KAWAKAWA - Macropiper excelsum

You may have noticed that we LOVE, LOVE. LOVE our precious Kawakawa plant and have given it top billing in all our products This heart-shaped gem is one of Aotearoa’s true treasures and forms the healing base of every one of our premium herbal teas. True well-being with every cup. 

A sacred medicinal herb in Rongoa Maori, Kawakawa is a universal tonic and healer. It is part of the pepper family, Piperaceae, and is in the same genus as kava. You will find it under the canopy of our native forests where it is protected by the trees above and thrives. The leaves are a favourite of the Kawakawa Looper caterpillar and often the leaves are covered in holes. This happens despite the anti-insect chemicals produced by the plant. These holey leaves are the most medicinal and powerful so even though they look damaged they are the ones we want.

This magical plant is beneficial for almost every inch of your body. Its calming, warming effects can provide support for digestive discomfort of all types from indigestion through to IBS.

Kawakawa has refreshing, stimulating actions, great for supporting cardiovascular health by stimulating circulation - notice how the leaves are heart-shaped?? This can be a great support for varicose veins, chilblains and poor circulation generally.

Much like other plants from the Pepper family, it has analgesic properties. It is believed that the myristicin contained in the leaves triggers the release of nitric oxide from our cells, which has the same effect as our body’s own response to inflammation.

There is something truly spectacular about the perfect imperfection of Kawakawa which, to us, sums up the journey to achieving enhanced wellbeing. Everyone has ‘holes’ in their journey that make up their health story. We are here to help you embrace this journey, nurturing change one step at a time, inside and out!

Our Herbal Creams and Aromatherapy rollers all contain this powerful herb too. We really do stand behind the power of this beautiful gem!