The Liggins researchers are now running trials testing the potential for kawakawa to reduce inflammation and improve the health of people with non-communicable diseases, like heart disease and diabetes. See Nutrients.įurther, kawakawa, which has a peppery flavour may improve the bioavailability of other pharmacologically active compounds, such as curcumin found in turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory. “Dopamine could be the mechanism behind the reduction in insulin levels we observed in previous clinical trials exploring human physiological responses to consumption of kawakawa tea,” Dr Pook says. “It provides a mechanism by which the consumption of kawakawa tea soothes upset stomachs and other gastrointestinal complaints in rongoā Māori.”ĭopamine can also help people metabolise sugar and regulate insulin response. Pellitorine also has a key role in chemical pathways in the body that reduce inflammation.Īnother compound found in kawakawa, yangambin, has been shown in earlier human trials to have potent anti-inflammatory effects on the cardiovascular system.Īlso present is the neurotransmitter, dopamine, which doesn’t pass through the blood-brain barrier but does have known health effects on the digestive system, Dr Pook says. “The most abundant compound, of more than 60 that we found, was pellitorine, which has numbing effects on the body and could explain its use for pain-relief in rongoā Māori,” Dr Pook says. In rongoā Māori, kawakawa is used in many ways, including as a topical balm to soothe eczema, boils, bites, stings and grazes, as well as to relieve toothache, gastrointestinal and genitourinary problems. The family of plants to which they belong, the Piperaceae, is famous for its diverse roles in traditional medicinal and culinary practices from cultures around the world. Kawakawa ( Piper excelsum) is a relative of black pepper ( Piper nigrum). “Our findings show that kawakawa contains a great diversity and abundance of pharmacologically active metabolites,” says Liggins Institute research fellow Dr Chris Pook. In the latest paper, researchers from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, in partnership with hapū-owned Wakatū Incorporation from Te Tauihu at the north of Te Wai Pounamu, applied liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify the active compounds in the endemic plant’s leaves. Aotearoa New Zealand scientists are quantifying the health effects of kawakawa, a plant revered as taonga and long-used in Māori medicine or rongoā.
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