Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 1, 1 January 2023 — Aloha 'Oe, e Kumu Dane [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha 'Oe, e Kumu Dane

V MALAMA I KOU ICINO V ^ CARE FOR YOUR BODY "

By Jodi Leslie Matsuo, DrPH Kumu Dane Ka'ohelani Silva, was a kahuna lā'au lapa'au, lomilomi practitioner, qigong practitioner, chemist, researcher, faculty member, chiropractor, acupuncturist, and martial artist, among other things. Regardless of what role he was in, it was always for the sake of healing and

helping others. Humhle, yet powerful in spirit, Kumu Dane was an active and vocal advocate for the use of traditional medicines and therapies in modern times. My husband and I have had the privilege of learning traditional plant remedies from Kumu Dane to help our patients with type 2 diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, asthma, heart disease, cancer, and more. He believed it was the responsibility of kauka to learn these traditional medicines so as to

better understand their Native Hawaiian patients and provide these eomplementary options as part of their care. As he often said, "Hawaiians need Hawaiian medicines." At our workshops, he would teach us how to prepare native plants for use in medical treatments, using patients in his demonstrations. His knowledge of biochemistry enhanced his teachings, as he was able to scientifically explain how and why different plants worked. This knowledge gave him the ability to understand whieh plants to use to treat lesser known diseases, such as COVID-19. Kumu Dane was always available to provide individualized guidance for our patients who wanted to incorporate traditional medicines as part of their treatment. He made a salve for a patient

whose infection didn't respond to antibiotics. For a "hard head" patient who refused to get treated after a fall, he developed a protocol that healed his injuries, allowing him to return to work within a week. He developed an ointment that shrunk the tumor in one patient and prevented the cancer from spreading in another patient. These are only a few of countless examples. Kumu Dane did all this with so mueh aloha and no expectation of anything in return. Out of all the plants he used, he would promote 'uhaloa the most. 'Uhaloa, as he taught, addressed the root cause of many illnesses today - inflammation. By reducing inflammation, one could prevent or treat disease. His understanding of 'uhaloa led to a collaborative effort with

pharmacy researchers into the benefits of this plant. Not surprisingly, many of Kumu Dane's herbal formulas or treatment plans included 'uhaloa as a component, in the form of teas, oils, salves, or as mists for nebulizers. A daily eup or two of 'uhaloa tea, made using either fresh or dried 'uhaloa flowers and leaves, was commonly recommended as a simple treatment. Kumu Dane's recent passing is a heartfelt re-

minder of the obligation we Native Hawaiians have to learn from our kūpuna and use what we learn to help others and, in turn, teach others who will carry on the work passed down ffom our ancestors. While greatly missed, his life and legacy will be carried on whenever we promote and seek healing for eaeh other. Aloha 'oe, e Kumu Dane. ■ Born and raised in Kona, Hawai'i, Dr. Jodi Leslie Matsuo is a Native Hawaiian Registered Dietician and certified diabetes educator, with training in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. Follow her on Facebook (@DrJodiLeslieMatsuo), Instagram (@drlesliematsuo) and on Twitter (@ DrLeslieMatsuo).

[]

Kumu Dane Ka'ohelani Silva