7 Health Benefits of Roselle

I am not a fan of herbal teas. But started learning about them and thought of giving them a try. I’ve bought recently roselle to try it out and I loooooved itttt. What I have is mixed with pomegranate.  Its so good. So I read about its benefits and thought to write a post about it.

What is Roselle?

Roselle is common for its nice bright red color and its unique flavor. It is traditional herbal plant. Grown in warm areas like Africa, Malasia, India, Phillipines ..etc. Calyces is the most exploited part of this plant (the pointy part of the flower shown in the picture). It is the part that most people use to make herbals drinks, jams, jellies and more…

And by the way, this plant is not merely used for flavor and color. It is popular for its pharmaceutical purposes as well. Many studies confirmed its impact on health.  

Rosella’s Health Benefits

Apart from their “delightful” taste, Roselle is a good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It has a abundant amount of Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin A. All of which for sure has a promising impact on our health. Moreover, the calyces of Roselle are rich in anthocyanin (responsible for the red pigment), and other phenolic compounds that give the plant anti-inflammatory property…

1. Laxative/Aids digestion

In many regions around the world, Rosella is a traditional laxative and diuretic. As a treatment for constipation. Moreover, it was a common intestinal antiseptic meaning a cleanser for your digestive system and by that it aids digestion. All the thanks go to the good amount of magnesium it includes. Magnesium helps in the relaxation of intestinal muscles, thus ease the movement of our bowel. Furthermore, magnesium has the property of attracting water which helps in softening the stool and smooth its pass to the exit.

2. Blood pressure management

One of the main pharmaceutical uses of Roselle is managing blood pressure. As it was historically common treatment for hypertension, especially in Iran, Sudan and Egypt. It was known as a cooling drink that dilate the arteries. Consequently, lower the blood pressure. And nowadays, studies have confirmed it. Furthermore, it does not merely lower blood pressure, but it increases the HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels and it lowers the LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), triglycerides and other studies observed a decrease in glucose levels as well.

3. Maintain healthy teeth

Roselle is a calcium-rich plant. That why it has a promising impact on our bone, and notably our teeth’s health. Also, it keeps the jaw bone strong throughout our life. It was used historically to treat toothaches.

4. Treats common cold

Since Roselle has good levels of vitamin C, it is good to boost the immune system. Helping in fighting against common cold, coughs and fever. In addition, studies found roselle helps to relieve symptoms of bronchitis and coughs.

5. Weakness

I guess this one of the popular problems that our generation suffer from. WEAKNESS. And all the blame goes to the current followed lifestyle. However, this attractive red color herbal drink could help in improving our body state. Due to the phosphorus in Roselle, minor health problems like muscle numbness, weakness, fatigue and exhaustion are alleviated.

6. Anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties

Roselle, as mentioned above, is rich of many vitamins, minerals and other components (antioxidants) that gives it anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. And since Roselle has these properties, a lot of symptoms can be alleviated, like toothaches, weakness, common cold, hypertension. All mentioned above.

In sum, Roselle has the ability to boost our immunity, making it able to fight against any intruder.

7. Other

There are other benefits of Roselle as it maintains a healthy pregnancy, for its iron content. Moreover, Roselle commonly used to smooth out stiff muscles, and to treat external wounds. People traditionally used it in combination with lemon balm and St John’s wort for restlessness and poor sleep. So it is good for those who suffer from poor sleep. Others used it to treat liver diseases.

After all, Roselle as whole plant, from the seed to the leaves to petals is full of vitamins and minerals that have outstanding health benefits. It can be consumed in mannnnny ways. Adding to that, it tastes sooo good. And I believe it is a good coffee substitute 😉

References

• Ismail, A., Ikram, E. H. K., & Nazri, H. S. M. (2008). Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seeds nutritional composition protein quality and health benefits. Food, 2(1), 1-16.
• Shruthi, V. H., & Ramachandra, C. T. (2019). Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyces: a potential source of natural color and its health benefits. In Food Bioactives (pp. 169-190). Apple Academic Press.
• https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/roselle/
• https://www.todaysdietitian.com/whitepapers/Hibiscus_Sabdariffa.pdf
• http://www.f2ffoundation.org/faa/index.php/home/article/view/56
• http://www.yommbeverages.com/documents/Extension-Circular-hibiscus.pdf
• https://www.rhymbahillstea.com/health-benefits-roselle