There are two main types of water-based preparations that
involve boiling water - decoctions and infusions. Decoctions
require a prolonged application of heat, often used in preparation of many traditional remedies, while infusions involve
the steeping of plant material in boiling water for a short
period, such as in the preparation of teas. The herbal plant
Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Stearn, also known as Tradescantia
spathacea, has been recognized as a functional food particularly in South America with the dried leaves having the
potential to be developed into a tea-like beverage (RosalesReyes et al. 2008). The decoction is taken orally on a daily
basis as a treatment for cancer (Rosales-Reyes et al. 2008), as
an anti-inflammatory agent (Longuefosse and Nossin 1996),
and is also purported to be capable of treating Neisseria
gonorrhoeae (Halberstein 2005). Despite these traditional applications, R. spathacea remains uncommonly used outside of
South America, but shows promise to be established as a
beverage internationally.