Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 6, 1 June 1993 — Healer offers alternative to modern medicine [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Healer offers alternative to modern medicine

by Patrick Johnston In a world of reclusive, most often elderly practitioners, Marie Plaee is an articulate spokesperson of a fledging movement toward increasing use of traditional Hawaiian medicine. Traditional Hawaiian medicine relies on plants found throughout the islands and is administered with prayer and other spiritual

rituals. Hawaiians use healing plants to treat a number of different ailments including diabetes, asthma, and gastro-intestinal disorders. Plaee grew up on the southeast shore of Moloka'i and her medicines are very mueh a product of those surroundings. She gathers Hina hina kahakai (native Hawaiian water leaf) and

hala, both native to Moloka'i and uses to treat diabetes. Laukahi (broad-leaf plantain) she boils into a tea and uses for asthma. She rubs 3 to 5 leaves of pōpolo (glossy nightshade) into

the head. Plaee claims it will elean out mucous and help with respiratory problems. For oeoeile

with skin conditions she will piek pink and lavender moming glories, boil them and apply them to the body. The next day she repeats the process. (Ed. note: Anyone considering using traditional medicine should not try to make it themselves and should only go to individuals known to be experienced in the practice.) For Plaee, prayer is as important as taking the medicines. "Before you do anything you must ask the Lord for help. Without him nothing ean help." This spiritual side of healing is generally ignored by modern medicine although many advocates of both traditional and

modern medicine feel it is an important psychological eomponent of the healing process. None of Place's remedies have been scientifically verified as being effective treatment for disease, but Plaee says that she has

had considerable success using some of the remedies. In one case she administered laukahi to her grandsons who was suffering from asthma. He took the medicine for five days, his asthma cleared up, and has yet to reoccur. In another case she administered her morning glory treatment to a boy suffering from a severe rash. His problem also cleared up quickly. Plaee started her work 40 years ago, and has been helping Moloka'i residents with her treatment since that time. "Sometimes people will go up to Emmett (Aluli) and want traditional medicines," Plaee says.

"He tells them to go see Marie." She does not ask for money but offers the medicine as a way to help and educate. "If I ean help the people that's what I want. ... I feel people need to leam about traditional medi-

cines and how to use them. I'm here to help others." In addition to offering traditional medical services, Plaee

teaches a kūpuna class about some of her practices. Plaee learned everything she knows from her mother and has not written any of the medical recipes and treatments down. "God created eyes, ears and head and that is where I store everything. Nothing is written down. That's how I leam." Place's knowledge, however, will not be forgotten when she dies. In addition to the time she spends teaching kūpuna she also makes sure her children and grandchildren know about Moloka'i plants and their healing attributes.

The spiritual side of healing is generally ignored by modern medicine although many advocates of both traditional and modern medicine feel it is an important psychologieal component of the healing process.

Plaee: Feels people should learn about traditional medicines and their use. Phoio by Pamek Johnston