Of all the tools and practices we possess to positively transform our day to day life experience, the breath may be the most powerful. A deep calm breath is the foundation of restorative health. How can we enhance this core function? What can we do if the breath is disregulated by stress, injury, sickness, or chronic ailments? How do we take responsibility for our well-being?

In a similar way that plants produce oxygen from photosynthesis, they also encourage us to call in more oxygen through our breath. Loquat is the quintessential plant inclined toward lung support. Loquat is a subtropical fruit tree native to and originally cultivated in the hills of China. It grows evergreen here in our gardens and the jungles on the North Shore of Kauaʻi. Loquat fruit is best known medicinally for its use in cough syrups to ease sore throats and coughing. The leaf, a more abundant source, also possesses similar qualities to promote calm breath and relieve chest and lung congestion. 

Loquat Leaf, an ancient Chinese medicine called Pi Pa Ye, effectively cools the lungs to relieve coughs and dissolve phlegm. It helps to harmonize the stomach and supports opening blood vessels for a more even arterial flow to nourish the heart. It cools stomach heat, preventing Stomach Qi from being carried upward by excess fire. It also resolves toxicity and soothes the throat. Loquat Leaf is also the ideal plant medicine for detoxing the chest, lungs, and rib cage of mucus related toxins.