Rose of Sharon or Hibiscus spp. (the species could be syriacus) of the Malvaceae family aka the mallows are deciduous shrubs native to Asia. The shrub is highly prized for the beautiful flowers that open during mid-summer which can be a wonderful addition to a home landscape when all other flowers are done by June. What most people are unaware of (including myself up until just recently) is that the entire shrub is edible and medicinal.
What makes Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) unique is that they can grow in much colder areas than tropical hibiscus. Plus, unlike perennial hibiscus, they are woody shrubs that persist above ground through winter, with new growth emerging on those same branches in spring.
Uses Beyond Ornamentation:
Beyond its ornamental features, Rose of Sharon serves various other purposes. Flowers and leaves from Rose of Sharon are used by hobbyists to make a dye to color fabrics and yarns a soft green, grey, or tan, depending on the mordant. All parts of the Rose of Sharon are edible, including seeds, foliage, open flowers, and flower buds. Even the fibrous root is edible. The mucilaginous leaves can be used as a thickener for soups and stews. The mild-flavored flowers and young leaves may be eaten raw in salads. Dried Rose of Sharon flowers are used medicinally by herbalists to lower blood pressure and address digestion issues. The plant is not dangerous if eaten by dogs, cats, or horses.
Medicinal use of Rose Of Sharon:
The leaves are diuretic, expectorant and stomachic. A decoction of the flowers is diuretic, ophthalmic and stomachic. It is also used in the treatment of itch and other skin diseases, dizziness and bloody stools accompanied by much gas.
A decoction of the root bark is antiphlogistic, demulcent, emollient, febrifuge, haemostatic and vermifuge. It is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, abdominal pain, leucorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea and dermaphytosis.
Mucilagenous substances soothes, heals, protects, any mucous membrane in your body. Mucopolysaccharides or mucous with many sugars, when ingested coats the inside of your body. When they reach your large intestine they are partially broken down by the bowel flora and long story short becomes a ‘pre-biotic’ because it feeds the good flora in your gut. Thus giving you good intestinal health and soothing. Now think of inflamed situations in the GI tract that Rose of Sharon could soothe: heartburn, ulcers, IBS, colitis etc.
As an emollient the mucilage will help bring down inflammation from ailments such as rashes, burns, bites, and stings. If using a dried powdered form of demulcent and you add just a little bit of water it will actually act like an astringent in that it will dry, draw, and shrink tissue.
Drying the flowers and powdering them to keep on had for adding to tooth powders, facial exfoliants, or even added in to body butters.
Make the leaves and flowers into tea for internal soothing or even make an herbal oil with the flowers. It is possible to use the bark for demulcent qualities as well. The root bark may be used as a febrifuge and even a vermifuge.
Eat the flowers raw or added to salads for a splash of color. The taste is very mild, not sweet or bitter – come to think of it very ‘mallow’ like if you have eaten any mallows. The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked however I can’t say from experience about the flavor since it is too late in the season to eat them that way. Apparently the root is also edible but I don’t see any reason to dig it up just to eat.
