Brew. Bakruwiwiri, Petiveria alliacea, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In the welcoming warmth of the Tropical Greenhouse of the Hortus I noticed these miniscule white flowers. They're of Petiveria alliacea, which hails from the tropical climes of the Americas. In Suriname - formerly a Dutch colony - it's called Bakruwiwiri, something like: plant used as a herb against jungle demons. There are several recipes to prepare such a brew in the highly informative book by Tinde van Andel and Sofie Ruysschaert, Medicinale en rituele planten van Suriname (2011).
Our plant - whch smells strongly of garlic - has many other uses among which as a mosquito repellent and apparently, too, as a medication that eliminates cancer cells from the blood.
Brew. Bakruwiwiri, Petiveria alliacea, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In the welcoming warmth of the Tropical Greenhouse of the Hortus I noticed these miniscule white flowers. They're of Petiveria alliacea, which hails from the tropical climes of the Americas. In Suriname - formerly a Dutch colony - it's called Bakruwiwiri, something like: plant used as a herb against jungle demons. There are several recipes to prepare such a brew in the highly informative book by Tinde van Andel and Sofie Ruysschaert, Medicinale en rituele planten van Suriname (2011).
Our plant - whch smells strongly of garlic - has many other uses among which as a mosquito repellent and apparently, too, as a medication that eliminates cancer cells from the blood.