Maori Herbal Medicine

I have been blessed to have felt the call to Aotearoa by the Maori Healers ~ http://www.maorihealers.com/ ~ which I delightfully heeded and spent a glorious two weeks under their guidance to participate in Te Rongopae ~ The Bright Clear Horizon Training Intensive. In addition to the bodywork, spiritual guidance, hakas, meals, dreamtime and Manu's morning yoga, I had the delight of enjoying Donna Kerridge's day long workshop on Maori Herbal Medicine and healing practices. You can imagine my joy at getting a first hand walk through the forest with a traditional Maori Plant Healer!

 

Donna writes about Rongo a Raukau in a book I purchased, but one can learn more at her website ~ http://oranewzealand.com/shop/rongoa-maori.html ~ where she recognizes her teacher, Pa Ropata ~ and explains the deeper meaning of Rongoa Raukau ~ some of Donna's wisdom as she shared with us, "I am land and the land is me," "the plants that are in nature are the plants that heal the land,"& "...keeping the land well...keeping the people well..." What I especially loved about her was her conception of universal truths, as visually drawn for our Te Rongopae group, in which all religions and healing traditions find commonality and unity at the center of the wheel ~ these thoughts I have generally held for many years, but never seen a graphic or metaphor which visually expressed my inner beliefs as hers did ~ Kia Ora, Donna!

I would be remiss if I also didn't recognize Gramma Dottie, of the Makah tribe ~ who I met after the Canoe Journey to Makah ~ http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/tribe/ ~ she introduced myself and my good travel partners, Leng and Shelly, to the correct methods of collecting, praying and preparing usnea and other precious plant medicines for our uses in protection and well being ~ 

I think my herbal colleagues, who studied under David Hoffman (whose adoration of nettles goes unchallenged in the Western herbal world), would appreciate this one: "...if you don't know the answer, use Kawa Kawa..." Sounds familiar, right? Donna explained that Kawa Kawa will look for the ailment and cure it... that the medicine isn't just what is written about in the books, but that the wisdom of the plant will bring about a cure.

She also warned us about what we read in the books (as did many Maori & other Indigenous peoples around the world), and shared a very interesting story about Weston A. Price & some misconceptions that are repeated in books everywhere, but you'll have to hear it yourself from Donna, as oral wisdom is best heard straightaway & oral history lasts as long as we tell it ~ for the story, feel free to travel to meet her or contact her on your own timeline ~ she is one of many great Maori teachers I met during my Te Rongopae Training Intensive.

My journey to Aotearoa, where the abundance of plant beings from the Southern Hemisphere shout out to me, has been magical ~ here's a few photos to give you a hint at the wonders of plant medicine in Aotearoa ~

For those interested in Maori Plant medicine, check out her website, contact her or visit her clinic in Aotearoa. Donna also mentioned an intensive program, I believe a Masters Program in 2015, for Maori folks to learn more, but there will also be 3 spots reserved for International Students who have a balance of knowledge in Indigenous Healing Practices and Healing Systems (whether allopathic, complementary or traditional systems) ~ email her for more information at:
donna@oranewzealand.com

Renewing My Love Affair With Plants

A Transplant Survives in Sonoma Co.

Before my children were born, during another time of great studies... yes, I was a young teen starting at San Francisco State University, but an entirely different story... I was fortunate enough to be the next young relative living at Grandma & Grandpa's house in San Francisco while studying at San Francisco State University... many stories there too... that must be a different blog... haha...

I had many love affairs with nature. The ocean breeze, a mountain top, snow in the Sierras, the deep blue of Lake Tahoe, the babbling creek in spring... but today's particular love affair with plants was inspired by the green thumb of Mary Caluza Calica and Blas Cacdac Calica, my father's parents, who had voluptuous plants all over their home in the fog belt of the Richmond district. Before entering their home after walking up 2 flights of stairs beyond the locked front gates, we were always greeted by the snake and spider plants at every level. Their gaze is imprinted in my memory and their abundance was notable!

I have two of the descendants of Great Grandma Spider Plant in my small cottage that Auntie Ophie shared with me during my last visit to the old place. They lived happily in my kitchen in the Haight Ashbury of San Francisco, but now these two babies struggle with the heat in Sonoma County. They are resilient and I am happy they are still with me. My studies in herbal school have me looking up scientific names, so here it is: Chlorophytum comosum. I am surprised to learn that it's also called the airplane plant, spider ivy or hen-and-chickens or hen-en-kuikens (Afr.) and iphamba (Zulu) too. The website, PlantZAfrica, quotes that, "The plants have been used medicinally by the Nguni (Hutchings et al. 1996), especially for pregnant mothers and as a charm to protect the mother and child. The plant is placed in the room where the mother and child stay. The roots are dipped into a water bowl and mothers drink this daily as it is believed to protect the infant. The young baby is also administered an infusion, acting as a purgative." I am so impressed by the Indigenous Knowledge, Skills and Practice (IKSP) of folks worldwide. Indigenous Peoples Rock!!!

It is said that in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the spider plant is used for used for treating bronchitis, fractures and burns. One website says it's name is  diào lán or guà lán, but I will have to ask my Chinese friends if this is correct. Anyways, none of us in the home suffered from any of these ailments, but I do recall how mad Grandma would get whenever I washed my hair & took showers at the wrong time & then went out into the cold... (yup, Filipinos are into the hot/cold, wet/dry thang too...timing is key as well...sorry Grandma...)

Grandma and Grandpa may have known about how the spider plant removed pollutants from the air. Of course, living near the ocean, who would even know about pollutants in the home? But all that carpet... turns out the spider plant is great at removing pollutants with its root system. In my brief search on PubMed, researchers, Xu Z¹, Qin N, Wang J, Tong H., report that the spider plant is great at biofiltration of formaldehyde! Very cool...that explains the Boston Ferns too...

The plants are very productive. My nephew, Joseph, planted a few in our backyard in the Haight Ashbury and they sprawled all over. They were very happy! Luckily, I transplanted a few and they survived the summer heat in Sonoma County. Yes, they aren't as healthy as those left in the Haight Ashbury, but they greet us each morning, a reminder of good times from the past and a daily presence of our love of Africa!