Petiveria alliacea

Petiveria alliacea is a deeply rooted herbacious perennial shrub growing in tropical areas of Africa, South and Central America and the Caribbean. It grows up to 1 metre in height and has small greenish piccate flowers. The roots and leaves have a strong acrid, garlic-like odour which taints the milk and meat of animals that graze on it.

Common Names
It is known by a wide number of common names including: guinea henweed, anamu in the Dominican Republic and Brazil (where it is also known as tipi), apacin in Guatemala, mucura in Peru, and guine in many other parts of Latin America, feuilles ave, herbe aux poules, petevere a odeur ail, and, in Trinidad, as mapiurite (pronounced Ma-po-wheete) and gully root, and many others.

Medicinal uses
Petiveria alliacea has been widely used to treat an astounding range of medical conditions both in humans and in animals including: venereal diseases, an antiseptic, arthritis, pain, cancer, womb inflammation, diuretic, decoagulant, cold, snake bite, flu, cods, hysteria, paralysis, fever, rabies, to treat arrow poison in Brazil and as a bat and insect repellent and as an abortifacient.

Chemical Ingredients
Petiveria alliacea has been found to contain a large number of biologically active chemicals including benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, benzyl-2-hydroxyethyl-trisulphide, coumarin, isoarborinol, isoarborinol acetate, isoarborinol cinnamate, isothiocyanates, polyphenols, senfol, tannins, trithiolaniacine. For details on these and medicinal uses of the plant, see the "External links".