Healing, Haruki, Gymno, Island Foods

Presentations on healing plants of Micronesia


Pauleen described the use of plumeria sap on small cuts.


Verginia presented the use of the seeds of Premna obtusa (topwuk) to cure a fungal skin infection known as kil sarawi.


Noeleen presented Woleaian uses of Morinda citrifolia (leele). She covered the use of a coconut oil emulsion of the leaves for massage therapy, the fruits for treating diabetes, and the use of the roots to remove areas of white skin (possibly tinea versicolor).


Maylanda Mikel covers the use of Idahn woal for pwiriamwei (also pwirimwei), the treatment of fright in babies. Fright, or startling, leads to illness in infants.

Trisha  covers the  use of Parina laurina (ais) to treat rashes. Ais is mixes with grated coconut. Ais is widely recognized and used in Micronesia. On Kosrae it is known as ahset, in Chuuk as ayis.




Christlynn holds Piper ponapense, apparently known as aanees in Chuuk


 Neelma presented the Kosraean use of lo, Hibiscus tiliaceus in the treatment of diarrhea.


Claralyn broght in Ageratum conyzoides, known on Pohnpei as pwisehn kou, using the leaves to treat cuts.

The SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany class cleaned up the Haruki Japanese cemetery on the College of Micronesia-FSM property. The clean-up was scheduled to coincide with Ohigan.


Claralyn and Lisa clean up around the Hoshino Noritake memorial marker.


Barnson and Neelma team up on the reh padil.


Lots of reh padil to pull...


I explain to RinaRuth one of the meanings of Ixora casei, kalsruh, the flame of the forest. The bright red flowers stand brightly out even at distance under the forest canopy. And if they catch a beam of sunlight that penetrates the canopy, the blaze crimson amidst a dark forest.

On Kosrae the plant marks where people once lived and worked. 

A Kosraean hunter was taught to not shoot a bird if seen above a kalsruh. The bird could be an inut, a spirit. 

Barnson, RinaRuth, Verginia, Claralyn on the walk through the Pwunso botanic garden.


Noeleen comtemplates some of the largest  and oldest Araucaria columnaris trees on Pohnpei.


On 04 October the ethnobotany class visited the Island Food Community of Pohnpei. Four days ago Pohnpei lost the founder of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei, Lois Englberger. The loss feels overwhelming. To say her work lives on in the hearts and minds of each person who learns of the CHEEF benefits of local food feels too small, yet carrying message to new minds is surely what Lois wants to happen.

Local food is cultural food, healthy food, environmentally friendly food, economically beneficial to local farmers, and crucial to the island's food safety and security net.


Class photo opportunities!


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