Rob asked who do Maori pray to when collecting herbs for healing.  The answer is generally the prayers are to give thanks and acknowledgement that we are the guardians of the land, and they generally go to God, and/or Papatuanuku and Ranginui.

Tane Mahuta, "Lord of the Forest" stands over 50M. Often people comment about the spiritual vibe around the tree

We still see the influence of missionaries that came to early New Zealand.  The spiritual side has it’s own type of alternative medicine.  Healing anything always incorporates a spiritual aspect with Maori.  Always.

Legend has it that Papatuanuku, mother earth came together with Ranginui, the sky father and embraced in the darkness before creation or Te Kore (the nothingness).  After being locked in eternal darkness between them, their children finally pushed them apart.

Maori see themselves as guardians not owners of nature and land.  This cultural difference has caused many unnecessary disputes about land rights that still continue to this day.  The alternative natural healing they use has a strong connection with the land and nature.

Darryl asked can you eat Manuka Honey.  Yes you can use it like any other honey.   You may find the cost a deterrent to trying it, of course in NZ it is much closer to price to regular honey worth only about a dollar more for the same size jar.  In Cornwall it is sold for £55 a jar.  Yikes!  Pricey toast.

It does have those proven medicinal qualities that occur when bees gather pollen from the Manuka bush.  Not all Manuka honey is “active” meaning that it has enzymes that create chemical reactions in the honey.  To find some look for the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which is found on medical grade (!) honey.

UMF branded honey provides one more alternative in natural healing.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
Alternative*Insight
Photo Credit

What else could you try to combat winter ills?  Here in NZ we have native plants growing around the place that we can use to help us in healing.

There are two in particular that I use on a fairly regular basis.  One is Kumerahou which is probably the most versatile of all our native plants aside from Manuka (you may have heard of Manuka Honey).  In traditional medicine there are steps that must be adhered to out of respect, so what you would do is to say a prayer before picking the leaves of the plant.  Then it can be dried and made into a tea to drink.

I was taught to select the leaves a bug had already eaten. Yum!

There are also strict protocols around disposal of the leaves.  When I have finished using them they are given back to a tree.  Following the protocol is considered as important to the medicine as the plant itself.  This includes the time that the leaves are picked.  For Maori there is no separation between spiritual and physical aspects.

When I first heard of swine flu I stocked up on….. Kawakawa leaves!  This is the most useful New Zealand plant for cold or ‘flu symptoms.  A great alternative for natural healing.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan
AlternativeInsight
Photo Credit