Today, we spent the afternoon making Kawakawa balm and drinking Cleaver tea. The tea is a natural tonic and we decided that it tasted a bit like parsley.
We made the Kawakawa balm from the leaves and stems of the plant. It's growing in our Rongoa Garden (Healing Garden) at school. Whenever we pick the leaves, it's important to think about the care of the plant and it's future growth. Never take too much and whatever you don't use, always return to the base of the plant. Saying a karakia asking for permission to take some leaves and thanking God for this wonderful gift is also part of the process.
Picking leaves with holes is best - insects know best! What they eat is the most potent and this is what we want.
Making the infused Kawakawa oil
First you need to make the Kawakawa oil. You can add essential oils such as lavender or tea-tree for extra medicinal purposes but we chose not to as some people don't react postively to them.
Tearing the leaves and stalks of the Kawakawa, they were placed in a crockpot with 1 litre of olive oil. The leaves had to be under the oil. Then the crockpot was turned onto the lowest setting possible and left for about 5 hours. Once the time was up, it was left for about a week to infuse then strained through a muslin cloth into a jar. A small group of children had already done this part of the process a couple of weeks ago.
Making the balm
We poured some of the infused oil into a double boiler (with water in the bottom pot) and heated it. Then we added some melted beeswax. It was about 1/4 cup of beeswax to 1 1/4 cups of infused oil. Then we carefully poured the balm into some jars and it set.
We are now selling the Kawakawa balm so we can buy a Friendship Chair for our school.
Do you know what Kawakawa balm is good for?
Kia ora Room1,
ReplyDeleteThis process took a while and I commend you on your patience and perseverance in making the Kawakawa Balm.
We have lots of this bush in our garden and I always wondered why the insects liked it so much.
How much is your Kawakawa Balm? I would like to purchase some.
I think it is good healing balm for skin ailments like dry skin, cuts and scalds. Is it good for anything else?
from Mrs Torrie
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteZao chen Mrs Torrie,
DeleteThank you for commenting on our blog. We are selling the Kawakawa balm for $10. It is also good for bee stings, rashes, bruises, ulcers, eczema, aches, tight muscles and pain. It's also good as an anti-inflammatory and has anti-viral properties. You could chew the leaves in your garden if you have toothache. Have you ever tasted the leaves before?
Mā te wā,
Room 1
Kia ora Rm1,
DeleteI will bring $10.00 next week. Please can you keep one jar of balm for me?
I have never tasted the leaves and I wish I had known that when I did have toothache!
I am really interested in the Cleaver Tea. What is it good for? And where do I find the plant?
from Mrs Torrie
Malo e lelei Mrs Torrie,
DeleteWe have put some kawakawa balm away for you. Please ask Miss C at the office for it. Thank you for supporting our fundraiser. Cleaver is actually a weed. You might call it biddy bid. It's those tiny balls that stick to your clothes. They always get on our towels when we are at the beach. You don't brew the seeds though, you use the leaves. It's a great tonic to make you stay healthy and keep away germs.
Mā te wā,
Room 1
Kia ora Room 1,
Deletethank you for the kawakawa balm. I really love the feel of it as you rub it in. I had a small cut on my finger so have been using it on that. And it is working a treat!
Mā te wā
Mrs Torrie