Ferns were some of the earliest plants to emerge 360 million years ago, back when Earth was populated mostly by sea creatures and land-dwelling arthropods. Hawaiians have incorporated these ancient plants into their practices and legends for centuries. Pre-contact, Hawaiians brewed the whisk-shaped moa fern into a laxative tea and used pulu, the pulpy, absorbent fibers of hāpu‘u tree ferns, in the embalming process. To this day, hula dancers weave triangular sprigs of palapalai—considered sacred to the hula goddess Laka—into their lei and use its fronds to decorate altars.

The lore of ferns, their ancient history and their place in Native Hawaiian culture, is what drew Ke‘oni Hanalei to his current occupation: part esoteric medicine maker and part Hawaiian fern spokesperson. Hanalei first learned about ferns and their medicinal properties from his Hawaiian grandmother. He follows a lunar work schedule, foraging for wild ferns after the full moon, when he believes the plants are in a resting phase.

He gathers ferns from the islands of Maui and Kaua‘i, then incorporates them into medicinal tinctures, oils and hydrosols for his company, Pōhala. He uses a steam distiller to extract essential oils and also employs an eighteenth-century French method known as enfleurage to immerse the fronds in a fatty substance—traditionally lard but instead Hanalei uses refined coconut oil. The oil absorbs and preserves the botanical fragrances.

Many of the Pōhala tinctures, oils and hydrosols feature the scent of a single fern, each of which Hanalei correlates to a human emotion or experience. Some of his products are designed to evoke euphoria, purification and beauty, while others connect with darker emotions such as grief or pain in order to stimulate spiritual healing. His Wild Fern oil contains over forty different ferns and has the verdant scent of rain on the forest floor. He calls it “a good-for-everything kind of blend.” Pōhala products can found at Spa Montage Kapalua Bay and the Kauai Juice Company.

pohala.net