|
Hibiscus
has a high amount of plant acids, which are difficult to absorb and act as a
mild laxative and diuretic. Reduces blood pressure. Reduces cholesterol. AVOID
in Stomach hyperacidity; AVOID in pregnancy. Use small amounts (see below) to
start, gradually building up to taste.
Makes a delicious
wine - especially when combined with Chinese tealeaves—in the ratio
of 1:4 by weight (1/4 Chinese tea) Tart Cranberry-like taste.
Use: 3 grams (1
teaspoon) per 6 oz cup. Heat water just to the boil. Steep for 5-10
minutes or to taste.
To make one quart
(1000 ml)
Usually flowers are
used and the amount varies per taste. If fresh a handful, if dried 2-3
tablespoons.
Heat 500 ml of water
in a pot. When it starts boiling add Hibiscus. And boil for four
minutes. Strain to remove pieces and set aside. Add 500 ml of cool
water and let it stand for 10 minutes. The tea should be neither too red
nor too clear, but rather the color of cranberry juice. Add sugar to
taste, serve chilled.
For
Kombucha Mushroom Tea, Water-Kefir or
Japanese Water Crystals use fresh flower or dried Hibiscus at
a reduced rate. Typical use is 5 fresh flowers or 2-3 teaspoons dried
Hibiscus per gallon (4000 ml). You may add Hibiscus directly to the
fermenting liquid, or after the active ferment, either in the
bottling stage or
secondary fermentation stage.
The flowers are a
colorful addition to salads, used in jams jellies sauces and wines,
ice-cream sherbets butter pies sauces tarts and other desserts. Tender
leaves and stalks are eaten as salad and to season curries. Seeds have
been used as an aphrodisiac coffee substitute. Fruits are edible, makes
a fruity, fragrant smoke, both for meats and fish, and smoked in a pipe.
I have never tried smoking it but I have tried placing some water-soaked
dried Hibiscus thrown on hot coals in a fish Bar-B-Q.
Used in
Traditional Chinese
Medicine
Chinese
lnames are; Meiguiqie;
Luoshenhua; Luoshenkui; Shanqie; Luojikui; Hongjinmei; Hongmeiguo; These
are mainly differentiated by the part of the plant used.
LATIN NAME: Hibisci
Sabdariffae Calyx
ENGLISH NAME: Roselle
Calyx
NATURE: Cool;
Aromatic; Sour; Non-TOXIC
CHANNELS: Kidney
CONTAINS: high in
Vitamin C & antioxidants
DOSE: As Decoction /
Tea: 2-3 grams /time as refreshing drink but 9-15 grams as medicine
ACTIONS: Clear Heat
and Toxin; Antioxidant~ free radical scavenger; Reduce Blood
Consistency; Restrain Lung & Ease Cough.; Hypotensor ; Rectify Lipid
metabolism; Hypocholesterolaemic; Slimming (Reduce Fat); Calm Liver &
Descend Fire; Ease Hangover; Drain Damp & Diuretic; Anti- inflammation;
Digestive; stimulate intestinal peristalsis; Aids Calcium absorption;
Engender Fluids; Promote Secretion; Ease Thirst; Awaken Brain; Calms the
Mind; Aid Intestine; Calms Uterus Muscle; Dispel Parasites; stimulate
growth in children;
INDICATIONS: Lung
cough from deficiency; hypertension;
drunkenness; obesity;
hypercholesterolaemia; Heart disease;
hypertension;
arteriosclerosis;
CAUTIONS: high in
organic acids; AVOID in Stomach hyperacidity; AVOID in pregnancy
....................
Chinese names:
Furonghua; Mufuronghua; Jushuanghua; Mulianhua; Difuronghua; Qixinghua;
Shuifurong, Shuangjianghua; Huamu; Huapishu; Zuijiufurong; Dayefurong;
LATIN NAME: Hibisci
Mutabilis / Indici Flower
ENGLISH NAME:
Cottonrose Hibiscus Fl; Parts used: Fl, Fm,
NATURE: Cold / Even;
Acrid, Bitter / Bitter~ slightly; Sweet; Non-TOXIC
CHANNELS: Lung; Liver
DOSE: Oral: As
Deccoction: Dried Herb: 6-15grams; max 30gram/dose; Fresh Herb:
30-60gram; Topical: crushed (fresh Herb) / as finely ground powder in
ointment / paste;
ACTIONS: Clear Heat +
Clear Toxin;
Disperse Heat & Lessen
Swelling; Clear Lung Heat &
Cool Blood; Drain
swelling. Treats malignant ulcer; cough; carbuncle gangrene; Ease Pain;
ease Abscesses / carbuncles & Swelling; Lessen skin sores & ulcers with
swelling; Tonify Qi & Harmonize Blood; Open Channels & Quicken Blood;
Treats diarrhea; Haemostat;
Anti-inflammation; As
Topical to Clear Toxin; Lessen Swelling; Ease Pain.
INDICATIONS: used in
Heat / Toxin causing sepsis, skin sores & ulcers w swelling, abscesses,
cellulitis, carbuncle, sc gangrene with swelling & pain; acne,
gangrenous wounds, furunculosis, malignant boils, ulcers; ulcerated
furuncle / carbuncle / abscess; ulcerated swellings; Toxic sores /
swellings; breast abscess; Lung Heat / Lung abscess Lung Deficiency
Consumptive (TB) with cough & sepsis; Large Intestine Heat with
diarrhea; snakebite with "Snakehead boils"; infected swelling. After
intramuscular injection; inflammation acute Heat / Fire / Toxin (ophthalmitis
acute (Fire Eyes); leucorrhoea; burns fire / scalding water (scalds,
steam burns fire burns; moxibustion sores~ non-healing); external trauma
& fractures w pain & swelling; Heat / Toxin / Blood Heat causing
Reckless Blood / bleeding, especially Menses heavy / prolonged /
excessive; haematemesis / haemoptysis / metrorrhagia; Channels Block
with Blood Flow poor; pediatric Wind Convulsions & colic (abdomen pain);
Qi and Blood Disharmony
Other Folk Medicine.
Largely acts as a spasmolytic, antibacterial, cholagogic, diuretic and
anthelmintic properties. Studies have shown aqueous extracts of hibiscus
flowers relaxes the muscles of the uterus and to lower the blood
pressure.
Medicinally, leaves
are emollient, and are much used in Guinea as a diuretic, refrigerant,
and sedative; fruits are antiscorbutic; leaves, seeds, and ripe calyxes
are diuretic and antiscorbutic; and the succulent calyx, boiled in
water, is used as a drink in bilious attacks; flowers contain gossypetin,
anthocyanin, and glucoside hibiscin, which may have diuretic and
choleretic effects, decreasing the viscosity of the blood, reducing
blood pressure and stimulating intestinal peristalsis. In Burma, the
seed are used for debility, the leaves as emollient. in traditional
Hawaiian medicine. The flower buds are chewed as a laxative. Taiwanese
regard the seed as diuretic, laxative, and tonic. Philippines use the
bitter root as an aperitive and tonic (Perry, 1980). Angolans use the
mucilaginous leaves as an emollient and as a soothing cough remedy.
Central Africans poultice the leaves on abscesses.
Clinical Trials
11.2% decrease in systolic blood pressure and 10.7% decrease of
diastolic pressure after 12 days in 31 patients with moderate essential
hypertension taking Hibiscus vs. control group Haji Faraji 1999 Urine
excretion of creatinine uric acid citrate tartrate calcium sodium
potassium and phosphate decreased in 36 men consuming roselle juice
(Hibiscus sabdariffa) @ 16-24 g/d Kirdpon 1994
Alcoholics might
hibiscus: simulated ingestion of the plant extract decreased the rate of
absorption of alcohol lessening the intensity of alcohol effects in
chickens (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk).
Cholesterol / Heart
Disease - a study at the Chung Shan University in Taiwan involving rats
on high cholesterol diets demonstrated that an extract of the hibiscus
flower significantly lowered cholesterol content in blood serum and
prevented oxidation of LDL, "bad", cholesterol. "Experiments have shown
that compounds extracted from red wine and tea reduce cholesterol and
lipid build-up in the arteries of rats." This is the first study to show
that Hibiscus extract has the same effect."
- Dr. Chau-Jong Wang,
lead researcher
Hypertension - in one
study individuals with hypertension were given hibiscus tea once daily
for 12 days. Members of the control group lowered their blood pressure
by 11% versus 4% for the control group.
Liver Disorder -
hibiscus is thought to help with liver disorders, though no studies to
this effect have been done.
Chang-Che Chen, Fen-Pi
Chou, Yung-Chyan Ho, Wea-Lung Lin, Chin-Pin Wang, Erl-Shyh Kao, An-Chung
Huang and Chau-Jong Wang "Inhibitory effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L
extract on low-density lipoprotein oxidation and anti-heperlipidemia in
fructose-fed and cholesterol-fed rats" Journal of the Science of Food
and Agriculture Volume 84
Haji Faraji M, Haji
Tarkhani A. "The effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on essential
hypertension." Journal Ethnopharmacol 1999;65:231-6.
Hibiscus popular
world-wide.
also known as; Jamaica
(Mexico); Karkade (Switzerland) Karkade (Arabic) "Flor de Jamaica."
(Jamaica) Central America (agua de jamaica), which is made from calyces
of the roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa). Karkade is the Arabic word
for the roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) meaning sweet tea. Trinidad
and Tobago create Shandy Sorrel (hibiscus tea with beer).jus de bissap
"national drink of Senegal". wanjo in Gambia, zobo or tsobo in Nigeria,
and Red Zinger in the U.S.
|
