Māmaki

Pipturus albidus

Also: Mamaki, Mamake, Hawaiian tea

CoolingNeutral moistureTonifying

A Hawaiian cousin of nettle, brewed into a smooth daily tea.

A small Hawaiian shrub or tree of the nettle family, without the sting, with broad, red-veined leaves and white, fleshy fruit. Māmaki leaf makes a smooth, caffeine-free daily tea, rich in antioxidants and minerals, taken as a general tonic and for recovery.

Energetics: Cooling, gently toning
Taste: Mild, smooth, slightly sweet
Family: Urticaceae (nettle family)
Parts used: Leaves

Medicinal uses 2

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Exhaustion & burnoutTLC
A traditional Hawaiian tonic tea for strength and recovery.
Depletion & mineral needsTLC
Supplies calcium, magnesium, and potassium in a pleasant daily cup.

Preparations

A gentle daily leaf tea, hot or iced.

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Cautions

Very gentle.
Buy from Hawaiian growers rather than stripping wild plants, which feed a native butterfly.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAsk your practitioner

Māmaki has not been studied in pregnancy; check with your practitioner.

BreastfeedingAsk your practitioner

It has not been studied in nursing; check with your practitioner first.

Folklore

Māmaki is endemic to Hawai'i and grows nowhere else on Earth. Hawaiians beat its bark fiber into a fine kapa cloth as well as brewing the leaves. The leaves feed the caterpillars of the Kamehameha butterfly, Hawai'i's state insect and one of only two butterflies native to the islands.

How to grow

A fast-growing shrub for warm, frost-free gardens with rich, moist soil and part shade; outside Hawai'i it grows only in greenhouses or tropical gardens. Leaves can be picked year-round.

In the wild

Moist forests and gulches on all the main Hawaiian islands, from near the coast well up into the mountains.

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