Ingredients

• A handful of fresh or half the amount of dried kūmarahou leaves
• Water

Equipment

• Stainless steel pot
• Strainer to filter plant material

Method

Prior to harvesting your plant material and again before making your rongoā (medicine/ointments), offer a quiet karakia (prayer of thanks) for the purpose for which it was harvested.

Cover your kūmarahou leaves with cold water (about 1.5 litres) in a stainless steel pot. Bring this to the boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and strain plant material from the water using a clean cloth or muslin - i use often use a clean tea towel or pillow case if nothing else around. This water is your wairakau. Once the liquid has cooled you can store it in the fridge until needed. Return the spent plant material/leaves to Papatūānuku (earth - garden). Never discard your used leaves in the rubbish, put back in the land what you take out.

Dosage: Mix half a cup of cold decoction with half a cup of hot water. Drink 2-3 cups each day (the taste gets better as you get used to the initial kawa bite of the first mouthful).  If not mix with honey or brown raw sugar, i'll be honest it's not the best tasting, but it is great for you!

This will not last more than a week, please make a fresh batch if not been kept in the fridge.  Enjoy!