Kawakawa New Zealands natural immune tonic

I love Autumn. I love the vibrant colours and the warmth of the sun that doesn’t scorch my skin in minutes. However, I don’t love the lurgies that come with the change of season. Lots of coughs and sniffles are starting at kindie and school. This is a gentle reminder to start giving the body a little assistance.

Our Wellness cookies are a great daily addition to help give your immune system a little boost.

We include kawakawa, a  traditional medicinal plant of Maori. Kawakawa is found in coastal and lowland forests throughout the North Island of New Zealand.

Kawakawa leaves can be used to flavour sweet and savoury dishes. The orange fruits from the female trees are sweet and the seeds peppery.  I only recently discovered that we can actually eat these.

When foraging for Kawakawa leaves choose the leaves with the most holes.  The holes are from a specific insect which eats the leaves when the medicinal properties are most concentrated. Kawakawa has many uses besides being a wonderful general tonic.

Tea

Pick 2-3 leaves and place in a cup of boiled water. Infuse for a minute or two then drink. It’s wonderful with ginger and raw honey as a winter tonic to assist immunity.

Insect Repellent

Drying and burning leaves can act as wonderful natural insect repellent. Picking leaves and smashing them up in a mortar and pestle can also be very soothing when rubbed on itchy bites.

Toothache

Chewing on kawakawa leaves can help numb sore teeth and can be rubbed on babies’ gums as a natural teething aid.

Totally Devoted Wellness Cookies

You can find our Wellness cookies in many health food stores throughout New Zealand and Australia or you can buy directly from us.

https://totallydevoted.co.nz/products/wellness-cookies

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