BUNGA NENAS KERANG (RHEO FLOWERS)

To promote the use of herbs for health, the library teachers and the librarians would make and sell herbal drinks each Wednesday. One of the herbs that was promoted today was the Bunga Kerang Nenas besar. At first my students thought that I had boiled cockles (kerang) with pineapples (nenas) to come up with the drink. No! No! No! No! I did not do that. Instead there really is a plant called Kerang Nenas. There is the large flowering type which I used to boil the herbal drink and a smaller decorative type.

Here is more information about the nenas kerang.

Malay Name: Bunga Nenas Kerang Besar, Bunga Kerang Besar, Reo Ungu Besar, Larger Rheo,

Ham Kak Fa (Cantonese).
Family: COMMELINACEAE
Scientific Name: Rheo discolor (L'Herit.) Hance, Rheo spathacea (Swartz) Stearn, Tradescantia spathacea Swartz

Medicinal uses:

The Thai use the fresh leaves for threatment of sore throat, cough, relieves thurst, and externally used as an anti inflammatory. The Chinese use the fresh flowers and flower bracs by boiling it as a soup (usually with pork), for reducing body heatiness, relief of sore throat, and heat cough.

Source: http://flora-ma.tripod.com/mc/cmrdw01a.htm