THE MAORIS KNEW!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 77, 13 July 1942, Page 5

THE MAORIS KNEW!

HERBAL REMEDIES

AN INTERESTING LIST

An interesting list of herbal rem— cdies as used by the Maori tohungas in the earlier days lor the allevia-* tion of suffering has been handed to us for publication in the hope that it may be found useful by pakehas in these days of concentrated; attention on first aid and field work. Ihe efficacy of these simple recipes has been vouched for by men of medical science who agree that in most cases they are preferable to modern drugs and usually given, quicker and more direct action. The list is as under:—• Flax.—Juice of roots and thick ends of leaves, in large doses an emetic, small doses daily given when suffering irom boils. The red portion of flat roots boiled—the extract therefrom is used as a purgative. Flax-<gum is also used for dressing open wounds. Kareao (supplejack).—A decoction from the roots given in cases of weakness or general debility; used in the same manner as sarsaparilla. Kawakawa.—Pulp of leaves and fruit retained in the mouth to rer lieve toothache. An infusion of the leaves used to prevent swelling, and taken internally for stomach The leaves burned in a room kill! mosquitoes, and will also render human beings insensible. Kawakawa is sometimes used as a substitute for tea. Koromiko.—The tender shoots are masticated and swallowed for diarrhoea and dysentery. It relieves the pain of stomach-ache very quickly. Kohekohe.—Used as a tonic. A kind of bitter beer made from its leaves is used'as a stomache. Kahikatoa. — Berries masticated and saliva swallowed to allay pains in the stomach, and cures diarrhoea. A weak infusion of leaves given Mn fever cases. Ngaio.—The tender shoots rubbed on insect bites allay irritation. Also it cures toothache. Nikau.—When cooked used by native women for medicinal purposes. Rimu.—Gum used in dressing severe wounds. Tipau.—Tender shoots masticated and swallowed in cases of costiveness Titoki.—An oil is expressed from the nuts and used for earache, weak eyes, sores, bruises, sprains, etc. Tupaki, or Tutu.—The juice from the berries made a sort of Avine, which the old Maoris were very fond of. It is rather laxative, and is said to counteract the costive effects of such foods are fern root and karaka nuts. Tataramoa (bush lawyer) .—Avery good remedy for toothache. Kohukohu (tree moss and lich-r ens).—Reduced to fine dust and mixed with hinukohia, is a specific for hakihaki (itch) and other skin diseases. Hinu-kohia is oil from the kohia-seeds. | Raurekau, or New Zealand coffee | tree.—lnfusion of inner bark used to reduce swelling sprains, etc.