Restore Native Plants
“He keiki aloha na mea kanu" — "Beloved children are the plants.”
We are at the beginning of a movement. For many years this land that we call Kaua’i Farmacy has grown and held so many of our dear beloved herbal allies. We are learning that all plant beings have a place, as do we, and our focus of true restoration has now expanded beyond the plants that you commonly know such as Tulsi, Ginger, and Comfrey.
We are on the cusp of transformation and restoration and are so excited to share with you that we have recently begun inviting and tending to Native plants on the farm.
Native Mamaki amongst Lemon Balm
What is a native plant? A native plant is a species that occurs naturally in a specific region or ecosystem, having adapted over thousands of years to the local climate, soil, and wildlife. Natives are a representation of the true and pure identity of a place and all that inhabit it. Their presence is medicine. When nature is in order it is at its highest frequency and that is felt and permeable to all who encounter it. When you are in an ecosystem that is balanced and congruent, it feels divine.
We are currently tending to over 32 Natives here at the farm. Some are Native varieties of herbs you know well. Mamaki is a treasured native in the Nettles family. Ahinahina is a native Wormwood. We also have native Mints, Mallows, and types of Brahmi. Our intention to restore them to the environment is through honorable repurposing and hybrid ecology.
Native Beach Ilima amongst Comfrey
We are planting at risk Natives in and amongst medicine plants such as Lemon Balm, Spearmint, and Bacopa. These herbs are helping the natives to adapt to an environment they are having to relearn how to be in.
Medicine plants are the immunity of the garden and natives are the most immune compromised of this land, having had to adapt to all kinds of external pressures and pollutants - Hawaii being the epicenter of endangered plant species in the world. We are already seeing results of healthier immunity in natives surrounded by these medicinal allies. 
What does this mean for you, us, the world? We are exploring the opportunity to redefine medicinal and ecological practices. To gather insight from the Natives and what they offer through their embodiment of ancient adaptability. What can they teach us about evolving harmoniously with all of life?
The Natives carry with them life lived in reciprocity. A living symbol of remembrance, a time capsule of all that has brought and continues to bring us together. A reminder to carry one another with honor. They are the living reverence of what it means to take care, to give and receive, to be of purposeful service.
Native Ma'o ~ Hawaiian Cotton
Where in your world can you reflect these qualities? Who are the natives growing in your backyard? How can you tend to them, invite them in and offer them a peaceful place to grow alongside the other plants? It is this embodiment of a living prayer that we can create a beautiful world - one in which there is room for all to grow.
Would you like to put your resources to work alongside this living project?
Donate HERE on a sliding scale to support native plant stewardship and this living work of restoration and reciprocity.
