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Syzygium malaccense

Syzygium malaccense ('Öhi'a 'Ai / Mountain Apple)

PLANT NAME: Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & Perry.

OTHER NAMES: Eugenia malaccensis, Jambosa malaccensis.

COMMON NAMES: 'Öhi'a 'ai [Hawai'i]; hong hua qing tao, ma liu jia qing tao [China]; mountain apple [English]; nonu fi'afi'a [Samoa] kafika ['Uvea, Futunu]; fekika kai [Tonga]; 'ahi'a [Tahiti]; kehika kehi'a [Marqueses]; pomerac [Suriname]; ka'ika [Cook Islands].

NOMENCLATURE:
• Syzygium comes from the Greek "sys," which means "together" & "zygon" meaning "yoke"; a reference to the coherent petals in some species.
• In Hawaiian, "'öhi'a 'ai" implies an 'öhi'a tree that produces "'ai"(food).
• "Qing tao" is the Chinese name for some species of Syzygium. "Qing tao" means "clear peach." "Hong hua qing tao" means "red flowered Syzygium," a reference to the bright red flowers.

FAMILY: Myrtaceae.

CATEGORY: Stabilize and bind~.

PLANT PART USED: Bark, fruit, leaves, root.

CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Can cause stomach ache and vomiting in large doses.

PREPARATION OF MEDICINE: For sore throat the inner bark is scraped, or the whole bark can be decocted. The fruit can be eaten.

DOSAGE: A piece the size of the palm of one's hand was the traditional size of the bark used. I find that a piece one-half that size works just fine.

WESTERN FUNCTIONS REPORTED: Abortifacient (root bark); diuretic (root); emetic; emmenagogue (root bark); febrifuge (seed, fruit, or leaves decocted); gastrointestinal aid; strengthener.

DERMATOLOGICAL
• Eczema [New Caledonia].
• Itching, lice [China (root)].
• Skin lotion (leaf juice)

DIGESTIVE
• Bark for stomach ache [Tonga].
• Constipation [Brazil].
• Digestive tract disorders [Hawai'i].
• Dysentery (root bark).
• In combination with other plants for stomach pain and abdominal problems [Tonga].

ENDOCRINE
• Diabetes [Brazil].

HEAD AND THROAT
"For sores about the mouth and the foul odor that comes from such sores, the 'Öhi'a 'Ai is a good remedy."
- - D. M. Kaaiakamanu, 1922

• Bad breath, mouth ulcers [Hawai'i (bark juiced in combination or sap from petiole), Polynesia (bark and leaves)].
• Mouth infections (leaves and bark chewed or infused as mouthwash) [Samoa, Tonga]. Also for infants.
• Thrush [China (bark), New Caledonia (mouthwash)].
• Sore throat [Hawai'i (inner bark, old fruit), throughout Polynesia (bark and leaves)].
• Tongue diseases [China (leaves)]; cracked tongue [Malaya (leaf powder, topical)].
• Headache [Brazil].

INFECTION
• Fever [Cambodia (seed, fruit, or leaves decocted), New Caledonia].
• Suppurating wounds [New Caledonia].
• Tuberculosis [Hawai'i].

MUSCULOSKELETAL / TRAUMA
• Cuts [Hawai'i].

PARASITES
• Lice [China (root)].

PEDIATRIC
• Thrush [China (bark), Hawai'i, throughout Polynesia (bark and leaves), Spice Islands].
• General debility in children (bark juiced in combination) [Hawai'i].
• Stomach weakness in children (bark juiced in combination) [Hawai'i].

PSYCHOSPIRITUAL
• In old Tahiti, 'öhi'a 'ai was used for sacred ceremonies.

REPRODUCTIVE
• Vaginal infection (bark decocted).
• Venereal disease [Hawai'i].
• Young reddish leaves and bark were used post partum or after miscarriage to help clear the uterus and for cleansing [Hawai'i]; with other herbs for retained placenta [Hawai'i]; to cause a miscarriage (infused).

RESPIRATORY
• Cough [Brazil, throughout Polynesia (bark and leaves)].
• Phlegm in the lungs [Brazil]; leaves "crushed and ingested" for bronchitis [Hawai'i]; the bark was chewed to cause vomiting in cases of tenacious phlegm in the lungs [Hawai'i].

URINARY
• Edema (root).

OTHER MEDICINAL USES
• General debility [Hawai'i].
• To increase muscle mass [Hawai'i (young buds, bark and leaves juiced)].

USE AS FOOD:
• Fruit is good fresh or chilled. Sometimes in Hawai'i it is dried or pickled. Eating too much fresh fruit can cause diarrhea.
• Fruit is sometimes cooked with cloves and served with cream as a dessert.
• In Puerto Rico mountain apple is made into red and white wines.
• Flowers in salads or in syrup. Very young shoots eaten raw or cooled as a green [Indonesia].

OTHER USES: Trunks used for posts, house rafters, ki'i (statues) carved from wood, poi boards, and bowls. Wood tends to warp [Hawai'i].
Kapa (clothing) was dyed using the root of 'öhi'a 'ai [Hawai'i].

Sore throat or the beginning of a respiratory infection: Inner bark chewed with Musa spp. (mai'a) sap chaser.

Please note some of the ingredients in the following combinations are toxic! Do not self-administer without the supervision of a licensed practitioner or an experienced Elder.

Deep cuts: Bark juiced with Pa'akai (Hawaiian salt) and used topically. "The patient must exercise absolute self-control as the liquid bums its way into the flesh and nerves." - - Old Hawaiian Herbal
Mouth sores: The bark is juiced with Psilotum triquetrum (moa) & Saccharum officinarum (kö / sugarcane). Used as a mouthwash. Followed with Bidens spp. (native / ko'oko'olau) tea, poi, and fresh fish. [Old Hawai'i]
"Children afflicted with white coating of the tongue and having a tendency to become weak": With Diospyros sandwicensis (lama) fruit, leaves and buds. [Old Hawai'i]
General debility: The bark, buds and leaves. With Aleurites moluccana (kukui) flowers, onion bulbs, Waltheria americana ('uhaloa) aerial parts, and Saccharum officinarum (honua'ula / red sugarcane) (Please Note: There is a fourth ingredient in this old Hawaiian formula, but its identity is uncertain. The fourth ingredient is called hinahina kü kahakai. Hinahina kü kahakai is generally thought to be Heliotropium anomalum, but I have also heard Artemisia australis ('ähinahina) referred to as hinahina kü kahakai. That the ingredient might be Artemesia australis makes more sense from an herbalist's point of view. It could also be Vitex rotundifolia (pöhinahina). All three of these plants are found in coastal windward areas.) [Old Hawai'i].
Headache: 'Öhi'a 'ai leaves topical with Premna serratifolia (aloalo) [Samoa].
Scrotal swelling: 'Öhi'a 'ai leaves topical with Eugenia corynocarpa (young leaves), Psychotria spp. leaves, and oil [Samoa].

RANGE: Native to India and Malaysia. Found in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Polynesia. Cultivated in Central and South America. First brought from Tahiti to Jamaica by Captain Bligh in 1793. By 1839, 'öhi'a 'ai was growing in a herbarium in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and by 1878 the fruit was growing in Bermuda.

HABITAT: Likes it wet 'n shady, up to 1800 feet. Can grow 50 – 60 feet.

GATHERING: Fruit picker... make it a long one. Inner bark is used fresh as needed. I've never heard of, nor seen it, stored for later use. 'Öhi'a 'ai flowers in March / April & fruits in the summer. Sacred to Pele.

PROPAGATION & CULTIVATION: Propagate from fresh seed, germination in 2 – 4 weeks. Keep it moist. Cuttings and air layering sometimes work. Transplant cuttings 6 weeks after taking root. Transplant outdoors at 8 months. Bears fruit after 7 – 8 years. Can yield 50 - 200 lbs of fruit per tree.

RESEARCH:
Extracts inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and three different fungi [Locher 1995].

NOTES 'N QUOTES
Hinaia'ele'ele ka malama, 'äluka ka pala a ka 'öhi'a.
Hinaia'ele'ele is the month when
the mountain apples open everywhere.

"... for it to rain while the sun shines, the old wise ones say that these showers are for strewing the petals of our mountain apples, preparation to the coming of the fruit - then another shower and the ripening of it. It is very poetical to us - the idea is continuity of life."
- - Queen Liliu'okalani, in a letter to a friend, 1901.

• There were many plants called "'öhi'a" in old Hawai'i, and all of them were related. This plant, Syzygium malaccense ('öhi'a 'ai) had another name: 'öhi'a leo. 'Öhi'a leo means "talking 'öhi'a." The sister plant of Syzygium moluccana ('öhi'a 'ai) was Metrosideros polymorpha, ('öhi'a lehua). 'Öhi'a lehua also had another name: 'Öhi'a hämau. 'Öhi'a hämau means "silent 'öhi'a." This odd pairing of names was a reference to the fact that the Hawaiian bird catchers would often catch their prey among the bird's favorite food, 'öhi'a hämau, so it was best to be silent near those trees. But it was permissible to speak while close to 'öhi'a leo.
• Featured in Fijian mythology.
• With the exception of a few native berries such as 'öhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum), 'öhelo kai (Lycium sandwicese), and 'äkala (Rubus hawaiiensis), the only edible fruit in pre-contact Hawai'i was 'ulu (breadfruit), mai'a (banana), niu (coconut), and 'öhi'a 'ai (mountain apple).
• Considered sacred to (and possibly "kinolau" – manifestation of) Pele, the goddess of the volcano. 'Öhi'a 'ai was made into ki'i (religious statues) by the ancient Hawaiians.
• Supposedly there is a seedless variety of 'öhi'a 'ai with white flowers and white fruit called 'öhi'a kea. I have never seen it.
• On more than one occasion, 'öhi'a 'ai bark has turned a sore throat into a distant memory. But the bark, once tasted, will not be forgotten. The question then becomes: Which is less painful, the sore throat, or the taste of the bark?
• Speaking of memories... in spring, 'öhi'a 'ai creates a brilliant carpet of red across the floor of the Hawaiian forest. This tree can transform a quiet walk into an unforgettable crimson memory.