The efficacy and function of hibiscus leaves

Hibiscus leaves are very nutritious and precious medicinal materials. Eating hibiscus leaves regularly can have very good effects and functions. So how should we eat hibiscus leaves? What specific benefits can eating hibiscus leaves bring to our body? We need to understand some professional knowledge of hibiscus leaves to answer these questions.

【English Name】 Folium Hibisci Mutabilis

[Other names] Hibiscus, Hibiscus, Mountain Hibiscus, Plum flower, Three-change flower, Kapok

[Source] The leaves of Hibiscus mutabilis L., a plant of the Malvaceae family. Harvest in summer and autumn and sun-dried.

[Original morphology] Deciduous shrub or small tree, 2 to 5 meters high, with stems, leaves, fruit stalks, bracts and calyx densely covered with stellate hairs and short soft hairs. Stem cylindrical. The leaves are alternate, ovate-cordate, 7 to 18 cm in diameter, 5 to 7 palmately divided, with blunt teeth on the edges; the petiole is 5 to 13 cm long. The flowers are large, about 8 cm in diameter; the pedicel is 5 to 10 cm long, with nodes near the top; there are 8 to 10 bracteoles, linear; the calyx is bell-shaped, about 2.5 cm long, with ovate lobes; the petals are white or pink, gradually becoming darker after opening, single or double, and fused with the stamen column at the base; the ovary has 5 chambers. The capsule is oblate, 22.5 to 3 cm in diameter, with 5 lobes, densely covered with light yellow bristles or wool. The seeds are numerous, kidney-shaped, and have long hairs on the back. The flowering period is from August to October, and the fruiting period is from September to November.

【Habitat distribution】 Cultivated throughout the country.

[Properties] The leaves are mostly curled and broken. When intact, they are oval-heart-shaped when flattened, with 3 to 7 shallow lobes, and the lobes are triangular. The upper surface is dark yellow-green, the lower surface is gray-green, with 7 to 11 leaf veins, raised on both sides. It has a faint smell and a slightly spicy taste.

【Chemical composition】 Contains flavonoids, phenols, amino acids, reducing sugars and mucus.

[Nature and flavor] Cool in nature, slightly spicy in taste.

【Functions and indications】 Clears the lungs and cools the blood, reduces swelling and discharges pus. Used for lung heat cough, hypertrophic rhinitis, lymphadenitis, appendicitis, carbuncle, abscess, acute otitis media, burns and scalds.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

Above we introduced what hibiscus leaves are. We know that hibiscus leaves can not only be used to treat diseases but also have good health benefits, so we must be good at using hibiscus leaves to protect our health.