​ANAMU (Petiveria alliacea)
​By Jason Pepe 2006

Many years ago, an old  man came to visit my brother at his Homestead Florida plant nursery. This man was an old acquaintance and he claimed that he was cured of cancer by the amazing Anamu plant. He was incredibly grateful to be cured of cancer and in good health. He honestly believed that Anamu had saved his life.

That day was one of joy and great happiness for all of us. We really felt incredibly happy and amazed that this man had found a cure for such a serious disease. He said that all he did was consume several cups of tea daily and in a few months the cancer was gone.

We spent several hours chatting with him and congratulating him. My brother and I had never met anyone who personally told us they had been cured of cancer by a plant remedy. 

Just before saying goodnight to him he offered us one small Anamu plant in a six inch pot. He asked my brother to care for it. He wanted the plant propagated and made available in large quantities so others could benefit from it. 

Within a few months we had propagated several dozen plants and then disaster struck the nursery!

One week during the peak of a very dry Florida summer our irrigation system failed for several days and we lost all the Anamu  plants plus many other tropical plants. The plants had died. We felt horrible about the loss and tried to contact the old man and also searched for someone who could provide us with plants so we could try again. Sadly we could not locate him or anyone who had even heard about Anamu. Time passed and about six months later the old man showed up. This was a really bad moment for us. 

What could we say? Would he understand our misfortune and help us get more plants? Well, no he actually was very upset with us and just did not want to hear any excuses. We had insulted him to the highest degree by not safe guarding and propagating those plants. This old man was so disappointed he just walked away and never spoke to us again. 

As of this writing, we have (after almost seven years) reconnected with the old man. He is still doing well and continues to drink his Anamu tea. He has also had a change of heart and this time provided us with about one hundred seeds. We are going to grow these Anamu plants and we will not let the old man down this time. 

A little information on the plant
This plant is found in the Amazon rainforest and tropical areas of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and it is also native to Africa. Anamu has dark green leathery leaves that grow close to the ground and it has tall spikes lined with many small white flowers above the leaves. The roots, have a strong garlic odor. 
* Medicinal uses: Reduces pain, fights cancer, antiviral and antibiotic, reduces inflammation, reduces fever, lowers blood sugar and also is used to kill insects. Anamu is also known by the following common names: Guinea Hen Weed, apacin, apacina, apazote de zorro, aposin, ave, aveterinaryte, calauchin, chasser vermine, congo root, garlic weed, guinea, guinea hen leaf, gully root, herbe aux poules, hierba de las gallinitas, huevo de gato, kojo root, kuan, kudjuruk, lemtewei, lemuru, mal pouri, mapurit, mapurite, mucura-caa, mucura, mucuracáa, ocano, payche, pipi, tipi, verbena hedionda, verveine puante, zorrillo 

Order Anamu herbal supplement here

* FDA Disclaimer
The products and statements made about specific plants or products on this web site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. All information provided on this web site or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new vitamins, supplements, diet, or exercise program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
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Herb: Anamu Family: Phytolaccaceae Genus: Petiveria Species: Petiveria allliacea Type: herbaceous perennial

Common names: guinea henweed, chasser vermine, congo root, douvant-douvant, emeruaiuma, garlic weed, guine, guinea, guinea hen leaf, gully root, kojo, huevo de gato

Here is a list of some other medicinal plants to grow. 

 Moringa Trees, Soursop Trees and Tilo plants.
Here are some ways that the anamu plant is used in healing and pain reduction.
​Warning!!!
There are plants that heal and plants that kill
The Anamu plant is very powerful and can be toxic if used incorrectly. We are not herbalists or medical professionals. This site provides information on our experience with the plant and the experiences of others. Please consult your healthcare professional before using this plant. Consult an herbalist for dosage recommendations to meet your needs. Anamu should not be used by children under the age of 12, lactating or pregnant women or women trying to become pregnant!

If you ever taste the leaf you will find it to be very bitter and some have reported that it numbs the lips and tongue. I have used it personally as a pain reducer for toothaches. Works well. I took a quarter of a large leaf folded it several times to fit around tooth and squeezed the leaf gently on the tooth for about five minutes. Worked well! Yes, I also had numb lips.

The root of the Anamu plant is more powerful than it's leaves and is considered to be an anesthetic and analgesic. Some use a few leaves or a little piece of the root on a tooth that is very painful and also to soothe the pain of gingivitis! An infusion can be made with water or alcohol to use as a mouth wash. In some countries the root is dried and sniffed to relieve sinusitis. To relieve a bad headache or for some arthritic conditions the leaves a pounded into a poultice and applied to the forehead or joints.
Here are some other uses for Anamu in bush medicine:
The Anamu plant can cause abortions, by stimulating uterine contractions. Anamu should not be used by pregnant women.

Analgesic, Anti rheumatic, Anti bacterial and Anti fungal treatment, Asthma, Anti-inflammatory, Antispasmodic, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Diuretic, Expectorant, Reduce Fever, Headaches, Inflammation, Migraines, Sedative, Spasm, Toothache, Tumors, Venereal Disease and also as a Vermifuge ( a medicine that expels intestinal worms ).

Traditional Bush Medicine Remedies:
  1. Three tablespoons of whole herb or leaf infusion 2 times daily
  2. One ml of a 4:1 tincture twice daily. 
  3. 500 milligrams of powdered herb capsules twice daily. 
  4. Ointments/Salves applied to skin for pain or infections, insect bites etc

Definitions: A tincture is a medicine made by dissolving a substance in alcohol usually at a 4:1 ratio. A tincture is not as strong as an extract. An extract is one part herb to one part alcohol a 1:1 ratio. An ointment can be prepared using Olive oil, Ben oil, Mineral water, Aloe Vera or Beeswax.
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