Health properties
Tarata (Pittosporum Eugenioides) benefits include:
Mild antiseptic and astringent: leaf and bark used externally to clean wounds and reduce inflammation.
• Often prepared as light washes for everyday cuts, scrapes, and minor skin upsets.
• Astringent qualities help gently tighten tissues and support the skin’s natural healing processes.
Soothing/topical: poultices and washes for skin irritations, sores, and minor rheumatic aches.
• Warm compresses made from the leaves or bark may be placed on sore joints, bruises, or strained muscles.
• Can be blended with other rongoā plants in balms or oils for general comfort and massage.
Aromatic/supportive: fragrant leaves used in steam inhalation or baths for mild respiratory comfort.
• Crushed leaves in hot water can be used for gentle steam inhalation to ease feelings of stuffiness or tension.
• Added to bathwater or footbaths to create a relaxing, cleansing soak that supports overall unwinding.
Traditional use
Rongoā Māori: leaves and bark used as poultices, washes, and heated applications for wounds, skin complaints, and aches.
Aromatic uses: crushed leaves used for scent, cleansing, and in ceremonial or domestic fumigations.
Harvesting: practiced with customary respect; knowledge passed within whānau and rongoā practitioners.
• Often gathered sparingly from healthy trees, with karakia and attention to season and condition of the rākau.
• The fragrant leaves may be included in rongoā blends that work on both tinana (body) and wairua (spirit).
• Use and tikanga can vary across iwi and hapū, and are best learned directly from mana whenua and experienced healers.
Physical properties
Form: small to medium evergreen tree native to New Zealand.
Leaves: long, narrow, pale green, strongly fragrant when crushed (sweet citrus/vanilla-like scent).
Flowers: clusters of small yellow-green flowers in spring.
Fruit: woody capsule containing sticky seeds; bird-dispersed.
Bark/wood: relatively smooth bark; tolerant of coastal and urban conditions; grows well in well-drained soils.
• Commonly planted as a shelter or ornamental tree due to its scent and resilience.
• Provides nectar, pollen, and habitat for a range of insects and birds, enriching local biodiversity.
• Responds well to light pruning, making it suitable for home gardens and rongoā plantings when cared for thoughtfully.
Metaphysical / Energetic properties
Cleansing and clarity: used to clear stagnant energy and promote mental clarity.
• Crushed leaves or their aroma may be used before important conversations or decision-making to “clear the air.”
• Helpful in personal rituals for releasing mental fog, worry, or stuck thought patterns.
Protection and purification: invoked for home purification, energetic boundaries, and gentle protection.
• Leaves can be included in bowls of water, fumigations, or doorway bundles as part of clearing and blessing a space.
• Often associated with a light but firm protective presence, like a fresh breeze through a room.
Uplift and healing: associated with uplifting mood, renewal, and supportive healing energy; used in rituals for renewal and domestic harmony.
• Its sweet, bright fragrance is linked with encouragement, comfort, and a sense of being emotionally “lifted.”
• May be placed on altars or in central parts of the home to invite harmony, calm communication, and ongoing healing for those who live there.
