Kawakawa

Kawakawa ( Piper excelcium) can be taken to ease digestion problems and also functions as a mild analgesic. Perhaps most importantly it is said that consuming kawakawa provides one with strength and rejuvenation to face extreme physical and psychological stress situations. The slightly crushed leaves can simply be brewed into a tea. In large quantities the leaves are thought to be toxic, but one or two leaves for a cup of tea won’t be problematic. The berries are among the more pleasant-tasting you can find in the NZ bush, as long as you don’t bite into the tiny hard seeds.

For toothache, chew on kawakawa leaves, which won’t taste great but will certainly numb the pain. Application of a poultice of kawakawa leaves is also useful for wounds.