182 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Eng. : — The Roselle of India or Red Sorrel of the W. 

 Indies. 



Habitat : — Cultivated in hotter parts of India. 

 An erect, cultivated annual shrub, glabrous, unarmed. Stem 

 purple. Leaves entire or 3-lobed, serrate, midrib glandular 

 beneath ; petiole 2 in. Peduncle solitary, axillary, shorter than 

 the petiole. Bracteoles and Calyx accrescent. Bracteoles 8-12, 

 linear, adnate to the base of the Calyx. Sepals dotted, acuminate, 

 bristly, connate below the midrib into a purplish fleshy cup. 

 Corolla 2 J in. diam., yellow. Capsule ovoid, pointed, villous, 

 shorter than the Calyx, seeds reniform, sub-glabrous. 



Parts used :— The seeds, fruit and leaves. 



Use : — The succulent calyx is used for the preparation of 

 what is called in Bombay Bazaars " Roselle " jelly or Rozal 

 jelly, and, when dried, as an article of diet like tamarind is 

 used much in curries. In bilious conditions, a diet drink 

 is made by boiling it with water and adding a little salt, 

 pepper, asafoetida and molasses (Dymock). 



Moodeen Sheriff recommends a decoction of the seeds as a 

 draught, in doses of from 1 to 2 drs., 3 or 4 times a day, in 

 dysuria and strangury, also in dyspepsia and debility. 



The fruit possesses anti-scorbutic properties. The leaves 

 are regarded as emollient. They are often cooked as vegetable 

 and in curries. K. R. K. 



The food plant roselle, Hibiscus Sabdariffa has recently been introduced 

 into tho Philippine Islands and is the sole representative of a type, in which 

 the calyx supplies the chief edible portion of the plant. After flowering, the 

 calyx thickens and enlarges until it assumes the appearance of a large bud, 

 which is harvested for making jam or jelly of a brilliant red colour and 

 pleasant acid taste, and for the preparation of syrup and wine. The chemical 

 composition of the calyx is very similar to that of the cranberry, comprising 

 inter alia 3*31 per cent, of malic acid, 0'83 per cent, of invert sugar, and 0*24 

 per cent, of sucrose. The malic acid present consists entirely of the dextro- 

 rotatory modification, which form has never previously been identified in plant 

 composition, and the acidity of the fruit is due entirely to it, analysis proving 

 the absence of Tartaric and Citric acids. The roselle leaves contain about 1*25 

 per cent, and the stems about 0*60 per cent, of dextro malic acid, in conse- 

 quence of which, both stems and leaves can be utilised in conjunction with the 

 calyxes, when a brilliantly coloured food product is required. 



J. Ch. I. Jan. 31, 1913 p. 104. 



