Chembarathy

PLANT DESCRIPTION An evergreen woody shrub grows up to 8 meters in height. Leaves simple, bright green, ovate and serrate towards the end. Flowers are beautiful, solitary and axillary. MEDICINAL PROPERTIES Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, cough, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, pruritus, burning sensation, fever, alopecia and dandruff.

Useful part: Root, Fruit.

Hibiscus Rosasinensis (chembarathi or chemparathi) is an ornamental plant seen in almost all parts of Kerala. Its Latin name, rosa-sinensis translates into the rose of China or Chinese rose. This flower is predominant in almost all parts of India and China.

Women and girls (of Kerala) prepare a special herbal shampoo called chembarathi thali, by rubbing the leaves and flowers of chembarathi against a clean rock slab. This helps them with thickly growing, black shining hair.

Chembarathy