Rokoā (Rongoā) Māori in primary care: supporting safe use alongside prescribed medicines

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to rokoā Māori (Kāi Tahu dialect for rongoā Māori) for primary care clinicians, with a focus on use of rokoā rākau (traditional Māori medicines from plants) alongside pharmaceutical medicines.Rokoā Māori is an holistic system of healing grounded in mātauraka (mātauranga) Māori (Māori knowledge), tikaka (tikanga; customs/traditions), whakapapa (geneal ogy/kinship), wairua (spirit/spirituality), relationships and te taiao (the natural world).Rokoā Māori reflects Māori understandings of health and healing across physical, men tal, spiritual, relational, cultural and environmental dimensions.The Te Ao Rauropi model describes rokoā Māori as an interconnected system in which wairua and mauri (life force), people, tikaka and kawa (values and protocols), whakapapa, mātauraka Māori, te taiao, toi Māori (arts) and healing practices all contribute to wellbeing. 1 Rokoā rākau (plant-based healing) is one part of this wider system.Other healing approaches include: karakia and riteka (incantations); mirimiri and romiromi (massage); wai or hauwai (use of water/steam in healing); kōrero and whakaroko (listening); wairuabased practices; connection with whānau, whakapapa and whenua (the land); kai and māra kai (food and Māori food gardens); cultural practices, such as waiata, taoka puoro (Māori instruments) and weaving.[2][3][4] Several approaches may be used within a single healing encounter.Plant preparations can be assessed for pharmacological effects, toxicity or medicine interactions, but this should not be mistaken for an assessment of rokoā Māori as a whole.Similarly, commercial herbal products containing rokōa plants should not be assumed to represent rokoā Māori: preparation, tikaka, practitioner involvement and the context in which the rākau is being used all matter.2,5 As part of the healing system, whenua is the source of medicinal plants: it is connec ted to whakapapa, identity, culture and wellbeing, and may itself be part of healing.3,6 Research with rokoā practitioners and patients identified four closely linked themes: whenua as part of identity; whenua as a source and place of healing; reciprocity between the wellbeing of people and whenua; kaitiakitaka (kaitiakitanga; guardianship) as part of rokoā Māori.6 Healing may, therefore, include reconnecting with ancestral Rokoā (Rongoā) Māori in primary care: supporting safe use alongside prescribed medicines

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Primary Health Care, 2026 · DOI ↗