Caution: Because lā`au lapa`au practices are specific to families, there are sometimes differences in styles and practices.  Like any traditional medicine, there are also differences in skill levels for particular illnesses.  Great caution and discernment are needed by everyone, including the patient, in working with any health issue. If you have any questions, please check with your kupuna.

Lā`au lapa`au is an ancient practice based upon the healing power of plants.  Like all Hawaiian healing practices, it is spiritually based and rooted in the concept of pono, or rightness with all things.  Leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, roots, and other plant parts are used along with salt, rock minerals, fishbones, and other ingredients to create medicines according to recipes and techniques that are often passed down in families, or from teachers to students, through many generations. 

As in all Hawaiian healing practices, pule, or prayer, is an essential lā`au lapa`au element, along with appropriate protocols.  Lā`au Lapa`au stems from the idea that plants are placed upon the earth with divine purpose, and that they can help, along with good diet, positive lifestyle changes and regular spiritual practice, in the restoration of balance in body systems that are experiencing difficulty.  Some medicines are made from native plants found only in special regions, while others are from common introduced “weeds”.   All medicines, and the plants they come from, are given great reverence and care in accordance with their important roles in healing.