Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
China rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), of the Malvaceae family. Evergreen shrub with large funnel-shaped flowers; native range: tropical Asia, long cultivated across China and India. Globally recognized as japa / oddapushpa in Sanskrit, gudhal in Hindi, gurhal (Urdu) in Arabic, and shoe flower, Chinese hibiscus, rose mallow in English. The part used is flower; also root and leaf. Broad five-petalled blooms, most often deep red, with a long staminal column; the petals mucilaginous and near tasteless, faintly astringent.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CHINA ROSE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- China rose
- Scientific name
- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
- Family
- Malvaceae
Form
- Part used
- flower; also root and leaf
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent · bitter (kashaya, tikta)
- Unani
- astringent · bland (mucilaginous)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
- Unani
- cold & dry (1st degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- uterus · heart
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- keshya (hair tonic), raktastambhana (checks uterine bleeding), garbhanirodhaka (antifertility), hridya (cardiac), varnya (complexion), refrigerant
- Unani
- mubarrid (refrigerant), muqawwi-e-dil (cardiotonic), for the hair, and emmenagogue for the womb
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy, given the flower's old repute to move the menses
- Toxicity
- very low at customary dose
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