REDUCING HEATINESS AND TREATING ACNE

Whenever I had an outbreak of pimples, my mum would go to the market and buy the Ham Kak Fa or Larger Rheo flowers above to boil with brown sugar for me to drink. After a few times of drinking the concoction which tastes a lot like sugar cane juice, my complexion would have cleared and everything would be back to normal.

I bought the flowers again from the market this morning as I will be boiling them for the weekly sales of Herbal Drinks for the school resource centre. I try to introduce different types of herbs so that the teachers, staff and students of my school would know the medicinal uses of various types of herbs. By the way, this herb is planted in the school herb garden but unfortunately the flowers are not enough for commercial purposes.

Here is more information about the herb:

Common names: 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 treatment of sore throat, cough, for quenching thirst, and it is externally used as anti inflammatory medication . The Chinese use the fresh flowers and flower bracs by boiling them as soup or a drink (with brown sugar), for reducing body heatiness, relieving sore throat, treating acne and heaty cough.
Source: http://flora-ma.tripod.com/mc/cmrdw01a.htm