Gen info
Hibiscus syriacus is the national flower of South Korea.

Botany
Gumamelang-asul is a smooth and erect shrub growing to a height of 2 meters. Leaves are cuneiform-ovate, about 5 cm long, nearly or quite smooth, 3-lobed with toothed margins. Flowers are pale bluish-violet that do not open fully. Petals are obovate petals. Capsules are oblong, slightly hairy. Seeds are also hairy.

Distribution
- Ornamental cultivation.
- Nowhere naturaized.
- Native of tropical or subtropical Asia.
- Now widely cultivated.

Constituents
• Bark contains mucilage, carotenoids, sesquiterpenes, anthocyanidins.

Properties
• Considered anthelmintic, antiphlogistic, antipruritic, demulcent, diuretic, emollinet, expectorant, febrifuge,stomachic and styptic.
• Bark and roots are mucilaginous.

Parts used
Flowers, bark and roots.

Uses
Edibility
• In infusio
Folkloric
• In Malaya, infusion of dried flowers used as a diuretic. Also used for itches and other skin ailments.
• Decoction of flowers used for dizziness, bloody stools.
• Leaves are used as stomachic.
• In Indo-China, used for dysentery.
• Bark and roots are mucilaginous; used as demulcent, for diarrhea, dysentery and dysmenorrhea.
• Seeds used for headaches and colds: also used in combination with pig marrow as an application fto discharging ulcers.
• Flowers sometimes used as subtitute for tea.
Others
• Stems yield a fiber, used for making paper and rope.
• Hair shampoo made from the leaves.
• Blue dye obtained from the flowers.

Studies
• Antioxidant: Study on the stems and roots of Hibiscus syriacus showed the extract of heat-treated HS was more effective than those of non-treated HS in reducing the stable free radical DPPH.
• Antiproliferative / Cytotoxicity: Study showed the acetone extract of HS exhibited better cytotoxic effect on lung cancer cells than the methanol and water extract. Results show HS-AE exerts significant dose-dependent anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
• Naphthalenes / Cytotoxicity / Anti-Lipid Peroxidantion: Study isolated three naphthalenes from the root bark of Hibiscus syriacus – syriacusins A, B and C. The compounds exhibited lipid peroxidation and one showed cytotoxicity against some human cancer cell lines.
• Anthocyanidin Malonylglucosides: Methanolic formic acid extract of petals yielded 3-O-malonylglucosides of delphinidin, cyanidin, pentunidin, pelargonidin, peonidin and malvidin.
• Triterpene Esters / Lipid Peroxidation Inhibition / Cytotoxicity: Root bark yielded two triterpene caffeates. Both compounds exhibited lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and significant cytotoxicity against a panel of human cancer lines.
• Coumarins / MAO Inhibitory Activity: Root bark yielded a coumarin, a new coumarin lignan, and known compounds scopoletin and cleomisconsins A, C, and D, The coumarin analogue and scopoletin inhibited MAO, while the coumarin lignan and cleomiscosin C exhibited lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity comparable to vitamin E.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated.