Hibiscus syriacus, commonly known as rose of Sharon, is a widely cultivated ornamental plant bearing a large showy flower. It is native to eastern and southern Asia but now grown throughout the world. Rose of Sharon is renowned for its beauty as well as its medicinal uses. The flowers, leaves, and roots are edible and it is also made into a tea. It has been employed as a medicine in Asia to alleviate many ailments such as cough, fevers, and indigestion problems. As for topical application on skin, it has been used as an emollient. 

Some scientific articles have reported its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria such as B. cereus, S. aureus, and E. coli. A research isolated hydroxyhibiscone A and hibiscone D from methanol extract of H. syriacus, which showed human neutrophil elastase inhibitory activities in a dose dependent manner.