A VICAR’S CLAIM.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 320, 24 December 1929, Page 5

A VICAR’S CLAIM.

THE KUMERAHOU PLANT. j Its Medicinal Properties. the past week details have teen broadcast of a claim made by ■the Rev. Edgar Ward, vicar of Point "Chevalier, Auckland, that he has a •compound which has been effacious in relieving tuberculosis. The Rev. Edgar Ward is very wellknown in the Putaruru and Mata.mata districts, having been vicar of rthe former parish for several years. -After leaving Putaruru the Rev. Ward went to Kaitaia for some short time, and, about six months ago, kook charge of the suburban parish in Auckland. While in Putaruru the Rev. Ward took a keen interest in this subject. A keen botanist and possessing a sound knowledge of chemistry, Mr. Ward made no secret of his interest > -and experiments in anything which . anight tend to relieve the sufferings -yf .of humanity. \ Though medical opinion has been very outspoken in regard to the Rev. Ward’s claim, after a conference with the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, Minister of Health, Mr. Ward has . agreed to place hiS formula at the disposal of the Health Department for investigation. This is being done under a pledge of secrecy as every precaution is being taken to prevent th# remedy being commercialised. ” J-It- is said that one of the ingredients of the compound used by Mi. wand‘ is the native shrub kumerahou (pbmaderris ecliptica). The shrub, which is common on the gumfields of North Auckland, the slopes of Pir--ongia mountain and in the Kawhia -district, has iong been known for its medicinal properties, and has been used with success for stomach by two well-known men in Matamata district, who have been interviewed on the subject by a rep- , resentdtive of this paper. i Mr. C. F. E. Barton, clerk to the i Matamata County Council, stated that he had been familiar with the use of the kumerahou plant for years and generally had a supply, of the tonic and plant on hand. Mr. Barton thereupon produced a branch of the plant and a bottle of the infusion which is obtained by boiling the plant at any stage of its growth—but when in flower for preference in ordinary water. The colour of - the liquid is like strong tea and tasted by the reporter it was found to be not

unpleasant to take, while its afterY. -affects produced a sweetish taste and agreeable feeling in the mouth. According to Mr. Barton the “ tea ” is -a most excellent tonic and is efficacious in various stomach and kidney -ailments. Its tonic effects on the whole system were the most noteworthy, but he had never heard of any suggestion that it was regarded as' being anything psora than a most excellent toniq and a remedy for minor internal’ troubles. The medicinal properties of the plant had been known for years, and Mr. Barton stated that it was a matter for regret that more had not been done to record in permanent form some of the many excellent compounds made by the tohungas. He had known of a i -case of severe rheumatism of the j knee cured _by the outward application of a salve compounded by an old Maori from native herbs. The older orace of Maoris were very clever in ■concocting remedies from native plants, but they were also very secretive in regard to their formulae. As the younger generation of Maoris -were not interested in the subject the were becoming lost, be--cause they were not now being handed on from generation to generation. 'The plant itself generally grew on poor soil and was very abundant in -certain parts of the Dominion. l Another gentleman approached on PAflf ~the subject, Mr. J. J. Molloy, teacher .in charge of the Te Poi school, largely corroborated Mr. Barton’s rej .marks. Mr. Molloy stated the plant .grew to a height of about three feet, and was very common in Kawhia and ether parts. It grew very abundantly where it was not disturbed by stock which ate the plant greedily, and ■was valued by Europeans and natives for , its stomachic properties. The plant was gathered and dried and then made into a strong tea. It would not bear transplanting, but would grow from seed in any garden. It could be gathered at any time of the year for medicinal purposes, but was best picked when flowering. It llbsras a rare tonic and relieved indigestion, flatulence and fermentative troubles of the stomach. He had n ever heard of the kumerahou plant being used in cases of consumption. There were a good many native IL| plants with excellent properties of ■ which no use was made. For mH stance, the ngaio bush was used 81 as a specific for raging toothache,

while a strong decoction of the root of ordinary flax was an excellent application to place on open wounds at any time. In 1923 he had written to the Government on this subject, and details were to be ’ found in back numbers of the Journal of Agriculture.