Abstract

POTENTIAL BIOACTIVE PROPERTIES OF HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA (ROSELLE)

Bireswar Bhattacharya* and Charu Sharma

ABSTRACT

According to World Health Organisation, around 80% of the population around the world uses herbal medicine. The utilization of the same is expected to grow within the forthcoming years and hence may lead to the necessity of developing newer products which are more potent, less toxic and give a lifelong benefit. Hibiscus sabdariffa commonly known as sorrel or roselle is a tropical plant that is grown and used widely across the globe for its multiple utilities. The plant is generally cultivated as a garden plant or in multi-crop cultivation and is typically reared for its flower and red calyces that has always been a crucial resource for medicinal treatment of many chronic and degenerative diseases like diabetes, kidney and urinary bladder stone, cancer etc. The seeds, leaves and stem of Hibiscus sabdariffa are also reported to be used in the food, pharmaceutical and fibre industry in spite of having 220 other Hibiscus species all around the world. In the current review, the potential pharmacological properties of the plant extract viz. Antioxidant, Antiviral, Anticancer, Antimicrobial, Hepatoprotective, Diuretic, Immunomodulation, Anti-obesity, Hypo-cholesterolemic, Antifungal, Antipyretic, Anti-anaemic, Reno-protective, Hypotensive, and Anti-urolithiasis are focused and elaborated with an aim to serve it as a ready reference for future research and necessary exploitation of the plant for pharmaceutical and neutraceutical applications.

Keywords: viz. Antioxidant, Antiviral, Anticancer, Antimicrobial and etc.