Abelmoschus moschatus

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Abelmoschus moschatus

Abelmoschus moschatus (Ambrette seeds, Annual hibiscus, Bamia Moschata, Galu Gasturi, Muskdana, Musk mallow, Musk okra, Musk seeds, Ornamental okra, Rose mallow seeds, Tropical jewel hibiscus, Yorka okra; syn. Hibiscus abelmoschus L.) is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the Malvaceae

Malvaceae

Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. The largest genera in terms of number of species include Hibiscus , Sterculia , Dombeya , Pavonia and Sida ....
family, which is native to India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
.

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Encyclopedia

Malvaceae

India

Musk

Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals....
. Despite its tropical origin the plant is frost hardy.

Uses of the plant

Musk mallow oil was once used as a substitute for animal musk

Musk

Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals....
; however this use is now mostly discontinued as it can cause photosensitivity

Photosensitivity in animals

Photosensitivity reactions, aka photosensitization, are abnormal skin reactions in animals when exposed to direct sunlight. It is unrelated to a sunburn....
.

It has many culinary uses. The seeds are added to coffee; unripe pods ("musk okra"), leaves and new shoots are eaten as vegetables. It is also found in a number of traditional herbal liqueurs, such as Bénédictine

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy....
.

Different parts of the plant have uses in traditional

Traditional medicine

The term traditional medicine describes medical knowledge systems, which developed over centuries within various societies before the era of modern medicine; traditional medicines include practices such as herbal medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, Siddha Medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, S...
and complementary medicine, not all of which have been scientifically proven. It is used externally to relieve spasm

Spasm

A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow Organ , or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice....
s of the digestive tract

Gastrointestinal tract

The digestive tract is the system of Organ s within multicellular animals that takes in food, digestion it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste....
, cramp, poor circulation and aching joints. It is also considered an insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects in all developmental forms. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the Egg and larvae of insects respectively....
and an aphrodisiac

Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is a substance which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek mythology of sensuality....
.

In industry the root mucilage provides sizing for paper; tobacco is sometimes flavoured with the flowers.

External links

photo

Deni Bown: The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Herbs (1995) ISBN