Hawaiian ‘Awa

Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa Hawaiian ‘Awa Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure Edited by Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers Ē ka ‘ohu kolo ē, ho‘oua ‘ia mai i ulu ka ‘awa. (O creeping mist, make it rain so that the ‘awa will grow.) Hawaiian ‘Awa Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure Edited by Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa Hilo, HI Contributors: Klaus Dragull Jim Henderson Mel C. Jackson Ed Johnston Jerry Konanui G. David Lin Kepā Maly Scot Nelson Jeri Ooka Tom Osborn Helen Rogers Chung-Shih Tang The Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa wishes to acknowledge the help of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in the publication of this book. Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa Hilo, HI © 2006 All rights reserved The quotation on front cover is from Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert's Hawaiian Dictionary, revised and enlarged edition, 1986, p. 361. Photo credits: Cover photo by Harry Brevoort. All photos in chapters 1 through 8 by Ed Johnston, unless noted otherwise. Artwork for Hawaiian cultivar headings by Sig Zane. The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader's discretion. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. The reader should consult a health care professional where appropriate. Chapter 8 was originally published by the Association in 1999 and entitled ‘Awa Production Guide. It has been updated for the present work. Chapter 9 was originally published as Integrated Pest Management for ‘Awa (Kava, Piper methysticum) by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences in July 2005 (PD-28 in its "Plant Disease" series). This book is dedicated to Mr. Genesis Lee Loy, ‘awa grower of Pana‘ewa, kupuna and director of the Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa since its founding in 1998. Contributors Klaus Dragull Scot Nelson Graduate Research Assistant Associate Plant Pathologist Department of Molecular Biosciences and Komohana Research and Education Center Bioengineering University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Honolulu, HI 96822 Resources 875 Komohana Street Jim Henderson Hilo, HI 96820 Farm Manager Pu‘u O Hoku Ranch Jeri J. Ooka PO Box 1889 Associate Plant Pathologist Kaunakakai, HI 96748 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Mel C. Jackson Resources Chemist Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center Hawaii Agricultural Research Center 7370 Kuamoo Road 99-193 Aiea Heights Drive, Kapa‘a, HI 96746 ‘Aiea, HI 96701-3911 Tom Osborn Ed Johnston Formerly Agriculture Advisor, Secretariat of the Project Coordinator Pacific Community Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa Now with the United Nations Food and Agriculture P.O. Box 636 Organization in Rome Pepe‘ekeo, HI 96783 Helen Rogers Jerry Konanui Librarian President University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa Hilo, HI 96720 P.O. Box 636 Pepe‘ekeo, HI 96783 Chung-Shih Tang Emeritus Professor G. David Lin Department of Molecular Biosciences and School of Health Sciences Bioengineering University of Canberra University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Canberra, ACT 2601 Honolulu, HI 96822 Kepā Maly Cultural Historian and Resource Specialist Kumu Pono Associates LLC 554 Keonaona Street Hilo, HI 96720 [email protected] Contents Acknowledgments and About the Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa . vi 1 Introduction . 1 Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers 2 ‘Awa: Cultural-Historical Perspectives in Hawai‘i . 7 Kepā Maly 3 The Active Ingredients in ‘Awa (Kava, Piper methysticum) . 16 Mel C. Jackson 4 Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Safety Aspects of Kava . 19 Klaus Dragull, G. David Lin, and Chung-Shih Tang 5 Hawaiian Cultivars . 30 Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers 6 Non-Hawaiian Cultivars Grown in Hawai‘i Today . 58 Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers 7 Preparing the Drink . 63 Ed Johnston 8 ‘Awa Production Guide . 66 Jeri J. Ooka, Jerry Konanui, Jim Henderson, Ed Johnston, Scot Nelson, and Tom Osborn 9 Integrated Pest Management for ‘Awa (Kava, Piper methysticum) . 79 Scot Nelson References . 91 v Acknowledgments To publish a book presenting the Hawaiian ‘awa va- Kea Agribusiness, Matthew Archibald of Agrinom rieties has been a cherished goal of the Association for LLC, and Aileen Wung Yeh have been especially ge- Hawaiian ‘Awa since its inception. The book could nerous with information. never have become a reality, however, without the Thanks are due to Bill Raynor, head of the Nature generous support and counsel of the Office of Conservancy in Micronesia, for valuable information Hawaiian Affairs. on the two cultivars of ‘awa from Pohnpei. We are grateful for general assistance from Peter In addition, we sincerely appreciate the research Van Dyke, Momi Subiono, Manuel Rego, and ‘Ilima and support provided over the years by kava exten- Rapozo of the Bishop Museum's Amy Greenwell Eth- sion specialist H.C. "Skip" Bittenbender of UH nobotanical Garden; Kamaui Aiona of the Kahanu CTAHR. We would also like to acknowledge his help- Garden at National Tropical Botanical Garden; Lisa ful editorial suggestions, together with those of Ernest Schattenburg-Raymond at Maui Nui Botanical Gar- B.S. Kho, chemistry professor at UH Hilo, and Mark dens; Marie D. Strazar of the Lyman Museum; Sig Merlin and Will McClatchey, botany professors at UH Zane of Sig Zane Designs; Andrew Kawabata of the Mānoa. Cooperative Extension Service, University of Hawai‘i We are grateful for ongoing guidance from Vin- at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human cent Lebot and Patricia Siméoni, who have studied Resources (UH CTAHR); and Jonathan Yee with the and written about ‘awa for many years and work in ‘Awa Development Council. Port Vila, Vanuatu at the Center for International Re- For assistance in obtaining photos of some of the search in Agricultural Development. cultivars, we would like to thank Jim Henderson of Kāwika Winter, who lately joined National Tropi- Pu‘u O Hoku Ranch on the island of Moloka‘i and cal Botanical Garden, has added a great deal to our David Frenz of Hilo, whose collections contained understanding of cultivars and their traditional some specimens we could not have obtained else- Hawaiian uses. where. Lastly, we would like to thank Joel Lau of the We wish to thank the ‘awa growers of Hawai‘i for Hawai‘i Biodiversity & Mapping Program, whose generously sharing and allowing us to use their tremendous collecting work in the 1980s made it poss- knowledge and experience. Zachary Gibson of ible for many of the Hawaiian ‘awa varieties to return Pu‘u‘ala Farm and Ranch, John Cross of the Mauna to farms and gardens around our islands. About the Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa The Association for Hawaiian ‘Awa (AHA) is a cha- AHA has generally focused on ‘awa as a tradi- ritable organization established for “research, educa- tional drink consumed at the end of the workday to tion, and preservation of the cultural and medicinal relax and have a deep, restful night's sleep. This was values associated with the ‘awa plant.” Formed in one of the numerous uses of ‘awa in old Hawai‘i, and 1998 with a federal grant from the Rural Economic its importance and relevance to the populace cannot Transitional Assistance-Hawai‘i program, AHA be overemphasized. We believe that, with thoughtful received additional support at its inception from the and responsible use, ‘awa can play a significant bene- Sacharuna Foundation. ficial role in Hawai‘i today. AHA's original board of directors was comprised of Jerry Konanui, Jeri Ooka, Ed Johnston, Genesis Lee AHA's Current Board of Directors Loy, Joel McCleary, and Noelani Whittington. Jerry Konanui President By sponsoring a number of publications, work- Jeri Ooka Vice President shops and conferences, AHA has shown people Ed Johnston Project Coordinator around the islands how to grow the plant, recognize Genesis Lee Loy Kupuna the different Hawaiian varieties, and prepare the Jorge Nijensohn Director drink. vi Chapter 1 Introduction Ed Johnston and Helen Rogers The Plant chemicals. However, in this wild relative‖of‖‘awa,‖the‖ less desirable kavalactones predominate. Its roots The plant called ‘awa in the Hawaiian language is would make a much inferior drink. known throughout the world as kava.1 It has become P. methysticum lost the ability to produce seed prominent in alternative medicine for its ability to during the course of its long developmental history. reduce anxiety, soothe sore muscles, and induce re- Thus, improved varieties could not arise from sexual laxation, calm, and sleep, without being addictive or reproduction, and native cultivators propagated it impairing the user's judgment. exclusively through stem cuttings. Nevertheless, The botanical name is Piper methysticum, meaning through millennia of vegetative propagation, unique "intoxicating pepper." According to James A. Duke cultivars emerged. (2000, 135), "Phytochemicals called kavalactones pro- Pacific‖Islanders‖produced‖varieties‖of‖‘awa‖by‖se- vide kava's stress-beating, muscle-relaxing influence. lecting the somatic mutations sometimes arising as Each produces a somewhat different physiologic offshoots of the parent. "Somatic mutation" is the effect in the body and all of them working together process whereby the genetic make-up of part of the are better than any one of them acting alone." plant changes. A single stem in a plant might look ‘Awa's‖origin‖has‖been‖called‖‚one‖of‖the‖classic‖ different from the others, leading a farmer to propa- enigmas‖of‖Oceanic‖ethnobotany‛‖(Lebot,‖Merlin,‖and‖ gate from that stem, thus creating a plant with a dif- Lindstrom 1992, 10). It is found throughout the migra- ferent appearance.

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