earliest settlers makes little reference to medicinal plants. What does seem
clear, however, is the fact that, before the arrival of these Europeans, the health
of the Samoan population was reasonably good, and similar to that of Fijian,
Aboriginal and Maori populations. The health problems that they did experi-
ence were largely the result of the way in which they lived and the climate of
Samoa, which is hot and humid – a breeding ground for fungal and other
infections as well as numerous biting insects. Families lived in large units, in
close proximity to each other, on a diet that, although quite varied, was defi-
cient in many vitamins and other essential foodstuffs. Skin problems were thus
very common as were various respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments. Those
problems that had an obvious external cause were treated physically where
possible or with herbal medicines. Those problems that were internal and/or
had no obvious cause were thought to be the due to the displeasure of the gods
(atua) or spirits of ancestors (aitu) and had to be treated by spiritual means,
through the intercession of the spiritual healer (taulaitu).^17
The arrival of the Europeans was followed by the arrival of European
diseases and, just as had happened in other Australasian countries, the death
of large numbers of the native population. Western (or Palagi, foreign)
diseases, the Samoans noted, could sometimes be treated with Palagiherbal
medicines so it was after this time that Samoan plants were investigated
more intensively by the local population for their ability to treat both
Samoan and Palagidiseases. After a flurry of such investigations in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the situation settled into what it
remains effectively today, with both Samoan and western medicine coexisting
in relative harmony and Samoan people choosing to use local medicine for
Samoan sicknesses and western ones for Palagiproblems.
Samoans believe that good health is dependent on a balance of three
worlds: natural, social and spiritual. When these are out of balance, sickness
ensues, the treatment depending on which of the three worlds is most out of
line. If the condition is one that will respond to Samoan treatment, the
patient or their family may use one of their own folk medicines or seek out
a traditional healer (fofo). (A family may often ‘own’ a particular folk medi-
cine but a fofowill generally be knowledgeable about a much wider range
of possibilities, as well as having massage and other skills.) All traditional
remedies are prepared simply and usually from fresh materials gathered by
the healer or their assistants. Leaves may be pounded or squeezed, and
roots, barks and stems scraped into powders and applied as is or dissolved/
suspended in water.
Traditional remedies
The plant that is most frequently used in Samoan herbal medicine is the
Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia), which is known in Samoa as nonu.
This small tree, which is widely distributed throughout Polynesia, is used to
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