M13 has been
investigating Rongoā Māori. Arihia is an expert with Rongoā Māori. She has been
teaching them. Arihia taught them a legend about kawakawa leaves and why they
are shaped like hearts. The story is that Papatuanuku and Ranginui got split up
so Tane covered his mum with plants and one of them was the kawakawa leaves. He
shaped them into hearts to calm her down.
Harvesting
When harvesting
leaves, always say an important karakia:
He mihi ki a Papa
He mihi ki a Rangi
He mihi ki a Tane
Tihei Mauri Ora!
but if there are
fallen ones you can take them without saying the karakia. However you can’t
make the same medicine with the dried ones.
Medicine
You can make balm
with kawakawa leaves as well as tea. Since it is shaped like a heart, you can
remember that it’s good for your body, tummyaches, headaches, skin diseases,
boils, and toothaches because it numbs your mouth.
I enjoyed learning
about this. I recommend Rongoā Māori to people who love nature.
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