Wild-harvested native Kawakawa for Kawakawa Balm

Wild-harvested native Kawakawa for Kawakawa Repair Balm

Valuing traditional wisdom in a modern world

There's a lot to Kawakawa, the beautiful plant with the heart-shaped leaves. This unassuming New Zealand native shrub was trusted by our tīpuna for its ability to soothe and support healing for a diverse range of aliments and illnesses, from toothache and skin conditions to colds and bladder problems.

Chewing the leaves releases vibrant peppery compounds which can numb the mouth and gums providing welcome relief for troublesome toothache!

The rediscovery of heritage

Frankie started with the personal discovery of heritage, culture and coming back to the 'old ways' to solve one little girl's dramatic eczema skin condition. From there, the word about the precious effect of this traditional rongoā rākau (plant remedy) has been shared with thousand of families dealing with sensitive skin; with great success.

Harvesting Kawakawa by the moon

The wild crafted Kawakawa for our traditionally inspired products is harvested by hand using centuries-old techniques. We believe that observing traditional methods adds an element of special goodness to the Kawakawa actives.

Leaves are picked from the Kawakawa shrubs in time with full moon, Rākau-nui, and the day after, Rakau-matohī, in line with traditional practice. Interestingly, we've heard that plants absorb more water during times of full and new moons, and more moonlight stimulates leaf growth.

Kawakawa, asleep and awake

While I was studying rongoā, our Kaiako shared that Kawakawa ‘sleeps’ during the day. Watch it when the sun hits the leaves after an early morning harvest, and it starts to droop slightly, waking again at night.

Because of the action of the sun on the leaves, we learnt that the east side of the tree is best, as it receives the sun's first rays every day. Likewise, the leaves that look lacy with holes have higher levels of medicinal actives. Those little Looper Moths are on to a good thing here; reka rawa, ne!

Karakia/blessings are said over the Kawakawa while harvesting, and again while the kawakawa oil is infusing at our home in Tāmaki Makaurau.

This is the gentle process we use to extract the medicinal actives from the Kawakawa - steeping the leaves in pure natural oil.

We love this time. It's slow and deliberate. By the end of this process it has a rich green hue - now infused with the distinctive scent of Kawakawa.

It's easy to see how the goodness of the Kawakawa permeates our products when you look at this luscious oil, now carrying the beautiful actives (lignins, antioxidants, myristicin, antimicrobial and analgesic actives and more) that bring so much relief and pleasure to our customers!

We are so grateful for the journey we are on and for every person who has enjoyed the products we have created.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koe!

Georgina x

There's more to Kawakawa than meets the eye

Traditionally in Aotearoa, Kawakawa plays an important role in the spiritual and physical world of Māori, following the life cycle from conception, birth, life and death.

Kawakawa wreaths are worn as a sign of mourning, and used in the powhiri as tangata whenua welcome the manuhiri onto the marae. To conceive, a woman would place a sprig of Kawakawa under her bed before intercourse as a good luck charm. It is used in birth and name ceremonies, to remove tapu at the opening of a meeting house and as a blessing of food and war and a symbol of mourning.

As a key healing plant, Kawakawa was heavily employed in the ancient lore of Rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori healing system where ailments are treated in a holistic manner which encompasses the use of herbs with healing in the mental and spiritual worlds. Aspects of rongoā can be explained as taha wairua (spiritual), taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings), taha tinana (physical), and taha whanau (family).

In essence rongoā endorses a holistic embrace of all aspects of wellbeing - and Kawakawa plays its part in this healing methodology so beautifully.

We wild-harvest the Kawakawa for our natural remedies using traditional practises - harvesting certain leaves at certain times of the moon cycle, with karakia; as well as replacing used leaves back into the forest.

The leaves are infused in oil over many weeks and bathed in karakia and blessing, until the oil takes on a rich green hue and has the distinctive peppery scent of Kawakawa.

Explore our range of natural, New Zealand made Kawakawa remedies