Ayurvedic medicine seems to lend credence to the particularly virtues of this plant by prescribing it as an emmenagogue effective in promoting a woman's period. The root yields a drug which Ayurveda believes to be useful in treating venereal disease. In Ayurvedic medicine, the hibiscus flower and leaf extracts are used to regulate the menstrual cycle and to treat problems related to the menstrual cycle in women.
Traditionally it is used as mild analgesic, mild laxative, antispasmodic, Aphrodisiac, Astringent, Demulcent and emmenogogue. It is a sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms. The flowers are aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and refrigerant.
They are used internally in the treatment of excessive and painful menstruation, cystitis, venereal diseases, feverish illnesses, bronchial catarrh, coughs and to promote hair growth. An infusion of the flowers is given as a cooling drink to ill people. The leaves are anodyne, aperients, emollient and laxative.
A decoction is used as a lotion in the treatment of fever. The leaves and flowers are beaten into a paste and poultice onto cancerous swellings and mumps. The flowers are used in the treatment of carbuncles, mumps, fever and sores. The root is a good source of mucilage and is used as a substitute for marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) in the treatment of coughs and colds. A paste made from the root is used in the treatment of venereal diseases.