaland control groups. This difference between the two groups was also significant. This study proves the public belief and the results of in vitro studies concerning the effects of sour tea on lowering high blood pressure. More extensive tests on this subject are needed.