Gongura / Lal-mista/ Mastapat / লালমিষ্টা,চুকার/মস্তাপট (Bengali) /Pitwaa (Hindi)

General features: In English, this perennial tropical herb is called Sorrel or Roselle leaves. It is a form of Hibiscus sabdariffa that belongs to the Malvaceae family of Hibiscus genus. Gongura is mostly grown in warm tropical climates. The plant is primarily grown for the consumption of edible leaves providing a touch of sour taste to the cuisines. Besides leaves the other plant parts are also edible like flowers/fruits or calyces. This perennial herb is frequently used in cooking Andhra or Telugu dishes. The name Gongura originates from the Telegu language of Southern India. It is a native of either India or Malaysia although it has been widely cultivated in the African continent. In India, it is grown in Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tripura, Arunachal, and other Northeastern states. It is also extensively cultivated in the Caribbean and South Pacific islands, particularly in Fiji. Gongura is available in two varieties, green or red stemmed. The latter one offers a sourer taste. The plant is also called Ambaadi in Maharashtra. In West Bengal, its flowers/fruits or calyces are known as “Amlamadhu” / অম্লমধু  (Bengali).  It grows as a dense shrub and is almost 6 – 8 ft tall. The stems are either green or reddish-purple. The leaves are dark green, 3 – 5 inches long, and serrated having finger-shaped leaflets. The Gongura leaves are enriched with iron, vitamins, folic acid, and several essential antioxidants beneficial for human health [1]. The calyces are erroneously called flowers/fruits, a collection of sepals, botanically termed calyx. It is a part of the flowering plant that protects the bud and supports the petal once it blooms. They are 3 – 4 inches in diameter having a deep red spot at the bottom of each petal and a prominent calyx at the base, 0.4 – 0.8 inches wide that further enlarges to ~ 1.5 inches turning to fleshy crimson color becoming a matured fruit in six months with seeds inside.  The sweet-tart fruits have flavors like cranberries, red currants, or rhubarb. It is rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins. The leaves are a good source of folate, riboflavin, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, and C. They are also rich in Calcium and are diabetic-friendly. [2]. Gongura is often considered a medicinal plant. Its fruit juice is known to reduce alcohol absorption thereby helping remove hangovers which has been used for years in Latin nations, particularly in Guatemala. It is often applied to treat coughs and digestive problems in several African nations, named “Sudan tea”. In Caribbean nations, it is used in a popular Christmas drink called “Sorrel Shandy”. The plant root and seed extract are used to calm upset stomachs in India and Brazil [3]. Further, different plant parts find diverse traditional uses in different communities around the world.

History of Gongura uses: The herb has been cultivated for several centuries by the Southern Indian people, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, for edible reasons. In recent days, its superb nutritional values have been established. The leaves add distinctive tartness as well as pungency to the cooked meals and are used by major populations of Southern India irrespective of castes and tribes. The leaves are often prepared as pickles, adding numerous spices like coriander and chilies to add more hot and spicy flavor. The flowers/fruits/calyces are also used for making pickles. They provide instant appealing spicy flavor to food and are also often utilized to prepare jams, jellies, or syrups. The fruits are highly rich in vitamin C and packed with a variety of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Both leaves, flowers, and fruits reduce inflammation, and fever, and strengthen bones. Mixing with buttermilk, juice from leaves is administered as a traditional remedy to treat indigestion, colds, and even jaundice [4].

Nutritional value: Gongura leaves are often used in cooking but their calyces, despite being consumed for culinary use, find uses in traditional medicinal reasons. Both leaves and calyces have good nutritional benefits. The leaves (per 100 grams) have 0.3 grams of fat, 9.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 3.3 grams of proteins. The leaves are also enriched with iron (1.7 mg) calcium (123 mg), magnesium (123 mg), phosphorus (20 mg), vitamin C, riboflavin, and carotenes. Other minerals like potassium, zinc, manganese, copper, and sodium are present in trace amounts. The seed oil has palmitic and stearic acids and synthesizes unsaturated acids oleic and linoleic. Calyces are enriched with vitamin C, numerous pigments, and minerals including several organic acids like malic, maleic, hibisic, oxalic, tartaric, citric, and several others. The pigments or the coloring materials have significant medicinal value. They are rich in calcium (12.63 mg), iron (8.98 mg), carotene (0.3 mg), ascorbic acid (6.7 mg), niacin (3.8 mg), phosphorous (273.2 m), thiamine (0.12 mg), and proteins (1.15 g) [5].

Traditional medicinal uses: The Gongura plant has a long history of uses in many nations like China, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Caribbeans, Latinos, and several African nations [6]. Most uses are directed to culinary or cosmetics. In recent days, the Gongura plant has found immense importance regarding alternative medicines. It exhibits diuretic, analgesic, choleretic, antitussive, and hypotensive effects. It also alleviates plasma viscosity, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, and lowers body temperature. As a traditional medicine, it has been further used to treat nervous, and cardiovascular diseases, which include atherosclerosis, obesity, hepatic disorders, regulating arterial hypertension, and even genital problems [7,8]. Experiments have added that they have antioxidant, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, antilipidemic, hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic properties [9].

Phytochemistry: The phytochemicals are secondary metabolites destined to protect plant life. However, they are differentially distributed all over the plant body e.g., leaves, flowers, calyces, and seeds. In the case of Gongura, they are largely favorable and protective of human health while preventing many metabolic disorders and degenerative diseases, even cancers or tumors.  Plenty of research has already been carried out to establish the facts. Gongura extracts contain a large number of organic acids e.g., malic, citric, hibiscus, hydroxy citric, and tartaric acids which are identified to be the major phytocomponents. In addition to those, the plant also synthesizes saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids (unidentified), anthocyanins, tannins, and phenolics. Further, the roots contain tartaric acid and saponins [10]. Hibiscus acid or hydroxy citric acid are mostly localized in the calyces. It is also an antiobesity agent. The extract of calyces inhibits fat synthesis as observed during animal experiments in the laboratory [11].

Common phytochemicals from Gongura leaves, flowers/fruits, and calyces [12].

Acid	Aliphatics	Flavonoids	Peptide	Phenolics	Polysaccharides	Steroids	Tocopherols
Malic	Linoleic acid	Protocatechuic Acid	Roseltider  T1 (Plant Knottins)	Neochlorogenic Acid	Glucose	Cholesterol	Α-tocopherol
Tartaric	Isoamyl  alcohol	Quercitin		Cryptoclorogenic Acid	Galactose	Campesterol	Γ-tocopherol
Citric	Iso-propyl Alcohol	Hibiscetine		Ferulic acid	Mannose	B-sitosterol	Δ-tocopherol
Hibiscus	Methanol	Sabdaretine		Coumaroylquinic Acid	Rhamnose	Clerosterol
Ascorbic	Ethanol	Gossypatine		Caffeoyl shikimic  Acid		Δ-5-avenosterol
	3-methyl-1 butanol	Hibiscitrin		Eugenol
	Benzyl Alcohol	Naringenin
		Rutin
		Isoquercetin
		Kaempferol-3- O-rutinoside
		Kaempferol-3- O-glucoside
		kaempferol
		Myricetin –  glycoside
		Cyanidine- glycosides
		Delphinidin- glycosides

The other components are riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, β-carotene and a few saponins. The compounds of major interest are anthocyanins. They are naturally synthesized pigments mostly in flowers and calyces providing red or other colors. From the calyces several anthocyanins belonging to cyanidin families are identified e.g., hibiscin/hiviscin which is cyanidin-3-glucoside, and the others are delphinidin-3 sambuboside, cyanidin-3-5 di-glucoside, etc [13]. They are rich in anthocyanin complexes thereby appearing with deep colors. Anthocyanins are often used as a natural dye for their colored pigments. However, they have far more potential as pharmaceutical agents offering beneficial properties in health. A multitude of studies have already established that they possess strong antioxidant activities. They can improve neurological health, prevent numerous non-communicable diseases, improve visual conditions, and exert antimicrobial effects. Versatile pathways and mechanisms are involved while exhibiting those effects e.g., free radical scavenging, cyclooxygenase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and inflammatory cytokines signaling [14].

Soluble dietary fibers, vitamin C, phenolic acids, and many flavonoids, mostly luteolin, are present in the leaves. The decoction prepared from leaves can reduce hypertension significantly including excessive coughing [15]. The calyces are loaded with pectin, proteins, calcium citrate, minerals, and vitamins. The infusion made of flower petals is prescribed for fevers whereas roots are offered in case of stomachic or as an emollient for external uses. Leaves are frequently used in Southern Indian cooking. They have a strong digestive role. They also act as diuretics, antiseptics, sedatives, laxatives, demulscent, and tonic. The leaves contain flavonoids, saponins, phenolics, tannins, steroids, and glycosides. Among them, flavonoids and phenolics are the major components [16]. Gongura flowers/fruits are also a huge reservoir of versatile phytochemicals e.g., carbohydrates, numerous sugars, phenolics, varieties of organic acids, glucosides, anthocyanins, flavonoids, tannins, and resins [17].

The seeds synthesize steroids and tocopherols which are identified in the extracted oil. It is low in cholesterol content but enriched in phytosterols and tocopherols especially β – sitosterol and γ-tocopherols. In addition, the oil contains linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids at higher concentrations. Uniquely, the seeds have a high level of proteins, 33.5 g /100 g. The other phyto components present are saponins, tannins, flavonoids, and steroids [17].

Pharmacological effects: Besides being used for edible purposes, the Gongura plant exhibits a huge pharmacological role while acting as an anti-hypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemic, diuretic, hepato-protective, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant agent. The leaves are also potential sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants having large medicinal values [18].

Anti-obesity and hypolipidemic activities – In experimentally induced obese mice, by administering monosodium glutamate (MSG) for sixty days, it has been noticed that simultaneous feeding of aqueous extract of Gongura leaves reduces the body weight gain very significantly. The ethanol extraction also provides identical acts at moderate or higher doses in rats establishing that it can control fat absorption and body weight performing as an anti-obesity agent [19]. The effect has been mediated by modifying the P13-K/Akt and ERK pathway which has a crucial role in adipogenesis [20]. The extracts also have potent hypocholesterolemic actions which is noticed in humans taking one gram for a month leading to a considerable lowering of serum cholesterol. In a way, Gongura shows anti-atherosclerotic activity by inhibiting foam cell generation and subsequent migration of smooth muscle cells in addition to blocking calcification inside the blood vessels [21]. Considerable reduction is observed in LDL level also. The extract of calyces is seen as more effective in this regard [21].

Antidiabetic effect – In alloxan-induced diabetic rats 200 mg/kg Gongura leaf extract with polyphenol-enriched fraction can efficiently reduce hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, advanced glycation end product, and lipid peroxidation [22]. The extract acts as a potent inhibitor of pancreatic α-amylase [23]. The calyces extract alleviates insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress in high fructose-induced metabolic syndrome rats. It inhibits three crucial enzymes α – / β- glucosidase and α – amylase, assisting anti-diabetic therapy [24]. The inhibition of pancreatic α – amylase and intestinal α – glucosidase decelerates the digestion of carbohydrates to more absorbable monosaccharides which is a therapeutic strategy often followed to control post-prandial hyperglycemia [23].

Antioxidant effect – The ethanolic extracts of Gongura leaves, seeds, and calyces have shown antioxidant actions as experimented by scavenging the free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) while inhibiting xanthine oxidase or preventing the cell damage via lipid peroxidation [13, 25]. The extracts also inhibit the generation of malondialdehyde, the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, and the production of Thiobarbutyric reactive species (TBARS) by Cu⁺² ion [26]. Further, it prevents glutathione depletion and alters the actions of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the liver and circulating blood [27]. Regarding calyx extract, it potently reduces the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase also increases levels of malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyl, and levels of fragmented DNA induced by high fructose diet [28].

Antihypertensive and cardioprotective activities – The plant extract shows antihypertensive effects in both humans and animals. The effects are mediated via vaso-relaxants, diuretics, modulation of calcium ion channels, and inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme by anthocyanins [13,29]. The extract also exhibits cardio-protective actions by enhancing myocardial capillarization in spontaneously hypertensive rats that are fed with aqueous extracts of calyces and by reversing cardiac hypertrophy in 2K-1C hypertensive rats [30]. The polyphenolic fraction of Gongura produces a negative inotropic effect, negative chronotropic, and positive ionotropic responses probably by modulating calcium entry, release, and reuptake in the heart muscles suggesting that polyphenolic fraction could be the potential candidate to treat arrhythmia [31].

Anticancer effect – Protocatechuic acid in Gongura extract is found to be a unique ingredient that can potently inhibit 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced tumors in female CD-1 mice. Prior treatment with protocatechuic acid quite efficiently prevents the incidence of tumor development [32]. Advantageously, the aqueous calyx extract produces a 91% reduction in micronucleus frequency and protects against cyclophosphamide-induced DNA damage. On the other hand, methanolic extract of calyx potently inhibits Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells (IC₅₀ ~ 28.16 µg/ml) [33,34]. Protocatechuic acid is one of the major ingredients liable for inducing apoptosis in leukemia cell lines HL- 60 in a dose-dependent manner [35]. Besides protocatechuic acid, a few glycoside derivatives of roselle show anticancer effects by inhibiting mutagenicity [36]. The Gongura flowers and calyces are noticed to be a good source of antimutagenic compounds [37].

Anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and analgesic effect – The dried ethanol extract (200 – 800 mg/Kg) of calyces reduces yeast-induced fever in rats. However, it does not show anti-inflammatory or anti-nociceptive actions. The anti-nociceptive effect is only observed in the case of acetic acid-induced writhing test whereas anti-inflammatory action is noticed in xylene-induced ear edema in mice. Its analgesic properties have been observed during experiments on laboratory rats which is quite significant. So, the extract has proven substantial antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties [13].

Nephroprotective action – In both type-1 and type–2 diabetes, diabetic nephropathy leads to end-stage renal disease. Oxidative stress has been identified to be one of the leading factors responsible for diabetic nephropathy. The Gongura extracts or particularly its polyphenolic fractions have significant antidiabetic actions on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. It reduces kidney mass created by STZ and improves hydropic changes of proximal convoluted renal tubules. Additionally, it lowers serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL in STZ-induced animals. It also enhances the activities of catalase and glutathione and simultaneously reduces lipid peroxidation [38]. The nephroprotective effect is due to the upregulation of Akt/BAD/14-3-3γ and nuclear factor-kappa-beta (NF-κβ) mediated transcription [39]. The extract alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal inflammation while down-regulating the cytokine network subsequently preventing the generation of pro-inflammatory ingredients via NF-κβ pathway. On the other hand, the calyx extract especially its anthocyanin fractions additionally prevents adenine-induced chronic kidney diseases. As a dietary supplement, Gongura or its calyces can attenuate chronic kidney diseases [40,41]. No harmful changes are noticed regarding blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, or potassium levels [42].

Anti-bacterial and antimicrobial effects – Experiments have provided considerable information that Gongura extracts have antimicrobial effects when studied in vitro by following disc diffusion procedures. The effect is comparable to streptomycin when tested against known Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Micrococcus luteous, Clostridium sporogens, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas fluorescence [43].

Hepatoprotective effect – Prior treatment with the polyphenolic fraction of Gongura extract protects from acetaminophen-induced liver injury in BALB/c mice [44]. It augments glutathione levels, alleviates the level of peroxidation, and increases catalase activities in the liver. In other experiments using CCl₄ treatment on the liver, extract reduces steatosis and fibrosis while lowering the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase. It also restores the lowering of glutathione levels and prevents lipid peroxidation [45]. Besides it helps reduce body weight gain and protect the liver preventing fat accumulation, attenuating steatosis, down-regulating sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP-1c), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) thereby blocking the increment of IL-1, TNF-α mRNA, lipoperoxidation subsequently increasing catalase mRNA in obese C57BL/6NHsd mice [46]. The extract of calyces also exhibits very similar effects [47].

Miscellaneous effects: In addition to the above effects Gongura leaf or its calix extract exhibit a few more effects.

1. Anti-anemic effect – by enhancing the mineral availability, particularly iron, calcium, and magnesium [48].
2. Vaso-relaxant effect on smooth muscle, inhibiting bladder, and uterine contractility [49].
3. Diuretic and natriuretic effects – Owing to the release of NO from vascular endothelium by quercitin causing renal vaso-dilation thus increasing kidney filtration rate [50].
4. Immuno-modulatory effects – The effect could be due to both cell and humoral mediated [51].

Conclusion: Gongura leaves have been used in India for a long period, particularly in cooking. It is an admirable plant providing a beneficial health role with the least adversarial effects. A great majority of valuable effects are already known from the traditional knowledge and many of them have been already verified in laboratory studies. However extra clinical trials are still necessary for further validation to intensify further confidence.

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