Five Powerful, Healing Ronga Plants

We are surrounded by healing medicine all over Aotearoa, here are some basic ones that you can integrate into your everyday lives and use next time an ailment comes up.

Lets empower ourselves by learning the value and medicine that grows everywhere.

Kumarahou

Kumarahou grows way up North and only blooms for about two months per year. This plant the most powerful rakau (plants) of these lands.

If you look at the flowers and leaves of this plant, you can notice and see that the leaves are shaped like the lungs and the flowers look like bronchioles (air sacks in the lungs).

Physically, Kumarahou is the healer of the respiratory system. Lung healer, Breaks down and expels phlegm in the throat, chest and lungs. Good for lung infections, sore throats, flu, coughs.

Healer of the blood, is a blood cleanser, detoxes & purifies the blood. Thins blood. Healer of the kidneys.

Externally, helps with skin problems, this plant likes to grow in dry conditions so will help with drying out the skin, if its weeping etc.

Energetically, I feel Kumarahou resonates with the heart and solar plexus, helping to clear physical and energetic blockages, helping let go. Connects you with your life force and emotional world. Promotes clarity and purpose and direction. Encourages healthy boundaries and knowing your own golden thread, your own authentic way and shining your light.

Tataramoa

. Tataramoa is a prickly vine that grows in the nghere (bush).

Traditionally, Tataramoa is a guardian that helps transitioning in and out of worlds. Meaning it's a plant that helps the dying pass through to the other side and help bring babies through the gateway, through the whare tangata (womb) into the world of light/ living. When you rub this rakau on a mama that is about to give birth it helps bring baby through. Induces labor and helps the placenta out.

Physically, this plant is a powerful sedative. Relaxes the nervous system, helping anxiety. Helps with sleep and insomnia by calming stress. Relaxes the body and any tension on all levels. Sore neck and shoulders. Headaches or migraines.

Healer for the central nervous system- spine brain connection.

Reduces fever, healer of respiratory system, colds & flus, coughs, sore throat.

Energetically, I feel this plant to be protective. Helping your to find your own inner protection, by setting boundaries, saying no and claiming your space. This plant also grows in the shadowy parts of the bush, can be supportive when exploring difficult or uncomfortable truths, shadow work aiding in necessary growth.

Kohekohe

Healer of the whare tangata (womb).

Healer of any pain & trauma from our grandmothers and mothers. Any ancestral pain that has been passed down. Clears any stagnant and unsupportive emotions stored in the womb. Clearing old inherited patterns and stories.

When you make a wairakau (infusion, tea) it is intensely bitter, so It literally 'wakes' the cells up and gives them a shake to release the stuck energy.

Since this tree brings balance and healing to the womb, it will help with any PMS symptoms, irregular bleeding, cramping while on your bleed, painful periods. Helps them to be softer, kinder.

A support during menopause initiation and First bleeds.

Helps dis-ease in the ovaries; ovarian cancer, cysts, PCOS, endometriosis.

Helps with infertility- helping to conceive babies.

Energetically, she helps you to reconnect to your womb space and the magic held there as a wombman. Reclaiming what it is to be a women, to sync back up with your cyclical nature, to deepen your intuitive knowing and what is it to hold everything, to be fertile ground to create anything. Supports all sorts of birthing- child, projects or newness inside of you.

Koromiko

This plant is the healer of any dis-ease of the stomach and digestive healing.

Clears stagnant energy in the stomach. If you look at the flowers, they look like a brush- literally brushes the digestive tract, filters all stagnancy in the stomach.

Helps especially with diarrhoea. You would take 4 leaves for a 4 year old, 5 leaves for a 5 year old and go up by age until age of 12 and then its 12 leaves for adult also. You would chew the new tips of the plants till it mixes with salvia.

This plants is very bitter, which is why is helps with balancing the stomach. You can make a weak tea to stimulate appetite and bile production.

It's a gentle plant and safe for pregnant mamas, can take if constipated.

Koromiko is also a healer of the skin, it's gentle for babies you can make into an infused oil and rub on baby if constipated, has diarrhoea or eczema. The tender leaves can be bruised and used for poultices for ulcers, rashes, boils etc.

Energetically, I feel koromiko to be a support in helping to digestive life with ease, emotionally, physically...and on all layers. Also helping our intuition to be strong.

Kanuka & Manuka

These plants both have strong anti-microbial properties.

Leaves of both Manuka and Kanuka can be boiled and liquid can help the liver, kidney and digestive function.

Both are a healer of the skin, useful for wounds, irritated skin conditions and infections. Infused into balms and oils, or bathe in it. Potent antioxidant & anti-inflammatory.

Helps with respiratory system, helping to unblock sinuses, supports asthma, hay fever, and bronchitis. Steam inhalation for congestion,

Kanuka is an effective remedy against intestinal parasites.

Energetically, these plants have cleansing energy. Manuka being an intense purifier, resets energy field and space. Kanuka being more gentle and associated with gentler, gradual, sustained healing rather than dramatic healing.

Manuka resonating with yang/ more intense and Kanuka being more yin/ more gentler energy.