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).
Scientific Name: Rheo discolor (L'Herit.) Hance, Rheo spathacea (Swartz) Stearn, Tradescantia spathacea Swartz
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 (usually with pork) or a drink (with brown sugar), for reducing body heatiness, relieving sore throat, and heaty cough.