Tea and Sympathy

Mamaki is best known as a refreshing herbal tea and for it’s medicinal uses. It grows only in Hawaii.

Mamaki Mamaki Tea digital image by Fung Ching Kelling Tea

My sister (Fung-Ching) sent me a bag of Mamaki tea she cultivated and some digital images via email.

This native Hawaiian fiber bush lacks the stinging hairs of other nettle family members. Caterpillars of the Kamehameha butterfly eat the red veined leaves. Bark was used to make poor grade tapa and medicine, and leaves for herb tea. The fruits are an unusual white mass with seeds on the surface like strawberries, and have a mild laxative effect.
More photos of Mamaki tree.

Exercise, eat fruits and vegetables and drink teas. We Americans must do our best to avoid becoming sick.

Aloha Aloha by Fung Ching Kelling