Noni for good measure

29 01 2010

Morinda citrifolia is the scientific name for noni. I’m interested in Hawaiian laau lapaau (healing medicine). I’m remembering this as I work/play at regaining my health.

A few years back when stocking Hale Kuai Cooperative, a store with Native Hawaiian products, we made sure we had a full line of Hawaiian herbal medicine on our shelves. We did this, knowing that the kahuna lapaau (master practitioners of Hawaiian healing) did not always agree on how to use certain plants.

Noni is one of those plants. I heard differing opinions on whether to use it externally and/or internally. I heard and read claims that noni will cure whatever ails you. That the large dark green leaves could heal broken bones. That one could rid head lice by smashing the ripe fruit on the scalp.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia) in three stages, bottom to top: flowering, green, almost ripe. Try the tiny white flowers for breakfast or as a garnish on salads.

There is very much to learn about noni. The literature is extensive, and the information is very interesting. I list some resources for lay readers at the end of this post. Today I just want to explain what I do with noni now, following a suggestion by the medical intuitive Camille Copeland who lives on Kauai.

For a time I gathered my own noni juice the traditional Hawaiian way by setting the ripe fruit in a clean and covered glass jar in the sun for a period of time until a dark liquid was extracted; then drank it as a morning tonic. This didn’t last long with me.

Listening to Camille on the radio one Sunday, she advised a caller to take noni fresh, not fermented, as a guard against inflammation. Did she have a tree? I thought, hey, I have a tree. I’ll give it a try.

Every day I check my noni tree for a fruit that is opaque with white skin. If there is one that is nearly white, like pale yellow, that’s okay too, I can pick it. Like a tomato, it will continue to ripen after picked.

I pick noni when it looks like this on the tree

I put the noni in a glass bowl. After one or two days it turns translucent.

Translucent noni

Then it’s time to press it through a sieve.

I use a wooden spoon to press the ripe noni through a metal sieve into a glass container, separating all of those seeds from the pulp

The fresh foamy noni pulp tastes slightly tangy. It doesn’t have an objectionable aroma to me. (The smell is likened to strong cheese.) I eat about a heaping tablespoon in the morning on an empty stomach, about 10-15 minutes before breakfast. I store any surplus in a tightly lidded jar, properly labeled, in the refrigerator.

I think this is working for me. I thank my noni tree each time it gifts me with its wondrous fruit.

Resources:

A good recent article about noni is found on this blog: http://drreese.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/the-pain-killer-plant/

Our Hawaiian co-op carried David Marcus’s Hawaiian Herbal Blessings of Maui. David has supplied noni products for many years, including to Hale Kuai Cooperative.

Noni: Aspirin of the Ancients by Diana Fairechild is a wonderful testimony about the wonders of this plant. Check amazon.com for the small paperback.

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

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A good day for going with the flow

22 01 2010

A good day, yesterday. Finished another painting. Caught up with Naomi at the park. Introduced baby and tried our luck at restaurant. Ate pasta with my friend Jan. Bought some starter veggie plants. Even put them into the ground. Every day, almost, my health improves. For now I’m simply going with the flow.

The Rope Swing

The Rope Swing. Painted at Kalaeokaoio Beach Park, Kaaawa. It’s historical. The swing is gone.

My friend Naomi. A painter and a sculptor. I hadn’t seen her since before Thanksgiving. February’s around the corner. Punahou Carnival time! and we compare art notes. She’ll have six of her whimsical ceramic sculptures at the carnival Art Gallery, and I’ll have two oils. As a featured artist, she gets to start with more than two pieces in the show. I think she’s a featured artist because her work always sells! Way to go!

Lunch with Jan. I had a lunch date. Until I’m driving again, DH is my chauffeur. I said, just bring baby along, I really want to see Jan. If it becomes unmanageable, then go on ahead, I’d take the bus home. You see, we were not sure how it would work out. The restaurant. At 8 months the baby is starting to express herself and crawl about. As the adults traded our latest stories over pasta, baby sat and ate so very nicely, checking out the other diners. She really is Miss Marvelous, already preferring shopping and going out with the girls!

The garden. To the 5 gallons of vermicast (worm poop) that I harvested and stirred into a section of the garden, I added okra, eggplant, celery, sage, lettuce, and mint. We still have beets, kale, basil, rosemary, garlic chives, salad greens, sweet potatoes, turmeric, and last season’s eggplant. I love it. To your health ~ Rebekah

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

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A plug for the Punahou Carnival

12 01 2010

Feeling better now. Your wishes and  prayers for my wellness are most appreciated. A spinal adjustment last Saturday has done wonders. I can stand up straight again, and my energy is flowing more like it should, except for a couple of spots of soreness that we’re still working on. Acupuncture, a little massage, hot showers and Reiki — now that I have back the range of motion to treat myself — all help.

I’m feeling well enough to nurture and pot the avocado plants for the Punahou Carnival this year.

This annual benefit of my alma mater to raise financial aid falls on Feb. 5 and 6 this year. The fund-raiser relies heavily on donations of all sorts to make it highly profitable for student scholarships. People donate supplies, ingredients (like sugar for jams and jellies), merchandise (books, white elephant), time (staffing booths), etc.

Punahou School taps its junior class, parents, and alumni to pitch in. It’s fun for the whole family, and I bet this year there will be many from the community who will want to check out where President Barack Obama went to school.

Besides supplying the young avo trees for the plant booth, I’m putting two of my original oil paintings into the art show: “Kamehameha Highway and Kaaawa Place” and “Looking Down Upon the Path.” (See my “Paintings” page.) I plan to join my class to help the Hawaiian plate dinner on Saturday, and if I can I’ll support the Punahou Alumni Glee Club either by singing Hawaiian music with the group or applauding from the serving line. See how much better I’m feeling? 😉

It’s an amazing two days of fun, booths, rides, shows, and games from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. I think it’s the largest fair on Oahu. The school reports that last year it sold 146,000 malasada donuts, 12,400 ears of organic corn, and 33,000 cups of Portuguese bean soup. Our family spent our carnival script at the plant booth, books, silent auction, Hawaiian plate, a variety of other food booths, produce, art show, alumni store, and … of course … hot malasadas!

If you go: Go early. The main gate for pedestrians is at Punahou and Wilder avenues in Honolulu. If coming in your own vehicle, follow the signs to parking, or try your luck with street parking in the surrounding neighborhood and be prepared to walk to and from the carnival grounds. If you can take the bus or get dropped off, that’s even better. Spend your money freely; it’s for a good cause!

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

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Today’s my birthday, I feel like a wreck

9 01 2010

Today’s my birthday, and I feel like a wreck.

Yesterday Pat, Irma, and Becky came to cheer me up. They brought flowers, smoothies, presents, and cupcakes! That did make me feel better, and DH said he hadn’t seen me that lively since we came home from our trip.

That was around Dec. 27. Although home, sweet home, and having had a ball on a once in a lifetime vacation, my body experienced an excruciating  pain that I can’t recall ever having in my life. My body is crooked, and my range of motion limited. I feel weak.

A trip to the emergency room and a follow-up visit to an M.D. pronounced it’s not H1N1 but likely a virus or a combination of things. Viruses last about 7 to 10 days, she said. Today is day 14. So I’m baffled. Not a whole lot of change.

Michael, my neighbor, claims he had the bug, and that Sandra, his wife who is a flight attendant, had it twice. It’s from the airplane, he said. And coming home from Vienna to Honolulu, I was on a lot of planes. Will the pain go away? He promised it would.

Heal thyself, DH reminds me, the Reiki master. Right. My reading of the spiritual CNN says the first half of January will be rough. No kidding!

I’m so grateful for my family and friends and that I’m where the climate is warm.

I do have an appointment with my naturopath today who’s fixed me up before. I am wondering if it could be something mechanical (something of my body physically out of line) or an underlying allergy that might be preventing me from being well. Dr. Burke practices acupuncture, that works with the same energy as Reiki, and Chinese medicine too.

I have my hopes up for some relief to bring me back into balance. That would be a wonderful birthday present.

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

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A Native Hawaiian initiative

5 12 2009

Some of my friends may know that I am a citizen of Ka Lahui Hawaii. I attended a working group meeting today to give a progress report on the new website http://kalahuihawaii.wordpress.com/ that I manage. It is even newer than Rebekah’s Studio.

For weeks we’ve been figuring how best to install certain documents for the public, and from the response of citizens at today’s meeting we uploaded the “Constitution of Ka Lahui Hawaii.” I am so happy! And there will be more information to come.

Looking back, quite a lot of nation building occurred in the 1990s. The citizens and honorary citizens were very active on all islands and on Moku Honu (North America). I remember attending legislative sessions throughout the islands: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii. There was an extensive sovereignty education program and citizens took stands on issues often.

Many of our kupuna (Hawaiian elders) who guided the nation in the early years have passed over. Remembering the legacy they left us, we are now continuing to pick up the pieces and press onward.

I think people who are unaware or, and I say this kindly, ignorant of the Native Hawaiian situation—whether they are sympathetic to Native initiatives or not—will be surprised at how much work Ka Lahui Hawaii accomplished:

The Constitution, Master Plan, resolutions, work at the United Nations level, treaties with other nations, educational and economic programs, research—all done at a grassroots level. We met in churches, in parking lots, in parks, at community centers, at each others’ homes.

If you have an interest, please visit

kalahuihawaii.wordpress.com

Through the power of the internet, the Ka Lahui Hawaii working group is recording the nation’s efforts in cyberspace for current and future generations.

Copyright 2009 Rebekah Luke

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Let it snow!

2 12 2009

Where does a Hawaiian island girl go on vacation? To places where it is cold and snowy. To places where I can wear clothes! In a few days I’ll be on my way to central Europe to visit the Christmas markets where I know it will be very cold.  I am wishing for snow.

Somewhere along the river cruise route from Germany to Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary there might be some of that falling white fluffy stuff. Maybe in Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava, or Budapest? I’ve got my snow boots packed! In the meantime, our WordPress host is accommodating by snowing on Rebekah’s Studio. Cool, huh? (pun intended)

Here’s a picture of a picture of my very first snowman the year I declared, as an adult, that I wanted a winter vacation. It was the first time I deliberately traveled to a cold place. My visit to Anchorage, Alaska, coincided with the Fur Rendezvous festival in Anchorage.

Heather and Sean showed me how to build a snowman in Alaska

A couple of seasons before that, it snowed in the mountains on the San Francisco peninsula in California during the coldest winter since such-and-such year. I was working for Sunset magazine at the time. That winter I remember the first snowball thrown at me at Yosemite National Park where the waterfalls were frozen and the scenery was gorgeous-crisp and quiet.

Throughout our 25 years of marriage, DH and I often visited his parents, brother’s and sister’s families in Pennsylvania during the winter holiday, so often that my friends would ask if I ever went anywhere else besides Pennsylvania.

The last December we went to the East Coast, before this one, was to see his parents at their funerals within two weeks of each other. We huddled under the falling snow and placed orchid lei on the ground in the church’s memorial garden where we buried their ashes.

One weekend we took the train from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. We stayed at the Pen Arts building that is the headquarters for the National League of American Pen Women, the members’ clubhouse. The staff went home for the weekend, and the mansion was ours. To trek around in the snow the next morning, though, we first had to get out of the front door. Thank goodness DH remembered how to shovel the steps and to say, “Yes, thank you!” when a man came by to ask if he should salt the sidewalk.

If you have to live in wintry weather all the time, I’m sure it could be more tiresome than romantic. But if you are born and reared in Hawaii as I was, it’s a novelty.

When I was in Osaka, Japan, one February for the opening of the Oceania exhibit at Minpaku (the National Museum of Ethnology) at Senri Park, Professor Shimizu regretted to tell me, when I asked, that it probably would not snow. A few minutes into lunch, he was really surprised to see the white flakes falling outside the dining room window. But I wasn’t.

Here is the link to Minpaku. The photo you see is an exact replica of Hale Kuai Cooperative store with authentic Native Hawaiian made products in Hauula, Oahu, that I co-founded with Ka Lahui Hawaii. How it got there as the Hawaiian part of the permanent Oceania exhibit at the museum is an amazing story, a real memoir that I’ll share with you someday.

I say it’s fitting that WordPress bless this blog with snow. Please enjoy it warmly in front of your computer! I’m planning to send holiday posts while abroad.

Copyright 2009 Rebekah Luke

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Categories : About me, Friends & Family, Hawaiian, Memoir, Travel

Claim your space and find your voice

28 11 2009

Miss Marvelous’s primary daytime caregiver four days a week is Papa, her grandfather (a.k.a. DH at Rebekah’s Studio). On those days Popo (that’s me) is the backup caregiver, chief cook and bottle washer—literally. This is the first time I’ve had a baby at home. It’s a delightful distraction, or attraction, I should say.

One day last week DH scheduled an important errand in Kaneohe. He was kanalua (hesitant) about leaving the little girl in my charge. “Are you sure this is okay?” No problem, we’ll be fine, I said as he watched me change a diaper. He prepared the next feeding for me. He even conscientiously phoned the baby’s mom to alert her of the shift change.

So I got to have some dedicated quality time with Miss Marvelous. She’s seven months old now, and starting to become mobile. She’s not crawling yet, but she wants to. During tummy time (“Back to sleep, tummy to play,” right?) she rolls from her front to her back in all directions and can inch forward on her tummy just a little.

I placed manipulatives—the correct name for these age-appropriate toys, I learned—in front of her, slightly out of her reach, as an incentive. One of them was a soft cuddly hippopotamus named Hillary who she loves and responds to.

For more encouragement, I got the bright idea to give Hillary a voice. A voice that wasn’t Popo’s, but a higher voice.

Miss Marvelous is into very high-pitched shrieking-screeching-whatever this week. Discovering her vocal chords and finding her voice, perhaps? I have a 6-year-old puppy dog, so I know to reward desirable behavior and to ignore less desirable or plain unacceptable behavior. Therefore, I am ignoring this sound.

It was fascinating to me, then, that when Hillary spoke aloud to Miss Marvelous, how MM responded. Her big blue eyes lighted up even more than usual, she smiled at her friend who was speaking to her and became very animated, actually engaging with the four-legged stuffed toy who by this time was demonstrating how to crawl. Popo became invisible and all attention was on Hillary.

I’ve learned that as soon as the baby rubs her eyes, pulls her ear, or starts to fuss, that it’s time to put her down for a nap. Lucky for both of us, when I put her in her crib and switched off the lights, she was out in less than a minute. Conversing with Hillary and all that exercise on my tummy is tiring, Popo!

Mommy phoned, how’s everything? Baby’s fine, she’s sleeping . . .

Later we read the mail-order catalogs together. Great fun. I tried to multi-task and watch Oprah at the same time, but that was difficult. I don’t allow Miss Marvelous to watch TV yet, but boy, TV is a magnet, and as soon as the baby hears it, she’s drawn to the screen. So I switched back to Soundscapes.

Next, still “reading” the catalogs, Miss Marvelous played the didgeridoo without the instrument, spit flying and all, entertaining herself for about what seemed like an hour. With this ability she can blow the Hawaiian pu (conch shell) too.

Miss Marvelous and Hillary: we made this photo and emailed it to Papa and Mom to show them everything was A-OK!

Another voice. Thank you, dear one.

These experiences reinforced what I believe is a need to claim one’s space and find one’s voice in our changing times, or at any time. Put another way, stop procrastinating, do it now, and speak our piece/peace. What are we waiting for?

That is how I created my healing space and my breathing room and Rebekah’s Studio that make me happy.

Recurring mantra:
Claim your space and find your voice
Are you listening?
Copyright 2009 Rebekah Luke

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Categories : About me, Friends & Family, Poem

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