Fwd: Cordyline terminalis - Special Report - Medicine at your Feet

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> David Bruce Leonard <herbnerd

> Tue Mar 2, 2004 6:42:25 PM US/Pacific

> David Bruce Leonard <herbnerd

> Cordyline terminalis - Special Report - Medicine at your Feet

>

> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> This information is through the grace and kindness of my

> Hawaiian and Chinese teachers and my gratitude goes out to

> them. Any errors are mine alone.

>

> If you wish to be taken off this list please let me know.

> If you wish to be included on this list please let me know.

> Please forward this information to any other Herb Nerds.

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> Aloha Herb Nerds,

>

> March classes for 'Awapuhi Health Center in Hilo are as follows:

>

> Catching the Qi: Understanding - Chinese medical

> theory

> provides a framework for healing, which takes into account the

> interrelationship of each patient's physical, mental, emotional, and

> spiritual state. Learn the principles underlying this 2000 year old

> healing

> art, and how you can incorporate them into your life to create balance

> and

> harmony.

> Instructor: Linnie O'Flanagan, L.Ac.

> Thursday, March 18th, 6:30–8:00pm

> Fee: $10 Pre-register by March 16th

>

> Women's Wellness – Looking at modern and ancient views of women's

> health,

> and drawing upon our collective wisdom, we will discus ways to improve

> our

> well-being, from puberty through the post-menopausal years. The

> Catching the

> Qi class, above, is recommended as a foundation to this course.

> Instructor: Linnie O'Flanagan, L.Ac.

> Thursdays, March 25th –April 8th , 6:30–8:30pm (Class meets 3

> times.)

> Fee: $69 Pre-register by March 20th

>

> Healing Plants of Hawai'i: Plant Gathering & Tincture Making for Liver

> Health - This class will focus on traditional Chinese and Hawaiian

> methods

> to improve liver health and optimize well-being. Topics will include: ·

> Prayer & chanting protocols related to plant gathering · Eastern &

> Western

> concepts of liver health · Plant and food remedies for hepatic harmony.

> Instructor: David Bruce Leonard, L.Ac.

> Saturday, March 27th , 9:00am-2:00pm

> Fee: $49 Pre-register by: March 22nd

>

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> This Special Report covers the most sacred plant used in Hawaiian

> medicine:

> the La'i or Ki plant (sometimes referred to as " Ti " ). Hope you enjoy

> it. A

> photograph can be found at

> http://www.medicineatyourfeet.com/cordylineterminalis.html

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>

> PLANT NAME: Cordyline fruticosa

>

> OTHER NAMES: Cordyline terminalis; Dracaena terminalis

>

> COMMON NAMES: La'i, Ki [Hawai'i], Asikuga [solomon Islands]; Cana la

> India

> [Venuzuela]; Dracena, Bloddracena [sweden]; Jeluang [sumatra]; Litik,

> Idahan

> [borneo]; Mak Pu Mak Mia [Thailand]; Sawang [borneo]; Si [Tonga]; Ti

> [uSA];

> Ti kouka, Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) [New Zealand]

>

> NOMENCLATURE: The name Cordyline comes from " kordyle " , a club &

> " terminalis " is a reference to the flowers resting at the terminal end

> of

> the leaf cluster. The term " Cabbage Tree " refers to the fact that the

> sailors of Captain Cook ate the leaves of Cordyline like cabbage.

>

> FAMILY: Agavaceae

>

> CATEGORY: Clear heat cool the blood

>

> PROPERTIES: Bland, Sweet, Cool

>

> STATUS IN HAWAI'I: Polynesian introduction. No pest factor.

>

> WESTERN FUNCTIONS REPORTED: Antiseptic, aphrodisiac, depurative,

> diuretic,

> febrifuge, hemostatic, laxative, purgative, and tonic.

>

> TRADITIONAL CHINESE ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS (~ = extrapolated): Cools the

> blood

> and stops bleeding; clears heat quells fire; reduces swelling; clears

> the

> lungs and opens the chest; clears lower burner damp heat

>

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> COMMON MEDICINAL USES:

> 1) Blessings 2) Bandages 3) Topical for fevers and headaches

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>

> CROSS-CULTURAL MEDICINAL USES

>

> CARDIOVASCULAR

> Bleeding [Hawai'i]; bleeding hemorrhoids [China]

>

> DERMATOLOGICAL

> Skin ailments (juiced); dermatosis [Malaya]; mashed

> topical for boils [Hawai'i]; burns [samoa]

>

> DIGESTIVE

> Indigestion [Java]; abdominal pain [Tahiti]; “lump in the stomach”

> [Hawai'i]; stomach problems [Caroline Islands]; diarrhea [Malaya,

> Samoa,

> Tahiti]; enteritis, dysentery [China, Hawai'i, Malaya]; severe

> constipation

> [Hawai'i]

>

> HEAD AND THROAT

>

> 1) Eye problems [samoa, Tonga]; eye strain and inflammation (juice,

> eye wash

> unfurled terminal leaves stirred in water) [Hawai'i];

>

> 2) Gingivitis, gum diseases, and toothache. [sumatra, Tonga (oil)]

>

> 3) Headache (leaf topical) [Hawai'i]; nasal polyps (flowers juiced and

> snorted) [Hawai'i]; earache [samoa, Tahiti];

>

> HEPATIC

> Liver cancer [China]; malarial fevers [Malaya]

>

> INFECTION

> Dry fevers (leaves topical) [Hawai'i, Samoa]; fever (internal, leaves

> topical) [Hawai'i, Samoa, Trinidad]; smallpox [Malaya, Philippines];

> abscess

> [Tahiti, Tonga];

>

> MUSCULOSKELETAL / TRAUMA

>

> 1) Arthritis [Hawai'i, Malaya, Samoa]; back pain (leaf topical as hot

> stone

> wrapping) [Hawai'i]; gout [samoa]. For pain, a Hawaiian " hot pack " is

> made

> with heated leaves and sometimes heated “lomi stones” wrapped in La'i

> leaves

> and applied topically. Also used for massage in Samoa.

>

> 2) Traumatic injury, broken bones [Hawai'i]; as a bandage (terminal

> leaf

> unfurled) [Hawai'i]; wounds [Hawai'i, Malaya, Samoa]

>

> 3) For blisters on the feet a leaf can be placed into the lining of

> shoes.

> And for burns (topical, leaves infused) [Cook Islands]

>

> NEUROLOGICAL

> Leaves infused for inflammations [samoa]; swelling and neuritis

> [Hawai'i]

>

> ONCOLOGY

> Lung tumors [China], growths [Hawai'i]

>

> PEDIATRIC:

> Croup [samoa]

>

> PSYCHOSPIRITUAL

>

> 1) Blessings and purifications, offerings (ho'okupu) [Hawai'i]

>

> 2) For exorcisms, to ward off evil spirits, to dispel curses with

> pa'akai

> (Hawaiian salt) [Hawai'i] and to relieve astral possession (occult

> traditions) [uSA]. Some Hawaiian women have been known to wear La'i

> leaves

> under their bras for protection.

>

> 3) Agitated psychological states (leaves brushed down the body)

> [Hawai'i],

> insanity [Malaya], and the " evil eye " [Philippines]

>

> REPRODUCTIVE

> Venereal disease, vaginal discharge, " groin swelling " [Hawai'i];

> scrotal

> swelling [samoa]; amenorrhea [Trinidad]; pregnancy [China, Hawai'i];

> threatened abortion [China]

>

> RESPIRATORY

> Asthma (flowers and leaves) [Hawai'i, Samoa]; common cold [samoa];

> chest

> congestion and sticky phlegm (pa'a) [Hawai'i, Samoa]; cough [india,

> Malaya,

> Trinidad]; lung congestion, bronchitis (leaves and shoots) [Hawai'i];

> tuberculosis, cough with blood; shortness of breath [samoa]

>

> URINARY

> Urinary complaints [samoa]

>

> OTHER MEDICINAL USES

>

> A body cover or a “girdle” was made with the leaves to induce sweating.

> [Hawai'i]

>

> In Hawai'i, hot stones are wrapped in tea leaves and used to relieve

> rheumatic problems. [Hawai'i]

>

> abdominal diseases [samoa]

>

> elephantiasis [samoa]

>

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>

> USE AS FOOD:

>

> * The La'i roots were boiled or baked and made into food, a sweet

> candy, and

> into a fermented drink (see below).

>

> * Maoris of New Zealand used an infertile, edible type of La'i, but it

> is

> now extinct. The leaves were used in Hawai'i to preserve breadfruit.

> Also

> used for cooking in underground ovens (called an 'imu) in Hawai'i, and

> as a

> sweetener in Fiji.

>

> OTHER USES:

>

> * The most sacred of all Hawaiian plants, La'i leaves have been used as

> wrappers, house thatching, sandals, cheerleader pom poms, plates,

> cooking

> utensils, rain coats, cordage, bandages, and damned near anything else

> you

> can imagine.

>

> * La'i was used to make whistles, balls, and even used for sledding

> (holua)

> down muddy or grassy slopes.

>

> * Used to wrap meat or yams before cooking in an underground oven

> ('Imu)

>

> * As fringing for fish nets and to add spiritual power (mana) to

> fishing

> lures.

>

> * Used as a lei carrier

>

> * In New Zealand the Maori used La'i to make string, rope, and even

> paper.

>

> * In Hawai'i, stones wrapped in La'i leaves are often seen placed along

> hiking trails as a blessing. This is a popular activity among

> non-Hawaiians.

>

> PLANT PART USED: Flower, leaf, root

>

> CONSTITUENTS: Saponins

>

> TOXICITY: Some leaves are said to contain calcium oxalate raphides, so

> they

> should be cooked. However, I find the young leaf shoots sweet and

> edible.

>

> CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Not recommended in pregnancy until more

> research is done.

>

> ENERGETIC CAUTIONS: Energetic Cautions: Caution with Cold Spleen /

> Stomach~

>

> PREPARATION OF MEDICINE: Preparation: Infused, decocted. Used fresh.

> Gather

> flowers in summer. Roots and leaves can be gathered all year. Leaves

> are

> " de-boned " by removing the midrib (kua) and the shiny side (the " alo "

> side)

> placed against the skin.

>

> DOSAGE: Dosage: Leaves 6-10 grams, Roots 3-5 grams, Flowers 10-15 grams

>

> COMBINATIONS:

> (Please note: Some of these traditional ingredients are TOXIC. DO NOT

> USE

> THESE COMBINATIONS WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION.)

>

> * With Solanum nigrum (Popolo) to clear heat and reduce inflammation.

> Also

> with Solanum nigrum (Popolo) for common cold, fever, earache and

> headache.

> [Hawai'i]

>

> * As an emetic with Ipomoea spp. (Morning glory) to clear the lungs.

> [Hawai'i]

>

> * Juiced and mixed with castor oil as a laxative. [Cook Islands]

>

> * With heated Morinda citrifolia (Noni) for boils [Hawai’i]

>

> * With Euodia hortensis (Uhi) for eye swelling (mata pupula) from

> supernatural causes. [Tonga]

>

> * Flowers used as food for asthma, mixed with poi or potato [Hawai'i]

>

> * Juiced with Zingiber officinale (Ginger) with fern fiddle heads

> (probably

> Cibotium spp. - Hapu'u) as a " cotton ball " . Liquid snorted for nasal

> polyps

> and nose ailments [Hawai'i]

>

> RANGE: Globally, tropics and sub tropics.

>

> HABITAT: Native to tropical Asia, Found along previously inhabited

> streams

> in Hawai'i.

>

> GATHERING: When possible, I always try to gather La'i before other

> herbs and

> use it as a gathering lei and medicine bundle. The lei may be offered

> as a

> gift to Wao 'Akua (the forest), or worn to purify the gatherer. As a

> medicine bundle, it is given to the patient, who removes the herbs for

> preparation and then replants the " wrapping " in their yard, where it

> will

> grow as a reminder of their healing process and relationship to the

> divine.

>

> PROPAGATION & CULTIVATION: Place a broken stem in the ground and watch

> it

> grow.

>

> NOTES 'N QUOTES:

>

> * There are almost fifty varieties of Cordyline grown by the Maenge of

> New

> Britain including thick and thin, striped and mottled leaves. These

> include

> a kaleidoscope of red, green, yellow, black and purple leaves.

>

> * Cordyline is considered sacred in Hawai'i, Malaysia, Philippines,

> Indonesia, New Guinea, and Polynesia

>

> * Green La'i is sacred in Hawai'i, red La'i is sacred in many parts of

> Malaysia, and the Iban of Borneo plant both red and green La'i after

> certain

> ceremonies . In Irian Jaya the Kapauku claim to use red La'i when

> performing

> black magic and green La'i when performing white magic.* In Indonesia

> green

> La'i is used for white magick and red La'i for black magick.

>

> * In New Guinea, warriors placed their life spirits into a red La'i

> plant

> before going off to battle; and it was a " Wise Woman " tradition for a

> wife

> to place a red Cordyline flower on the outside of her house to let her

> husband know when she was menstruating.

>

> * In Hawai'i, La'i was brought as a canoe plant by the first Hawaiian

> settlers and will only grow at up to about 4000 feet elevation

>

> * A symbol of purity and spiritual power in ancient (and modern)

> Hawai'i

> La'i is planted around houses, made into healer's leis, and used in

> ceremonial blessings. It was often grown at temples of the medicine

> god Lono

> and the hula goddess Laka. Temples to Lono were thatched with La'i

> leaves

> and those to Ku (the war god) were thatched with other plants.

>

> * Legend has it that a La'i stalk was used to test the waters of

> Waipi'o

> stream to protect against a shark who lived there.

>

> * " ... grows at the place of promising with the highest god.... as man

> lives

> or dies the Sawang (Cordyline) is used. People always erect it. If

> there is

> a promise between the living the wood must be planted, when there is a

> promise with the dead it is finally thrown into the river. The Sawang

> is

> planted for the newly married, for the dead it is thrown into the

> water. " -

> - A Ngaju, Borneo ritual practitioner

>

> * A “white lightning” called “Okolehao” (bearing a remarkable

> resemblance to

> an industrial solvent) was made in old Hawai’i. “Okolehao” means “Iron

> ass”

> in Hawaiian, perhaps an indication that this beverage burns upon both

> entry

> and exit.

>

> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>

>

> Bibliography:

>

> Abbott, Isabel Aiona.1992. La'au Hawai'i. Traditional Hawaiian Uses of

> Plants. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press

>

> Gutmanis, Jane. 1987. Kahuna La'au Lapa'au. 4th ed. Honolulu: Island

> Heritage.

>

> Kaaiakamanu, D. M. 1922. Hawaiian Herbs of Medicinal Value. (Trans. by

> Akaiko Akana) Rutland, VT.: Charles E. Tuttle Company

>

> Kawai'ae, Keiki K. C. 1980. Hawaiian Pathological Terms. Author's

> collection.

>

> Leonard, David Bruce. 1992-2004. Personal conversations with Na

> Kupuna, my

> teachers.

>

> Whistler, W. Arthur. 1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine. Lawai, HI.:

> National

> Tropical Botanical Garden.

>

> Whistler, W. Arthur. 1992. Tongan Herbal Medicine. Honolulu: Isle

> Botanica.

>

> Whistler, W. Arthur. 1996. Samoan Herbal Medicine. Honolulu: Isle

> Botanica.

>

>

>

> Web Sources:

>

> Dr. Celia Ehrlich's fantastic research at

> http://www.hawaii.edu/nhcoe/newsletter.html

>

> http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFolder/BotDermA/AGAV.html

>

> http://BoDD.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFolder/BotDermA/AGAV.html

>

> http://hoolokahi.vizip.com/laau.html

>

> http://library.kcc.hawaii.edu/~soma/krauss/ki.html

>

> http://uneli.unitec.ac.nz/our_auckland/greylynn/Forest%20Trees.htm

>

> http://www.abc.net.au/ra/carvingout/issues/tjibaou.htm

>

> http://www.aircav.com/survival/appb/asappb45.html

>

> http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/ethnobot.pl

>

> http://www.borneofocus.com/vaic/R & D/article41.htm

>

> http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Streamside/PLANTS/Cordaust.html

>

> http://www.cic-valencia.org.ve/gardens.htm

>

> http://www.dittmar.dusnet.de/english/suche-e.php?term=cordyline

>

> http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/afris/Data/379.HTM

>

> http://www.floweressences.com/Essences/Aloha.html

>

> http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7109/flax.htm

>

> http://www.hawaii.edu/nhcoe/newsletter.html

>

> http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/database/plant-names-c-e.html

>

> http://www.k12.hi.us/~kapunaha/ti.html

>

> http://www.ktropicals.com/flowers/foliage.shtml

>

> http://www.oak-tree.org/eden-seeds.html

>

> http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/peopleplants/pdf/wp3e.pdf

>

> http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/peopleplants/wp/wp3/conservation.htm

>

> http://www.terralingua.org/TLPublications/DiscussionPapers/

> DiscPaper9.html

>

> http://www.textfiles.com/food/seeds42.txt

>

> http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb/

>

> http://www-nceph.anu.edu.au/htc/pdfs/Hughes1.pdf

>

> *************************

> David Bruce Leonard, L.Ac.

> Medicine at your Feet

> 'Awapuhi Health Sanctuary

>

> http://www.medicineatyourfeet.com

> http://www.awapuhihealth.com

>

> Can you save the world?

> http://www.freshsensation.com/samorost.swf

>

>

 

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