The beaches of Oahu's North Shore aren't just home to world-class surf—they're also living pharmacies. Hawaiian medicinal plants grow along coastal trails, in forest patches, and sometimes right beside the sand. Lāʻau lapaʻau, the traditional Hawaiian practice of plant medicine, teaches us to recognize these healing allies. For centuries, Native Hawaiians have known what science is only beginning to confirm: the land holds medicine, if we learn how to see it.
Walking from Sunset Beach to Waimea Bay, you'll pass dozens of native and Polynesian-introduced plants that have been used for healing across generations. Some are obvious—bright flowers, distinctive leaves. Others blend into the landscape, easily overlooked unless you know what you're looking for. This guide introduces five of the most common medicinal plants you'll encounter on North Shore coastal walks, along with their traditional uses and the cultural protocols that surround them.
"The land is not separate from healing. It is the source of it."
1. ʻŌlena (Turmeric) — The Golden Root
If you've walked inland from any North Shore beach into the wetter valleys, you've likely seen ʻōlena growing in shaded, moist areas. This relative of ginger produces vibrant yellow-orange rhizomes underground—the part used medicinally for thousands of years across Polynesia and Asia.
Traditional Uses
In lāʻau lapaʻau, ʻōlena is perhaps the most versatile healing plant. When the rhizome is pounded and strained, the liquid can treat ear infections, respiratory infections, and inflammation. The bright yellow color comes from curcumin, a compound modern science has validated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Traditional practitioners also used ʻōlena topically for skin conditions, burns, and as a natural dye for kapa (bark cloth). The plant's ability to reduce inflammation made it essential for treating injuries—relevant in a culture where surfing, fishing, and physical work were daily activities.
Where to Find It
Look for ʻōlena in the wetter, shaded areas behind the beaches—near streams, in forest patches, or along irrigation ditches. The plant has long, lance-shaped leaves and produces small white or yellow flowers. If you're unsure, gently scratch the rhizome: it should reveal a deep orange interior and have a distinctive earthy-spicy scent.
2. Noni (Indian Mulberry) — The Resilient Healer
Noni trees are impossible to miss once you know what you're looking for. These small, scraggly trees grow along the coast, often in sandy or rocky soil where other plants struggle. The fruit—lumpy, pale green, and admittedly strange-looking—has a pungent smell that some compare to cheese. But don't let appearances fool you. This is one of the most powerful healing plants in Polynesian medicine.
Traditional Uses
In traditional Hawaiian medicine, nearly every part of the noni plant was used. The fruit, despite its smell, was eaten or juiced to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, and digestive issues. The leaves were heated and applied topically to wounds, sores, and swelling. The root bark was prepared as a tonic for general wellness.
Modern research has found that noni contains compounds with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties. While the taste takes some getting used to, many North Shore residents still drink noni juice regularly for its health benefits.
Where to Find It
Noni grows prolifically along the North Shore coastline. Look for it near the beach, in vacant lots, or along the roadside between Haleʻiwa and Sunset Beach. The trees have large, shiny leaves and produce fruit year-round. If you smell something pungent and vaguely cheese-like on your beach walk, there's probably a noni tree nearby.
3. Kukui (Candlenut) — The Tree of Light
The kukui tree is Hawaii's state tree, and for good reason. These large, spreading trees with silvery-green leaves are both beautiful and deeply useful. Kukui nuts were traditionally used for lamp oil (hence the name "candlenut"), but the tree's medicinal applications are equally significant.
Traditional Uses
Every part of the kukui tree has medicinal value. The flowers, nuts, bark, and leaves were all used in lāʻau lapaʻau. Kukui flowers and young leaves served as a laxative. Pounded roasted nuts formed the base for a curative salve used to treat sores, ulcers, and skin conditions. The oil from the nuts was used for massage, hair care, and as a general skin moisturizer—particularly valuable in Hawaii's sunny, salty environment.
The inner bark was also used to treat thrush and other oral infections. Modern analysis has confirmed that kukui nuts contain high levels of essential fatty acids, which help heal and protect the skin.
Where to Find It
Kukui trees prefer valleys and hillsides but can be found near the coast as well. Look for trees with light green, almost silvery leaves that catch the sunlight. The nuts are round, hard-shelled, and black when mature. You'll often see them scattered on the ground beneath the trees. In winter, the trees produce small white flowers.
4. ʻAwapuhi (Wild Ginger) — The Mountain Shampoo
While you're more likely to find ʻawapuhi in the valleys behind the North Shore rather than directly on the beach, it's worth the short hike. This wild ginger produces fragrant flowers and a sap that's been used as shampoo and conditioner for centuries.
Traditional Uses
Hawaiians would squeeze the mucilaginous sap from ʻawapuhi shoots and rub it into their hair—a practice still common among those who know the plant. The sap cleanses, conditions, and leaves hair shiny and fragrant. Beyond hair care, ʻawapuhi was used medicinally to treat sprains, bruises, and headaches.
The plant contains compounds with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, validating its traditional use for injuries and skin conditions.
Where to Find It
Look for ʻawapuhi along trails that lead into the valleys—places like Waimea Valley or the trails behind Sunset Beach. The plant has long, lance-shaped leaves similar to ʻōlena, but it produces distinctive cone-shaped flowers (red or white depending on the variety). Break open a shoot and you'll see the clear, slippery sap inside.
5. Naupaka — The Coastal Guardian
Naupaka kahakai (beach naupaka) is one of the most common native plants along North Shore beaches. These hardy shrubs form dense thickets right at the edge where sand meets vegetation. The white half-flowers—shaped as if torn in half—are instantly recognizable and carry their own legend about separated lovers.
Traditional Uses
While naupaka is less commonly used medicinally than the other plants on this list, it still has important applications. The leaves were used topically to treat cuts, sores, and skin irritations. The berries, though not particularly tasty, were sometimes eaten in times of famine.
More importantly, naupaka plays a crucial ecological role. Its dense growth helps stabilize sand dunes, preventing erosion and protecting inland areas from storm surge and salt spray. In this way, the plant itself is a form of land medicine—mālama ʻāina in action.
Where to Find It
Walk along any North Shore beach and you'll find naupaka forming a green barrier between sand and inland vegetation. The shrubs have thick, succulent-like leaves and produce distinctive half-flowers and white berries. It's particularly abundant at beaches like Sunset, Rocky Point, and Laniakea.
"To know the plants is to know the land. To know the land is to know yourself."
Cultural Protocols: Respecting the Medicine
Learning to identify Hawaiian medicinal plants is more than botanical knowledge—it's a way of deepening relationship with the ʻāina (land). But with that knowledge comes responsibility. Traditional Hawaiian culture has specific protocols around harvesting and using plants.
Before Harvesting
- Ask permission: In Hawaiian practice, you would offer a pule (prayer) and ask the plant for permission before taking anything.
- Take only what you need: Never harvest more than you'll actually use. A good guideline is to take no more than 10% of what's available.
- Know the land: Make sure you're on public land or have explicit permission from the landowner before harvesting anything.
- Leave no trace: Harvest in a way that doesn't damage the plant or surrounding ecosystem.
- Give back: Some practitioners leave an offering (a stone, a song, a prayer) in exchange for what they take.
Using Plants Safely
While these plants have been used medicinally for centuries, it's important to approach them with respect and caution. If you're interested in using Hawaiian medicinal plants for health purposes:
- Consult with a trained practitioner of lāʻau lapaʻau or a healthcare provider before using any plant medicinally.
- Be certain of your plant identification—some plants have toxic look-alikes.
- Start with small amounts to test for allergic reactions.
- Pregnant or nursing women should be especially cautious and consult healthcare providers.
- Remember that "natural" doesn't always mean "safe." Plants are powerful medicine and should be treated with the same respect as any pharmaceutical.
Healing as Relationship
The practice of lāʻau lapaʻau is about more than treating symptoms. It's about understanding that our health is inseparable from the health of the land, the ocean, and the community. When we learn to recognize medicinal plants on our beach walks, we're not just acquiring information. We're rebuilding a relationship that has been severed for many of us.
As we explored in our article on surf therapy and ocean healing, the North Shore offers multiple pathways to wellness. The ocean holds us. The plants offer their medicine. The land teaches us patience. Together, they remind us that healing is not something we achieve alone—it's something we participate in, as part of a larger web of relationships.
Whether you're a North Shore resident or a visitor, take time on your next beach walk to notice these healing plants. Learn their names. Observe how they grow, where they thrive, what creatures visit them. And remember: observe and appreciate first. Harvest only when you have the knowledge, permission, and genuine need. The plants will still be there tomorrow, continuing their quiet work of holding the land together, just as they have for centuries.