Organic Nation Kawa Kawa Tea 50G

Certified Organic

$34.99

Kawakawa is a small tree that grows throughout New Zealand and is usually found on the edge of bush in partial shade. The aromatic tree grows to roughly 6m and is adorned with heart shaped fleshy leaves, which can be eaten as a vegetable also. The Kawakawa tree is considered by many as a sacred tree and can sometimes be called the ‘Pharmacy of the forest’.

Kawakawa is an entire plant pharmacy in itself, capable of many different functions that make it useful for an array of conditions.  The variety of active properties in Kawakawa make it a complex and powerful medicine, but one that is readily accessible, as anyone who has made a fresh Kawakawa tea will tell you! It was used as a ‘tea’ by early European settlers who were awaiting shipments of black tea, and prized as a pick me up for these hard workers. While it doesn’t contain caffeine like traditional tea does, it is known as a refreshing, rejuvenating and uplifting tonic to improve energy and stamina.

20000 in stock

Before pharmaceutical companies started running things, herbal remedies were what people used when the winter chills took hold.

Many sodas, bitters, spirits and liqueurs were originally made as tonics for helping with ailments. In Aotearoa, tohunga created balms, herbal infusions, steam baths and teas from local flora for preventing, curing or easing all sorts of ills. Many of these rongoā are still used today.

The leaves of kawakawa, a member of the pepper tree family, were commonly used as a tea to help with digestion, as an anti-inflammatory tonic, and as a mild intoxicant. Kawakawa is the milder cousin of kava, the intoxicating root drunk in other Pacific Islands. It is probably the most commonly used native ingredient in drinks in New Zealand.