Kaua‘i Farmacy

Contributed photo

By Léo Azambuja

For the last eight years, the Kaua‘i Farmacy in Kilauea has been selling herbal teas and other natural healing products, helping Kaua‘i residents and visitors to build a strong immune system. And this might be a good time to start boosting our natural weapons against COVID-19, which is wreaking havoc in almost every country on the planet.

“Immune-boosting is a lifestyle that requires consistent diligence over time, and there is no better time to increase your focus than now,” said Doug Wolkon, owner of Kaua‘i Farmacy. “I drink lots of Kaua‘i Farmacy herbal tea with plenty of turmeric, ginger, tulsi and lemongrass. I also sprinkle our potent superfood spices on my salads and avocados daily.”

Additionally, Wolkon consumes lots of nourishing, locally grown coconuts, salads, avocados and veggie soups. Although diet is key, rest and hydration are just as important. Being disciplined about resting, so that your body can replenish its energy, he said, is a foundational pillar for a strong immune system.

Kaua‘i Farmacy owner Genna Wolkon, left, and Wailea Abraham toast a mulberry tea, known for balancing blood sugar and reducing cholesterol. Contributed photo

Wolkon said Kaua‘i Farmacy is made up of a team of 15 gardeners, herbalists and healers, passionately caring for a four-acre herbal medicine farm in Kilauea.

“We grow over 70 different varieties of herbs and spices in our organic gardens, crafting them into healing teas, superfood spices, salves, honeys and more,” he said. “Our healing products are unique in that they are pure, super-fresh, grown in a loving, backyard garden-style system, and energized by the Garden Island of Kaua‘i.”

Wolkon says the herbs they grow and the products they craft connect us directly with this “sacred land.” Such connection, he said, promotes self-awareness and nourishes our physical being with the ultimate in Kaua‘i-grown mana, or divine power.

These potent products naturally and gently cleanse the body of toxic acids acquired from poor diets, polluted air, chemicals in the water and stressful lifestyles, according to Wolkon. They simultaneously infuse the “calming vibrations” and immune-boosting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals of the Farmacy’s gardens into our “blood and our souls.”

Kaua‘i Farmacy gets its ingredients from its four-acre farm in Kilauea. Contributed photo

Wolkon and his wife, Genna, used to have what they called a “medicine” cabinet stuffed with curious supplements and tinctures ambiguous in their origin, freshness and quality. He said it was very difficult to feel or trust their vibration because of the lack of transparency.

“As we began infusing fresh Kaua‘i-grown noni leaves and ‘olena (turmeric) roots into medicinal teas, we began to heal ourselves and rediscover our youth,” Wolkon said. “We discovered the real remedy we had been searching for. It felt only natural to share our experience with others by creating Kaua‘i Farmacy.”

This is a time when change is necessary, said Wolkon, adding that hundreds of years of disharmony with the land has manifested into this global evolution.

Kaua‘i Farmacy owner Doug Wolkon is seen here enjoying a fresh garden brew. Contributed photo

“We can all imagine the potential for Kaua‘i to feed us and keep us healthy. This is an opportunity for us to grow immune-boosting foods and medicines for our people to thrive,” he said.

For that, Wolkon believes we must let go of our “unhealthy economic dependence” on imported food and unstable tourism economy, and care for the land that feeds us.

Resources need to be reallocated to create this new economy that will rise simultaneously to that which falls, he said. The time is now to plant a true foundation of health and wellness centered on “caring for the Earth as it cares for us, and as its immune system strengthens, so will ours.”

The Kaua‘i Farmacy stand in Kilauea is currently offering 50 percent off on all plant medicine for kama‘aina, or local residents, with the option of calling ahead and doing a roadside pickup. If you prefer to shop online and have it shipped to you, use the code “kamaaina40” to take 40 percent off your tab.

Kaua‘i Farmacy’s stand is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4731G Kuawa Road in Kilauea. Visit www.kauaifarmacy.com, email them at info@kauaifarmacy.com or call at 828-6525 for more information.

UPDATE: Doug Wolkon is offering free wellness tea (tulsi, turmeric, ginger, lemon grass and noni leaf) to anyone on island suffering with symptoms of COVID-19. He said it’s a potent medicine, and he would be happy to ship it to whoever needs it.