Anamu (Guinea Hen Weed): Uses, History & Plant Profile

Q: What is anamu?

A garlic-scented herb of the American tropics, Petiveria alliacea, also called guinea hen weed.

Did you know?

Alliacea means "garlic-like": crush a leaf and it smells strongly of garlic^{[2, 6]}.
Cattle that graze on anamu give milk and meat that taste of garlic^{[2, 6, 17]}.
In Mexico it is called zorrillo, "skunk", and in Colombia mapurito, another local word for the skunk, both for its smell^{[6, 16, 17]}.
Its seeds are tipped with tiny backward-pointing spines, so they catch on anything that brushes past^[2].
Crush the root and it releases a compound that makes the eyes water^[21].
In Peru anamu is called mucura, and in Brazil's Acre state mucuracá. Mucura is also the Brazilian name for the common opossum^{[15, 18, 19]}.

Origins and history

Anamu is a perennial herb, usually 30 centimeters to 1.5 meters tall, with a deep taproot, glossy oval leaves and slender spikes of tiny white or pinkish flowers that bloom almost all year in the tropics^{[2, 6]}. It grows in shady thickets, forest edges, clearings and roadsides from sea level to about 1,300 meters^{[2, 6]}. Native to the Americas, it has since been introduced to parts of West, Central and southern Africa and to India, Sri Lanka and Java^{[1, 20]}.

Its botanical name tells a small story of early science. James Petiver (about 1663–1718) was a London apothecary with a shop on Aldersgate Street and a keen collector of plants and insects^{[4, 5]}. His collections passed to Sir Hans Sloane, and his specimens make up about a third of the Sloane Herbarium, now at the Natural History Museum in London^{[4, 5]}. Linnaeus named the plant for him in 1753^{[1, 3]}. The name anamú has deeper roots: it comes from an Indigenous language of the Caribbean islands and is still the plant's name in Spanish from Cuba and Puerto Rico to Colombia, Venezuela and Peru^{[16, 17]}. In Brazil anamu became part of Afro-Brazilian tradition, used in cleansing baths and smoke rituals since colonial times^{[7, 10]}.

Traditional uses

Clinical studies in people are still few^{[11, 12]}, but anamu's traditional use across the Caribbean and South America is rich.

A traditional tea
The leaves have long been prepared as teas and decoctions.^{[13, 14]}
Immune support
Anamu supports healthy immune function.*^{[11, 13]}
Digestive comfort
Traditionally taken to support digestive comfort.*^{[12, 14]}
Memory
In folk tradition across the Americas, anamu has long been taken to support memory.*^{[7, 14]}
In the home
The pungent leaves have been used to keep insects away, and the roots were once tucked among woolens to protect them.^[9]

Plant compounds

Anamu's garlic smell comes from sulfur compounds. Like garlic, the plant holds sulfur-containing building blocks that an enzyme turns into pungent compounds when it is crushed, and it also contains dibenzyl trisulfide^{[8, 13, 14]}. It also contains benzaldehyde, coumarins, flavonoids such as myricetin, and triterpenes^{[12, 13, 14]}.

Precautions

Not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding^{[2, 6, 12, 14]}.
If you take medication, especially for blood sugar, talk to your healthcare practitioner before use^{[11, 14]}.
Talk to your healthcare practitioner before long-term use^{[7, 11, 14]}.

Where our anamu comes from

Our anamu whole herb is wild-harvested in the Brazilian Amazon. Every batch is tested for heavy metals, mold, yeast and pathogens.

Wild-harvested
South America
Tested every batch

Raintree products with anamu

CapsulesAnamu CapsulesAnamu, 500 mg per capsule.View product → PowderAnamu powderOut of stockView product →

Anamu is also an ingredient in these Raintree products

FormulaN-Tense 2View product →

FormulaAmazon A-FView product →

Frequently asked questions

What is anamu?

A garlic-scented herb of the American tropics, Petiveria alliacea, also called guinea hen weed.

Why does anamu smell of garlic?

Its leaves and roots contain sulfur compounds that, like garlic's, release a strong smell when the plant is crushed.

Is anamu the same as guinea hen weed?

Yes. Guinea hen weed is its common name in Jamaica and Trinidad; anamú is the name used across the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and in Colombia, Venezuela and Peru.

Who was Petiveria named after?

James Petiver, a London apothecary and naturalist of the late 1600s whose collection is now in the Natural History Museum.

Where does anamu grow?

Throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas, from southern Florida and Texas to Argentina, including the Amazon.

Which part of anamu does Raintree use?

The whole herb, wild-harvested in the Brazilian Amazon.

References

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Petiveria alliacea L. Plants of the World Online. powo.science.kew.org
Nienaber MA, Thieret JW. Petiveria and Petiveria alliacea. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 4. Oxford University Press; 2003. floranorthamerica.org
International Plant Names Index. Petiveria alliacea L., Sp. Pl. 1: 342 (1753). ipni.org
Kren J. Remembering James Petiver. The Royal Society blog. 27 May 2020. royalsociety.org
Marsh L. Remembering botanist and apothecary James Petiver (c1663–1718). BSBI News & Views, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. 16 July 2020. bsbipublicity.blogspot.com
CONABIO. Malezas de México: Petiveria alliacea. conabio.gob.mx
Luz DA, Pinheiro AM, Silva ML, Monteiro MC, Prediger RD, Maia CSF, Fontes-Júnior EA. Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and neuropharmacological effects of Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae): a review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2016;185:182–201. sciencedirect.com
Musah RA, He Q, Kubec R, Jadhav A. Studies of a novel cysteine sulfoxide lyase from Petiveria alliacea: the first heteromeric alliinase. Plant Physiology. 2009;151(3):1304–1316. doi:10.1104/pp.109.142430
Plants For A Future. Petiveria alliacea. pfaf.org
Pagnocca TS, Zank S, Hanazaki N. "The plants have axé": investigating the use of plants in Afro-Brazilian religions of Santa Catarina Island. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2020;16:20. doi:10.1186/s13002-020-00372-6
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. About Herbs: Petiveria alliacea. mskcc.org
Conceição BC da, Silva TA da, Pantoja LVPS, Luz DA da, Cardoso EKS, Reis LDS, Raiol-da-Silva MC, Kussler MS, Maia CSF, Fontes-Júnior EA. Amazonian plants: a global bibliometric approach to Petiveria alliacea L. pharmacological and toxicological properties. Plants. 2023;12(18):3343. doi:10.3390/plants12183343
Lawal IO, Sowunmi LI, Olaniyi MB, Jegede AE, Akanni FO, Akinwumi IA, Babalola OY. Ethnobotany, chemistry and toxicity of Petiveria alliacea: a review. Functional Food Science. 2024;4(2):69–82. doi:10.31989/ffs.v4i2.1280
Drugs.com. Guinea hen weed (professional monograph). drugs.com
GBIF.org. Petiveria alliacea L.: vernacular names, from GRIN Taxonomy (USDA), Flora e Funga do Brasil – Lista Oficial, ITIS and the Listado de plantas de uso y aprovechamiento sostenible en Ecuador. gbif.org/species/3084012. Accessed 29 Sep 2026.
Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española. Diccionario de americanismos. Madrid: Santillana; 2010. Entries "anamú" and "mapurito". asale.org/damer
Real Academia Española. Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed. Entries "anamú", "mapurite" and "zorrillo". dle.rae.es
Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa. Entries "mucuracaá" and "mucura". dicionario.priberam.org
GBIF.org. Didelphis marsupialis L. (common opossum): vernacular names, from the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil and ITIS. gbif.org/species/2439920. Accessed 29 Sep 2026.
Fern K. Petiveria alliacea. Useful Tropical Plants Database. tropical.theferns.info
Musah RA, He Q, Kubec R. Discovery and characterization of a novel lachrymatory factor synthase in Petiveria alliacea and its influence on alliinase-mediated formation of biologically active organosulfur compounds. Plant Physiology. 2009;151(3):1294–1303. doi:10.1104/pp.109.142539