Botanical name : ABELMOSCHUS MOSCHATUS

Family name : MALVACEAE

Common Name : AMBRETTE SEEDS, HIBISCUS ABELMOSCHUS, MUSK MALLOW, MUSK OKRA, ORNAMENTAL OKRA, ANNUAL HIBISCUS, YORKA OKRA, GALU GASTURI, BAMIA MOSCHATA.

Part Used : seeds, seeds oil

Habitat : Cultivated in India

Uses :Ambrette seeds come from a tropical hibiscus. The seeds contain an oil with a fatty-musky, slightly ambery odour. Its most important odoriferous components are the macrocyclic musks 5(Z)-tetradecen-14-olide and 7(Z)-hexadecen-16-olide, also called ambrettolide [6]. The oil was formerly highly appreciated in perfumery, but has now been largely replaced by synthetic musks.The seeds have a strong aroma of musk, and have been known as grani moschi. Relaxing and stimulating powers are attributed to them; and some cases, apparently authentic, have been recorded, in which they seemed to have a decided influence in casting out the poison of snakes. Possibly a further and more careful investigation of their properties, would show them to be an agreeable and useful article in cases where mild nervous prostration required a diffusible stimulant and relaxant. At present, they seem to be used for nothing beyond giving flavor to the coffee of the Arabs..