a flowering plant

This red-flowered annual herb is a tropical plant that is commonly used in jams, jellies, sauces, beverages and teas. It provides a tart, refreshing flavor to these foods and drinks.

Hibiscus sabdariffa Leaves are commonly used in Egypt for nerve and heart disorders. In Europe, the flowers have been traditionally used to treat colds, upper respiratory congestion, loss of appetite, circulatory impairment and as a mild laxative and diuretic.

As A Treatment"...Other activities attributed to hibiscus are uterine and intestinal antispasmodic, bacteriocidal, appetite suppressant, diuretic and mild laxative..."

Hibiscus (real name, George Harris, Jr. ) (1949-1982) was leader of the psychedelic gay liberation theatre group known as the Cockettes in early 1970's San Francisco. His commune in a condemned Victorian on Sutter near Steiner in San Francisco was a member of a group of communes called Kali Flower that was dedicated to distributing free food and to creating free art and theater. The Cockettes, consisting of gay hippies (Gippies), women, and even babies, decked themselves out in drag and glitter for a series of legendary midnight musicals at the Palace Theater on Columbus and Union in North Beach in San Francisco California.