Tradescantia spathacea Sw.

Adam hawa (Tradescantia spathacea) is a herb up to 0.5 meters tall of the Commelinaceae family, originating from southern Mexico and commonly found around Mayan civilization sites. In China, its flowers are used as traditional dysentery medicine, while in Yucatan and Guatemala it is used for beauty treatments. Its distinctive green-purple leaves are also believed to cleanse the lungs and relieve productive cough.

Adam hawa is found growing in coastal forests, shrubland, hanging places, secondary forests, cultivated land, and disturbed areas, and prefers tropical and subtropical regions with temperatures ranging from 14-27 °C. Grows well in well-drained soil including rocky, sandy, and limestone soil. Has broad adaptability in both lowlands and highlands, hot, cold, dry or watery areas, and shade.

• Roots fibrous, brownish.
• Stem rough, short, upright, brown in color, herbaceous, round shaped, showing leaf scars, unbranched.
• Leaves single, sword-shaped, tapering leaf tip, flat leaf base clasping the stem, smooth edges, soft, smooth, parallel venation, green on top, reddish-brown-purple underneath.
• Flowers compound, at leaf axils, small, protected by two boat-like bracts, cylindrical stamens, white in color. Pistil head yellow, triangular corolla, three petals, white.

Propagated vegetatively (cuttings, root fragments) and generatively (seed).

P-coumaroyl-delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside, flavonoids, anthocyanins, saponins, carotenoids, terpenoids, coumarinic and steroids.

Cough (whooping, productive, dry), dysentery, diarrhea, fungal infections, measles, cleanses the lungs and phlegm, treats nosebleeds, bloody bowel movements (melena), rheumatism, constipation, anemia, swelling, wounds, antioxidant, antitumor, and antimutagenic.

• Wash adam hawa leaves thoroughly.
• Dry in the sun or oven at 40 °C until the moisture content reaches 10%.
• Store in a closed container.

Nanas kerang (Java), Sosongkokan.