Poroporo

Poroporo, pōporo

Solanum aviculare

Poroporo

LOCATION: Endemic to North and South islands of New Zealand, also present in Australia.

USES: Plants of the genus Solanum, to which poroporo belongs, are important in the modern medical world, so it is not surprising that the Māoris, always enterprising with the plants at their disposal, should have discovered its medicinal properties. All members of the family solanaceae are nightshades, and the name solanum means comforter, referring to the effect of the drug it contains. 

Traditionally Māori used poroporo for kai, rongoā and cultural purposes. Poroporo plants were spread to suitable sites and cultivated around kainga, especially as kai for children. Fruits were eaten raw, with the leaves being used in umu (earth oven) to flavour food.

If there was no puha, they would gather poroporo only when the berries were ripe, cooking the leaves much like cooking spinach, eating the berries only when they were very dark in colour. 

The Māori people used the juice from poroporo leaves mixed with soot to rub into wounds made by tattooing instruments. 

RONGOĀ:  Medicinally, poroporo is used in the following ways: the leaves, including juice, inner bark and the underside were pulped and used as a poultice for skin irritations, ulcers, established sores, eruptions and scabies. The pith of dried stems was used to treat bruises. 

• When heated in water with ngaio (Myoporum laetum), kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum), and tātarāmoa (Rubus cissoides) the leaves were utilised as a vapour bath for joint pain.
• Pulped berries were also used for scabies and joint pain. .
• The leaves, inner bark and pith were used for bruises and established itch sores.
• Leaves were boiled and liquid used as a shampoo, noted as giving hair a shiny gloss, and as a dandruff treatment –
• Poroporo leaves were taken as a decoction just before menstruation for contraceptive purposes, even in to the mid 20th century.
• Today some alkaloids extracted from the plant have been used in the commercial manufacture of hormones.