PLANT NAME: Aleurites moluccana (L.) Wild.
OTHER NAMES: Aleurites triloba, Croton moluccanu
COMMON NAMES: Kukui (“Light”) [Hawai'i]; candlenut [USA]; tuitui [Cook Islands; Tonga]; lama [Samoa]; ti’a'iri [Tahiti]; ‘ama [Marquesas]; tutu’i [Austral Islands]; shi li [China]; lauci [Fiji]; kurup [Papua New Guinea].
Status: Polynesian Introduction
Habitat: Moist Valleys
NOMENCLATURE: Aleurites comes from the Greek “aleuron” which means “covered with fl our.” This is a reference to the fine hairs of kukui that make it look as if it were dusted with flour. The word kukui means, “light” in Hawaiian. It is also a word for “lightbulb.”
FAMILY: Euphorbiaceae ( spurge family).
CATEGORY: Downward draining herbs – purgatives ~.
PROPERTIES: Astringent, bitter, cold.
PLANT PART USED: Whole plant.
DOSAGE: For constipation, 1 roasted nut. Topical as needed.
STATUS IN HAWAI’I: Polynesian Introduction. Low to moderate pest factor. It is presumed that because kukui seeds were too heavy to be carried by birds that kukui is a Polynesian introduced plant, and not a native. Considering that kukui can create monostands, this might be the case. But it can also beg the question about the ancestors of our endemic heavy-seeded Pritchardias.
MERIDIAN AFFINITIES: Stomach, large intestine ~.
WESTERN FUNCTIONS REPORTED: Anti-infective; anti-mycotic; aperient; aphrodisiac; emollient; laxative; purgative; stimulant; sudorific.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS (~ = extrapolated):
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Drains downward and moves the bowels
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Clears damp heat
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Clears stomach heat and stomach fire.
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Mends the tissue, stops pain.
Common Medicinal Uses • Oil for massage • Roasted nuts as a colon cleanser • Sap for thrush
OTHER MEDICINAL USES • Weakness, debility [Hawai'i]; unconsciousness [Fiji (bark decocted)], Hawai’i]. • Hernia [Fiji]. • Chest pain [Fiji]. • Recurring illness [Fiji (bark decocted)]. • Neuralgia [Fiji (fruit or bark boiled in seawater as a mouthwash)].
USE AS FOOD: Kukui nut is roasted, mixed with Hawaiian sea salt ( pa’akai) and made into a tasty condiment called ‘inamona. ‘Inamona was also traditionally eaten to help deliver a child. To make ‘inamona, mix 12 roasted, shelled, and ground k ukui nuts with 1 small C apsicum frutescens ( chili pepper/nïoi), and 1 teaspoon of Hawaiian sea salt ( pa’akai).
TOXICITY: TOXIC. Kukui is used as a “poison” in Haiti and Turkey. If too much kukui was taken in old Hawai’i, and diarrhea resulted, specially prepared Tacca leontopetaloides ( pia) root was given with poi.
CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Not in pregnancy. Not with diarrhea. (Please note: Kukui was once used for digestive infections such as dysentery to remove pathogens. This is NOT recommended.)
ENERGETIC CAUTIONS: Not with weak central Qi. ~
NOTES ‘N QUOTES
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A kukui tree can be up to 3 feet in diameter and 60 feet tall.
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Two useful fungi: Auricularia auricula ( pepeaio) and Trametes versicolor ( yun zhi) grow on rotting kukui logs.
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In the 1800s the Chinese grew a similar fungus, Auricularia cornea, on fallen kukui logs for export to China. • In the early 1800s, up to 10,000 barrels of kukui oil per year were shipped to Russians living in Alaska. Today kukui oil is used in high performance racecars.
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Hawaiian valleys often glisten with the shiny leaves of the kukui tree, painting a reminder of the ancient land divisions called ” ahupua’a” and land stewardship called ” kuleana”.
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Kukui flowers are monoecious, with both male and female flowers on the same plant.
