Maori Herbal Remedy

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 4 September 1935, Page 11

Maori Herbal Remedy

Decoction From SKumara=Hou Claimed to be very rich in iron, a decoction made by boiling parts of the native plant, kumara-hou, is a well-known Maori remedy for many ills, including colds, chest ailments, stomach disorders and nerve trouble. In some parts the Maoris rise the whole plant, roots and all; in others they use only the leaves, boiling a handful of dry leaves for about 20 minutes in a quart of water. Recently a Normanby resident, who had suffered with scalp trouble and received no apparent relief from proprietary or prescribed remedies, was benefited "by drinking the liquid. In the same family a case of nervous debility also was treated successfully in the same way. Kumara-hou, or pomaderris elliptica, as it is botanically known, derives its Maori name from kumara, “a tuber-like root,” and hou ‘‘growing deeply or strongly.” It is a branching shrub varying in height from two to ten feet. The leaves are two to three inches log, shining above and white with down on the under surface. It seems to grow best on dry bills, and is found in several parts of the North Island, being fairly common north of Auckland on the poor country and found occasionally on the hills in the neighbourhood of Kawhia and Raglan. When interviewed by a ‘ Hawera Star” reporter, the Rev. H. Curran, Maori niissioner, stated that the plant was used frequently by Maoris of the northern tribes, but he thought just as much benefit could be obtained if people would use the more common garden plants, spinach and cabbage, which also were rich in iron and fruit.