Herbs for the Heart - Kawakawa
“Mana is my mountain, And Aroha is my sea, Whānau is my waka, And all of that is me.” - Pepeha by Six60
As I’ve been writing this post on Kawakawa, I’ve realised that I am literally the furtherest I could possibly be on this planet from the lush kawakawa lined forests and parks of Aotearoa. To be exact 18,000 km or 11,400 miles. I dearly miss my regular walks with kawakawa in the bush, feeling the invigorating and restoring energy of Kawakawa through my cells. I’m glad I packed a stash of dried Kawakawa leaves in my travelling apothecary, so I can always have the potent healing benefits of Kawakawa close with me.
I’m very excited to write about one of my favourite evergreen plants, herbal allies and heart healing kin.
Kawakawa
Macropiper excelsum
Common name - Pepper Tree (not to be confused with Horopito also called Pepper Tree)
Family - Piperaceae
Note: Kawakawa is a member of the pepper family related to Kava Kava, Piper methysticum
Parts used - leaves, also fruit, flowers & roots can be used
Energetics - warming and drying due to it’s astringency
Tastes - bitter, peppery, pungent. The name kawakawa comes from the Māori language, where it refers to the bitter taste of the leaves, kawa = bitter
Medicinal Actions - anti-inflammatory, analgesic, carminative, spasmolytic, antimicrobial, tonic, circulatory stimulant, diuretic, adaptogen
Botanical Description - kawakawa is a small evergreen shrub-like tree with large heart shaped leaves. The fleshy leaves are deep emerald green in colour and they are sometimes slightly glossy.
Where is kawakawa found? - Kawakawa is endemic to New Zealand and is mostly found around the North Island and the northern parts of the South Island. Kawakawa does prefer warmer weather and is frost sensitive and can be found especially in semi-shaded areas near the coast, in parks and lowland forests. It does not require much light to flourish.
Harvest - kawakawa leaves can be mindfully foraged all year. The leaves are often covered with holes caused by the caterpillar of the kawakawa looper moth and these leaves are considered the best to use due to the active compounds being released by the caterpillars chewing the leaves1
Cultural importance - The kawakawa plant is taonga, or treasure to Māori and has a long history of medicinal use in Rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori healing system. An infusion made from the leaves or roots is used or its leaves were chewed to relieve toothache, and wounds were often bound in kawakawa leaves. Kawakawa is used symbolically during funerals as a sign of morning, the greenery or pare kawakawa worn around the head as a wreath.2
Heart medicine offering - emotional
Kawakawa is a beautiful and vibrant small tree with big heart shaped leaves, it truly is difficult to miss and is partly what drew me to this gorgeous plant in the first place. Kawakawa’s heart healing medicine is a beautiful gift that I received directly from the plant itself in the lush NZ forest.
Kawakawa is a hardy and resilient evergreen plant, generously giving us it’s powerful medicinal benefits during the entire year. This really stood out to me whilst I was meandering through the sun-filtered bush during the changing seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn. Kawakawa remains vibrant and alive throughout all seasons.
Kawakawa literally shows us that it can thrive in all seasons, including the cold winter and in environments without much light. It is strong and resilient in the dark and damp of the forest.
I began to consider during my forest wanderings; could this beautiful and vibrant plant be heart medicine for us during the darker seasons of life?
I received my answer to this question in the first half of 2022, when so much of my life felt in turmoil both in the macro (with the pandemic) and micro (with my health and marriage). During this time I would take myself away from the chaos of the world and walk in my secret ‘Kawakawa forest’ where I rarely saw another soul.
As I walked under the canopy of Pine and Tawa trees with Kawakawa growing abundantly underneath in the shade of the forest, I opened up my senses, by gently touching the Kawakawa, tasting the leaves directly from the tree or drinking an infusion whilst sitting on the forest floor. I observed how and where Kawakawa grew, listened to the leaves dancing in the wind and felt invigorated by the aromatic scent of this abundant plant.
I remember distinctively knowing in my body that this plant has potent heart medicine to offer us; not only did I feel deeply grounded and calm in my body but I also felt strengthened for what I was facing and what was ahead of me, the kawakawa helped me stay connected to my heart space and intuition. I could feel the stress and inflammation literally releasing from my body, like a big deep exhale.
It was some very cool forest magic.
I am so grateful to have received this empowering heart offering from this beautiful NZ native plant and want to share it with you to!
Kawakawa’s heart healing offering available to us is;
vitality, strength & resilience through all seasons including life’s darker, stressful seasons
helping us to stay connected to and follow our hearts/intuition
giving us a sense of calm amongst the chaos
It’s really no surprise that Kawakawa is known as “the plant of the heart” in NZ due to its vibrant heart-shaped leaves, generously giving us its magical forest medicine.
As a Naturopathic Herbalist, I believe that Kawakawa is an important herbal ally for periods of stress and anxiety due to it’s adaptogenic, tonic and stimulating actions which can help support our nervous system, restore adrenal function and balance our response to stress by reducing anxious feelings. Kawakawa boosts low energy when we are feeling run down due to life’s pressures.
Lets take a look at more ways Kawakawa can support us.
Heart medicine offering - physical
Kawakawa is also known as ‘the pharmacy of the forest” due to its extensive range of medicinal uses both internally and externally, truly an incredible tonic for the whole body.
Stress and anxiety are often felt physically in the heart space (e.g. tight chest) and in the stomach/gut (e.g. reduced appetite, reflux, IBS symptoms). As you will see, Kawakawa is an amazing herbal medicine for the heart via its effects on the gut and the nervous system:
Kawakawa is a very supportive herb for the digestive system with its bitter, carminative, spasmolytic and anti-microbial properties thus nourishing the Gut-Heart-Axis. This magic plant is a digestive bitter; meaning it stimulates digestive secretions to assist with the breakdown of our food. Kawakawa also aids digestion by reducing gas, bloating and spasms and its anti-microbial properties provide a gentle and safe way to keep the gut microbes in balance. Interestingly dysbiosis in the gut can promote a pro-inflammatory state that can impact heart health.3
I want to acknowledge that Kawakawa has a long history of use in Rongoā Māori for gastrointestinal discomforts, it’s known effects on the digestive system have been harnessed for hundreds of years.
Kawakawa’s warming and pungent properties make it a wonderful circulatory stimulant, helping improve blood flow around the body, to the vital organs and into the cells. Circulatory stimulants can be great additions to herbal formulas for those with poor blood flow, stagnation and a cold constitution.
Kawakawa leaves contain a complex phytochemical profile including flavonoids and alkaloids with many promising health benefits including glucose regulation.4 One chemical in kawakawa called myristicin has anti-inflammatory properties. This is important medicine for our times as inflammation is at the root of many health issues, including heart, circulatory and cardiovascular diseases.
How to use Kawakawa to support your Heart
Kawakawa Infusion
A simple cup of tea is actually one of my favourite ways to use kawakawa and receive it’s many benefits including improved digestion, a balanced nervous system and improved circulation. I love mindfully enjoying a Kawakawa infusion either from fresh or dried leaves to give my heart resilience and courage.
Here’s how to make a Kawakawa infusion:
Boil water : Filtered or spring water is best
Warm up your tea infuser: Pour boiling water into your infuser of choice, about halfway, swirl it around and then discard the water
Place 1 tsp of dried kawakawa or 2 - 3 fresh kawakawa leaves into the tea infuser and add the hot water
Cover teapot and steep for 5 - 10 minutes
Pour the kawakawa infusion into your favourite cup
Mindfully sip the kawakawa tea and connect with the invigorating, digestive & heart healing energies of the plant
A suggested limit is about 4 cups of kawakawa tea per day. If you have a dry constitution, try adding moistening herbs to the infusion like licorice or marshmallow root.
Please enjoy my Kawakawa playlist while you sip your kawakawa infusion.
Kawakawa Forest Reflections
The forest is truly where Kawakawa gifts us with its healing. This is where I felt the potency of Kawakawa’s medicine in my life during a stressful season.
If you can, mindfully take a walk amongst Kawakawa in the forest (a garden or park is also an option if accessing the forest is difficult). Take time to open your physical and emotional senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. You may like to sit down for these reflections with a journal and have a flask of hot water and a cup with you to make a kawakawa infusion.
For extra heart healing benefit: pick a kawakawa leaf and place over your heart centre while you complete these reflections
What do I see in the Kawakawa plant and the environment it grows in?
How does the Kawakawa feel between my fingers?
What do I taste when I nibble the leaves?
What do I feel in my body when I drink kawakawa tea?
What can I hear when I listen to this beautiful living plant?
How can I best support my body, mind and heart during seasons/times of stress?
What self-care practices help me to feel more resilient? What self-care practices help me to feel more calm? How can I prioritise these in my life more?
These reflections can also be done with dried kawakawa in a peaceful environment.
Safety
Kawakawa is generally considered very safe, there have been no recorded adverse affects recorded. A few points to keep in mind:
Do be aware that kawakawa has a numbing effect in the mouth if taken in excess. Remember not to over-do it - max 4 cups of tea per day is a general rule.
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking prescribed medications or navigating a health condition, consult with your Naturopath / Herbalist for expert herbal safety advice.
As a Herbalist, I dearly love having Kawakawa available in my dispensary to support the emotional and physical body - I hope you can now see why!
Like all plants, Kawakawa has so much magic and in this post I’ve mainly focused on Kawakawa’s heart healing benefits but there is so much more I could share about this incredible plant and different ways to use it including making Kawakawa infused oils and balms and having an outdoor kawakawa forest bath.