The plant is primarily cultivated for the production of bast fiber from the stem. The fiber may be used as a substitute for jute in making burlap. Hibiscus, specifical roselle, has been used in folk medicine as a diuretic and mild laxative. The red calyces of the plant are increasingly exported to the United States and Europe, particularly Germany, where they are used as food colorings. It can be found in markets (as flowers or syrup) in places, such as France, where there are Senegalese immigrant communities. The green leaves are used like a spicy version of spinach. They give flavor to the Senegalese fish and rice dish thieboudienne. Proper records are not kept, but the Senegalese government estimates national production and consumption at 700 t (770 short tons) per year. In Burma, their green leaves are the main ingredient in chin baung kyaw curry.