A REVIEW ON THE MEDICINAL VALUES OF THE PLANT Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.

Dr. Debaprotim Dasgupta*, Prerona Choudhury, Dhritilata Pegu

ABSTRACT

Roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) of Malvaceae family is an annual herbaceous shrub belonging to the family Malvaceae. Sudan is considered as the country in which Roselle originated, particularly in the Kordofan and Darfur areas. Roselle is known as karkade in the Sudan and other Arab countries. It is mainly grown for its fleshy calyx (sepals), which is the commercially valuable part of the plant. The color of the calyx plays an important role in determining the quality of karkade. This plant finds its mention in folk medicine of North East India for its use in various ailments. In the present day studies, the proximate value and nutritional quality, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial properties, anti-proliferative activity and apoptosis-inducing capacity of roselle found in North East India. Nutritional evaluation of the calyx establishes it as a good source of dietary antioxidants and ascorbic acid.

Keywords: Hibiscus sabdariffa, cancer cells, antioxidant, antimicrobial activity, anti-proliferative activity, apoptosis.