Roselle

Common Names: Red Sorrel,Sorrel, Florida cranberry, Rosella,Indian Sorrel

Scientific Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa

 Roselle is an erect herbaceous, nearly smooth annual herb with straight, prickly purple stems[i] under the family of Malvaceae(1) .It grows from 1 to 2 meters high with deep penetrating root.Its flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) insect pollinated.  The stem is reddish in color. Its leaves are alternate, have long-petiole, palmately divided into 3-7, with serrate margin. Capsules are ovoid, beaked and hairy 5cm long, 5.3 cm wide.(6)

Important Parts:

Flower

 

                       

Flowers, borne singly in the leaf axils, are up to 5 in (12.5 cm) wide, yellow or buff with a rose or maroon eye, and turn pink as they wither at the end of the day.(9)

Seeds

Seeds are kidney-shaped and covered with minute, stout and stellate hairs.(9)

Active constituents:

Hibiscus contains free acids, which includes citric acid, maleic acid , and tartaric acid. It also contains polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanin and delphinidin that gives it its deep red color characteristic. Steroid, hibiscin, tannin and carbohydrates are also present.(8)

Uses

Traditional Uses

• Seeds are used as a decoction to cure earache, strangury (slow, painful urination) mild dyspepsia, weakness and as an appetizer.(1)
• Infusion of leaves is used for dysentery, purgative,decreases blood viscoscity, choloretic, febrifugal and hypotensive.
• Heated leaves fasten the maturation of skin ulcer, boil and applied on sole cracks.(9)
• All plant parts have been used as an astringent, cooling agent, diuretic.(2)
• It also has antioxidant .antihyperlipidemic, hypocholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity.(2)(11)

 

Pharmacological Uses

Internal

• Antimicrobial

 Hibiscus sabdariffa produced a zone of inhibition on antimicrobial properties of E. coli (Escherichia coli), K.pnuemonia, and S. typhi. Antimicrobial activity may be the result of phenolic compounds including flavonoid present in the plant. The mean zones of inhibition showed that Hibiscus sabdariffa L. exhibited a remarkable antimicrobial activity and a low MIC against S. dysenteriae compared to other test organisms.(10)

     

• Anticancer

Cancer cell apoptosis are caused by anthocyanins. Its oxidative anti-oxidative activity is eveluated by their effects on LDL (low Density Lipoprotein) oxidation in free cell system ans anti-apopotic abilities.Study showed that anthocyanins present on Hibiscus sabdariffa may be used in inhibiting LDL oxidation , acting as a chemopreventive agent.

• Hepatoprotective:

Protective effects of dried flower extracts against oxidative stress in rat hepatocytes were demonstrated. Protocathechuic acid, which was extracted from H. sabdariffa, showed protective effects against cytotoxicity and genotoxicityof hepatocytes.(5)

Acetaminophen induced hepatic necrosis is due to large amount of intake of over-the-counter drug acetaminophen. Study showed that induced liver damage in mice using single dose (250 mg/kg) of acetaminophen and H. sabdarifa the possible protective effects of administration (100 mg/ kg) of the plant. The result suggested that these plants can act as hepatoprotective against paracetamol toxicity and that the mechanism by which they do this is by acting as oxidants.(4)

• Antioxidant activity

Study showed that the antioxidant and free radical scavering effects of two fractions of the ethonol extract, chloroform soluble fraction and ethyl acetate, were investigated and both scavenge hydrogen peroxide. the extracts showed inhibitory effects on superoxide anion radicals at 1000ug dose.

• Antihyperlipidemic

The inhibitory effects of the plant extract on low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and hyperlipidemia in fructose and cholesterol-fed rats was demonstrated. it showed the the extract reduced the level of LDL-cholesterol compared to HDL- cholesterol.

• Antimotility

Inhibition of intestinal motility by menthol extract in rats showed that a significant dose dependent relaxant on rat ileal comparable to the effect shown by nifedipine and papaverin as reference compounds.

External:

•  Dye
  
  Study showed that the use of H. sabdariffa for the differential staining effect on nuclear, cytoplasmic and other structures. Roselle extract therefore shows reasonable potential as a candidate nuclear stain especially when used with iron aluminum o potassium alum and acidified with acetic acid.(11)(12)

Toxicity:

 Median Lethal dose calyx extract in rats is estimated to be higher than 5 g/ kg.(13) An experiment in rats using dosage of up to 5 g/ kg daily over 12 weeks found a reduction of epidymal sperm count, evidence of histological damage and disintegration of sperm cells.(14)

Sources 

1.     JC Kurian, 2010.Amazing Healing Plants

2.      Trease and Evans,2010. Pharmacognosy 16^th Edition

3.      Ali BH, Al Wabel N, Blunden G. Phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.: a review. Phytother Res . 2005;19(5):369-375

4.     Dahiru d, Obi OJ and Umaru H, 2003, Biochemistry. Hibiscus sabdariffa extract enhances recovery from hepatic damage induced by carbon tetrachloride

5.     Amin A, Hamza AA. Hepatoprotective effects of Hibiscus, Rosmarinus and Salvia on azathioprine-induced toxicity in rats. Life Sci . 2005;77(3):266-278.

6.      (Orwa etal.2009) Agrofrestry Datbase 4.0           http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/AFTPDFS/Hibiscus_sabdariffa.pdf

7.      Jason Solomon, February 2013 http://sciencezoneja.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/hibiscus-sabdariffa/ 

8.     INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES,Vol. 1 (3) Jul-Sep 2012, Phytochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activity of Hibiscus sabdariffaLinn http://www.ijpcsonline.com/files/45-187.pdf

9.     Julia F. Morton In: Fruits of warm climates https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/roselle.html

10. Ewansiha J. U., 12 March, 2014. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) leaf extracts and its phytochemical propertieshttp://www.peakjournals.org/Archive/pjmpr/2014/march/pdf/PJMPR-14-003%20Ewansiha%20.pdf 

11. Roselle, October 2013    http://www.stuartxchange.com/Roselle.html

12. Egbujo, E. C. ; Adisa, O. J. & Yahaya, A. B.

A Study of the Staining Effect of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on the Histologic Section of the Testis     http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.phpscript=sci_arttext&pid=S0717-95022008000400022&lng=en&nrm=iso&ignore=.html

13. Hibiscus  http://www.drugs.com/npp/roselle.html 

14. N Mahadevan, Shivali and Pradeep Kamboj, accepted 2008. Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. Overview. http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/3769/1/NPR%208(1)%2077-83.pdf 

Compiled by: Vic Anne  Francis Giron

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