New Zealand's healing herbs making a comeback and why you need them

It's funny to think that herbal remedies are often thought of as a “new” trend today. We’ve become so accustomed to treating our diseases, illnesses and pains with manufactured pills that many of us have forgotten that healthful remedies have been sprouting out of the ground for thousands of years!

Herbal remedies, decoctions, teas, and other beneficial natural products grown around the world are more readily available today than ever before. It’s interesting how we humans discovered the benefits of certain leaves, roots, fruits, and nuts. Through trial and error, those brave experimenters endowed upon the rest of mankind the healing powers of nature.

So are we healthier now or are our bodies operating effortlessly in a zone of homeostasis? Despite successful government campaigns to decrease fat consumption, obesity and chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease continue to rise at alarming rates, rates that threaten health care systems in some cases ill prepared to deal with prolonged debilitating conditions. This in turn leads us to rely on drugs for the long term, screwing up our bodies. We develop sensitivities and allergies to more and more things, from peanuts to dog hair and bananas and thus have to turn to allergy meds and steroids.

With modern medicine many of these natural remedies have been lost, although some have been used and incorporated into commercially produced medicines. We can hold big pharma accountable or blame the educated medical collective for taking advantage of our health for profit. Or we can support the revival, treat our maladies, allergies, illnesses and suffering with long term natural solutions by walking the natural path and reclaim the inheritance our forefathers bestowed upon us.

As mankind learned which plants killed us and which ones healed us, we developed a collective understanding of herbal remedies that we still rely on today. The age of science has given us more precise and safer methods of finding out exactly how herbs affect us. Analysis of the components of various plants shows us what chemicals they contain and from there we can make conclusions about how they might benefit the human body.

Here are 4 New Zealand herbs making a comeback:

Manuka

Manuka is most famous for the honey produced from its flowers. However the herb itself was also an important medicine in Rongoa - traditional Maori herbal medicine. Maori have long used Manuka as an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial and for chest congestion and as a blood purifier. The leaf is rich in tannins and essential oil and is considered to be astringent and anti-spasmodic, these properties coupled with the reported anti-microbial effects of the essential oil may make it useful for digestive upsets.

Kawakawa

Also known as the New Zealand Pepper Tree, Kawakawa was an important medicine for Maori. Kawakawa is an anti-inflammatory and used to aid in digestion. One of the most popular uses for the herbs is as a warming digestive tonic and circulatory stimulant. Kawakawa infused oil is also a popular ingredient in topical balms and salves.

Both Manuka and Kawakawa feature in Tarakona's luxurious Matariki tea.

Harakeke

Harakeke is unique to New Zealand is one of it's oldest plant species. Harakeke was an important fibre plant to the Maori and hence an important component of Maori food. They also used Harakeke as a medicinal plant to treat boils, burns, as an antiseptic for cuts and internally for diarrhoea. Each Maori pa (village) or marae (communal or sacred place) typically had a Harakeke plantation. Different varieties were specially grown for their strength, softness, colour and fibre content. Harakeke seeds and Harakeke oil are used for flavouring and other culinary purposes.

Horopito

Horopito is New Zealand's indigenous pepper. It can be taken as a delicious tea, used in sauces or as a dressing. Horopito is one of the most widely used herbs in Maori food. Horopito also has anti-fungal properties which saw it used medicinally. The plant’s leaves were bruised, steeped in water and applied to the skin to treat ringworm and other skin diseases. Bruised leaves were used in poultices to treat skin chafing, bruises, cuts and wounds. Leaves were chewed for toothache. Horopito sap was used as a treatment for venereal diseases.

Support the revival, make a change, your body will thank you!