Native Plants Used As Medicine in Hawaii
Beatrice H. Krauss
`AWAPUHI-KUAHIWI - Wild ginger (
Zingiber zerumbet)
The Polynesians brought this plant with them when they came to Hawaii. It has large underground stems (which most people call "roots"). These underground stems are knobby, and when cut, have a nice spicy smell like
`awapuhi-pake (the ginger we use in cooking). It is this "root" that the Hawaiians used for medicine.
They would take the "roots" of
`awapuhi-kuahiwi, wash them, and then grind them in a stone mortar with a stone pestle. Then they would add water to the ground-up material, and finally strain the mixture through the fibers of
makaloa, a Hawaiian sedge (it looks a little like a grass). The clear liquid would then be drunk to cure a stomach ache. It is interesting to know that people in other parts of the world make a medicine out of the "roots" of commercial ginger (
`awapuhi-pake), and use it for stomach aches -- this is called "Jamaica ginger