Scientific Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

Common Names: Jamaican Sorel, Roselle

Family: Malvaceae

Other Names: Krajiab, Krajiab Preaw, Phak Keng Keng, Som Keng Keng, Som Ta Leng Khreng

Botanical Characteristics: Roselle is a shrub that grows between 50-180 cm tall. It has several varieties. The stem is reddish-purple, and the leaves are simple, palmately lobed with 3 or 5 lobes, measuring 8-15 cm in both width and length. The flowers are solitary, emerging from leaf axils, with pink or yellow petals and a deep red center. The fruit is dry and dehiscent, surrounded by succulent red calyces.

Medicinal Properties

Calyx: The calyx or the remaining flower parts are used to lower blood cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Roselle can reduce blood pressure without adverse effects. Roselle tea helps reduce blood viscosity and is effective in treating arteriosclerosis. It also acts as a diuretic, further helping to lower blood pressure. Roselle aids in digestion without increasing stomach acid secretion, enhances bile secretion from the liver, and refreshes the body due to its citric acid content.

Leaves: The leaves are used to treat parasites, act as an expectorant, relieve cough, and expel mucus from the throat to the rectum.

Flowers: The flowers treat kidney and bladder stones, relieve dysuria, dissolve blood fats, and act as an expectorant and mucolytic.

Fruits: The fruits lower blood cholesterol, quench thirst, and heal gastric ulcers.

Seeds: The seeds invigorate the body, improve digestion, treat liver disorders, act as a diuretic, and lower blood cholesterol.

Additionally, unspecified parts of the plant are used to treat fatigue, invigorate the body, improve digestion, treat liver disorders, relieve dysuria, quench thirst, lower blood pressure, act as an expectorant, relieve cough, expel mucus from the intestines, lower blood fat, nourish the blood, reduce body temperature, treat diabetes, and prevent arterial blockage. Roselle is also used in herbal combinations to treat parasitic infections.

Method and Dosage

Dry the red calyces or sepals, grind them into powder, and use one teaspoon (3 grams) per cup of boiling water (250 ml). Drink the clear red liquid three times daily until symptoms improve.

Chemical Constituents

Flowers: Contain protocatechuic acid, hibiscetin, hibicin, organic acids, malvin, and gossypetin.

Nutritional Value

Roselle tea, with its sour taste, is made by boiling the calyces with water and adding sugar. It is used to relieve heat, quench thirst, and prevent cholesterol buildup. Roselle can also be made into jelly, jam, or used as a coloring agent. Young leaves can be eaten as vegetables or used in sour soups. The plant, also known as “Som Pho Maha,” contains vitamin A in the leaves, which aids in eye health, while the calyces and petals contain calcium, promoting strong bones and teeth.