Rongoa: Maori Medicine

TIKANGA: CUSTOMS

Before the gathering of any medicine or healing is undertaken, certain customs should always be observed.

* We call upon our Tipuna (ancestors) for aid upon healing - specifically the Tipuna of the person in need of healing.

Simple, respectful karakia (prayer) fits this purpose.

* When gathering herbs or materials for healing, one must always be respectful and thankful to the spirits of the plants we are gathering from.

If we are gathering those plants from the forest, we are also careful to thank the Atua (gods or goddesses) of the forest.

In New Zealand, the god of the forest is Tane.

* It is also customary for some families to bring an offering of food or drink to the plants they gather from.

* Women should never harvest plants while pregnant or menstruating.

* Any left over plant matter from preparations should be returned with thanks and respect to the plants they were taken from. If that is not practical, then they should be returned to the garden or some place they can return to Papatuanuku (The Earth Mother) in their own time.

The use of European medicine in the practice of Rongoa is also utilized to its full extent. Many foods and medicine, that were essential to health for Maori, are no longer available or are difficult to prepare and so alternatives have been readily adapted.

FIRSTAID REMEDIES

Burns: the slimy substance around the base of the Harakeke leaves is the Maori equivalent to Aloe Vera.

Cuts and infected wounds: A clean sticky spiderweb will stop bleeding, clear infection and stop the pain of a cut.

Diarrhea: A few of the youngest tips of the Koromiko will stop the worst diarrhea.

Warts: Puha (Rauriki or Puwha). The white sap of this plant will heal warts when dabbed on.

REMEDIES FOR CHRONIC ILLNESS

For chronic illness Rongoa has a threefold approach...kai (food), rongoa (medicine) and wairua (spiritual/emotional). Almost all western diseases and ailments can be at least alleviated by alkalizing the body and reducing inflammation because in doing so, you support and raise your immune system to a level where it can heal your body itself. If you are specifically looking for help with cancer, please take THIS LINK.

Kai (food)

When we look at food and how it affects our health its important to realise how the western diet affects us. Dr Weston Price studied and analysed the diets of native people across the world in the 1930s and discovered a huge difference in several areas. One area was the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6. Omega 3 is an anti-inflammatory substance and Omega 6 is an inflammatory substance. Both these substances are essential to the human body. The O3:O6 ratio in the traditional Maori diet is 3:6 whereas the western diet averages at 1:20. So when we understand that many western diseases are the result of massive inflammation throughout the body, we can see that diet plays a huge part. The main factors contributing to the excess of Omega 6 in the western diet are processed foods, artificial additives, white sugar and poor quality oils.

A traditional Maori diet includes a great deal of meat, fish, shellfish and root tubers with a small amount of greens. There is sugar in the traditional Maori diet but it is natural sugar.....from forest fruits and sugars made from plants like the Kumera and the Ti Kouka (the Cabbage Tree). The plant sugar from the Kumera is produced by the way it is cooked and the sugar made from the Ti Kouka is produced by cooking a younger plant. Fats in the Maori diet are animal fats and generally come from birds.

Wairua (spirit)

You ARE Wairua. You are connected to your body through Mauri which is the divine energy that you share with the Earth and every other living thing. When the Mauri becomes corrupted by a sickness in the spirit, it will show in the body. For example.....stomach ulcers are well documented as the result of stress. In adults almost all diseases are the physical manifestation of a sickness in the spirit - or more precisely the heart and mind. So....if healing is what you want - you must start to examine the feelings and thoughts that may be contributing to your condition. In this day and age, the best place to start for that is meditation.

Rongoa (medicine)

Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) is more commonly used for UTIs and poor kidney function but in fact it is one of the best all round herbs to use. It is an anti-inflammatory, a blood-cleanser and a body-balancer. It is also a slight sedative so for disorders relating to anxiety and depression it is very useful. Pick the leaves with the holes - that is where the best medicine is. It should also be picked in the morning. Just a few leaves in a cup with some hot water and leave to steep for 10 minutes.

Manuka (Tea-tree) is a powerful antiseptic and can be used as a simple tea, internally and externally. The seed pods are also anti-inflammatory.

MORE INFORMATION TO COME!