Roselle: A Functional Food with High Nutritional and Medicinal Values

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is more than an eye-catching crop and has been used in number of dishes, beverages and conventional remedy of diseases for centuries. It is popular for its edible fleshy calyces and leaves that are used for making salads, tea, juices, jams, jellies, ice-cream, and many other products. In many countries of the world fresh calyces of roselle are harvested to produce pro-health drink due to its high vitamin C and anthocyanins contents. But in Bangladesh the roselle leaves and calyces are used as vegetables and its fibre is used as jute substitute. Roselle is also famous for its high nutritional and medicinal values. Nutritional analysis of the calyces of roselle showed that they are high in calcium, iron, niacin and riboflavin. It is also a source of antioxidants, anthocyanins which acts as free radical scavengers and inhibit lipid per-oxidation. Consumption of roselle products such as fresh juice, tea, jam, jelly or in the form of capsule rich in anthocyanin protect human body from the harmful reaction of free radical by antioxidant activity. Roselle is a multipurpose crop and has great potential to increase the income of farmers, producers, processors of Bangladesh by fetching higher market price both from export and local market.