Hawaiian Plants

For my last blog post, I want to talk about a plant that I've worked with for a very long time! I am part of a research group at KCC called Project ʻOlonā and for three years I've focused on Nīoi, or also known as the Hawaiian chili pepper. Our focus was to bridge Hawaiian traditional knowledge of medicine with modern science. With the use of modern day science and technology, we can look at how these plants helped medicinally and verify what our ancestors knew.   Nīoi (Capsicum frutescens) is a chili pepper that was introduced to Hawaiʻi and became naturalized to the islands. Kahuna lāʻau lapaʻau (traditional Hawaiian health practitioners) used nīoi to treat arthritis, rheumatism, toothaches, to clear their sinuses, and other health issues. Practitioners would use nīoi with other ingredients to make their remedies.  My project in a nutshell! Just to make it easier to read, I'll list out what I did and what I've concluded. Grew nīoi in hydroponics and

ʻIlima is an indigenous plant and it is characteristically known by their little beautiful yellow flowers. Although they are very pretty, they have no scent. ʻIlima has been recognized as Hawaiʻi's state flower! Traditionally, they were used to make beautiful lei. At one point, they were only reserved for royalty because they resembled the yellow feather lei that aliʻi (chiefs) used to wear. Medicinal usage: The juice from the flowers were used as a mild laxative for babies. When the root bark was mixed with the flower, it was known to help with asthma. Iʻm not sure how they ingested it, but Iʻm assuming that they mixed the juices together.

 Kalo, also known as taro, is a very important traditional plant to the Native Hawaiians. It was the primary food source and it had a strong connection to the people. Moʻolelo (Story): Wākea (sky father) and Hoʻohokulani, who was Wākea's daughter, had a stillborn child named Hāloa. They wrapped him up, put him in a basket, and buried him in the ground. From his body grew the first kalo plant. Wākea and Hoʻohokulani had a second son which they also named Hāloa. The first son was known as Hāloa naka and became the first kalo. The second son respected his sibling and took care of him, and became the first Hawaiian. Since Hāloa took such good care of Hāloa naka, the eldest brother returned the favor by providing his younger brother with sustenance and nourishment. Kalo is grown in a loʻi, which is a irrigated terrace. But kalo can be grown in wetlands and drylands. All parts of the kalo can be used. The leaves can be used to make lūʻau. The corm can be used to make poi or paʻiʻa

ʻŌlena rhizomes may be a dull color outside but are brightly colored inside! It can be made into a fine powder to be saved and used for later. ʻŌlena is known to be the Hawaiian turmeric! It was a canoe plant that was brought over by the early polynesians. It has a very beautiful white and yellow flower, but the part that is commonly used is found within the ground. They most important part of the plant are called rhizomes, which are essentially underground stems.  The flesh can be either dark yellow or orange. It can be pounded and pressed to extract the juice, or cut and dried to be ground up into a powder. ʻŌlena is a very important plant because of it's medicinal properties. The juice of the ʻōlena helps with respiratory and ear infections. It can also be good for your sinuses. You can mix ʻōlena powder into hot water and drink it. It is very good! Whenever I'm not feeling well, my boyfriend always tells me to use ʻōlena.

Pohinahina is an indigenous plant that can be found in Hawaiʻi. This plant can also be found in Japan! Pohinahina makes for a good ground cover because this plant has long runners that span over the ground and it has beautiful little purple flowers. They say that the flowers are fragrant but for some reason I canʻt smell them haha. Native Hawaiians used to put the flowers between kapa cloth in order to keep bugs away.

Pōpolo is considered as the Hawaiian nightshade. There are three endemic species of pōpolo, but the indigenous species (Solanum americanum) is the only one that has edible fruits. Being from the nightshade family, the unripe green pōpolo berries are poisonous to eat. It accumulates a high concentration of glycoalkaloids, which are toxic to animals and humans.  The ripe purple-ish black berries are perfectly okay to eat. They actually taste like tomatoes!  Pōpolo is one of the most important and versatile Native Hawaiian medicinal plants. They were mostly used for respiratory and digestive problems, sore muscles, cuts, and other wounds. The purple berries were also used to make a dye! This is me carrying a tray full of pōpolo seedlings! This was taken just before we put these cuties into the ground. Part of my research project is to grow Native Hawaiian medicinal plants in order to gather enough material to run tests on these plants to help verify ancestral knowledge. 

Pōhuehue, also known as the beach morning glory, is an indigenous plant that can be found on sandy beaches. This plant is vine-like and it makes good ground cover. Different species would have different color flowers. I've seen pink, purple, and white. I actually took this picture at UH Mānoa, and unfortunately this was the only flower that the plant produced. Usages According to Hui Kū Maoli Ola, pōhuehue was used as a poultice for wounds, sores, and broken bones. This plant was also used as a famine food, but if the Hawaiians consumed too much, it would be extremely dangerous because of it's chemical composition. Since it has some sort of toxicity in it, pregnant woman would eat the young leaf buds prior to giving birth so it'll decrease delivery time. I'm not sure if that's safe or not for the baby, but I guess with no modern medicine they'd try anything to quicken the process. The vines of pōhuehue were also used to make rope. Fun fact about me! I&

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is one of the most important plants in our native forests, or also known as a keystone species. It's name, polymorpha, refers to the many forms of this plant.  ʻŌhiʻa has many varieties with different colors, leaf shape and size, and tree or shrub forms.  They're also one of the first plants to grow on a lava field! They're great at capturing and retaining water, and helps our native forests thrive.  ʻŌhiʻa is actually a really hot topic now, especially on the Big Island, because they are facing rapid  ʻŌhiʻa death (ROD). It is a fungal disease that is killing  ʻŌhiʻa trees and it can be easily spread! If you travel to the Big Island, please do not take any plant materials back home with you because it may spread to other  ʻŌhiʻa trees on this island. If you plan to go hiking, be sure to spray your shoes with 70% ethyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) before and after! The pictures in today's blog were all taken by me when I

This beautiful flower is endemic to Hawaiʻi! It is one of the few endemic plants that has thorns. It's name, Pua kala, actually translates to thorny flower. Before invasive species like cattle or ungulates came to Hawaiʻi, plants did not have defenses because there was no need for them. But my guess is that this plant has developed physical defenses, such as thorns, to protect it's self from herbivores. Being a relative to the poppy, Pua kala also has chemical defenses that deter those who try to eat it! Medicinal Usage:  The sap and seeds were used as an analgesic for toothaches and nerve pain. It was also used for ulcers and warts. Picture taken by: Ryan Ueunten