Plants and Food
(If you wish to act on any of the information on this website, you must consult with a healthcare professional. Do not try to be your own doctor)
Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold and hungry and weary. - - Henry David Thoreau
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Broussonetia papyrifera
PLANT NAME: Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Venten.
COMMON NAMES: Wauke, po'a'aha [Hawai'i]; paper mulberry [USA]; u'a [Samoa]; chu (whole plant), chu shi zi (fruit), gu shi (fruit), chu tao (fruit) [China]; kajinoki [Japan].
CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Prolonged use is reported to weaken the bones.
DOSAGE: Use 9-15 grams.
STATUS IN HAWAI'I: Polynesian introduction ("politically correct" alien). An aggressive pest in more than ten countries, including the US, wauke has minimal pest factor in Hawai'i. It has rich significance as a heritage plant in Polynesian societies.
RANGE: Native to China and Japan. The historical spread of Broussonetia papyrifera can be traced along known migration routes.
HABITAT: Edge of stream and lo'i (taro fields). Wet and sunny. Can tolerate partial shade.
GATHERING: In Asia, the plant flowers in May. Ripe fruit is collected and washed in fall. Cortex, latex, and bark are gathered all year round. Leaves are gathered fall and summer. The serrated lobed leaves are easily identifiable and have a coarse "sand-paper" texture.
NOTES 'N QUOTES
• In 105 A.D., a man named Ts'ai Lun made the first paper from Broussonetia papyrifera in China.
• According to Li Zishen the character "chu" originallly meant "to make a textile from the skin."
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Much of this information is through the grace oand kindness of my
Hawaiian and Chinese teachers and my gratitude goes out to
them. Any errors are mine alone.
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