In the light of modern science, this thinking seems innocently misinformed, yet it is not without grounding. In traditional Māori medicine (rongoā), a species of liverwort, Radula complanate, was used for health purposes without an understanding of the mechanism of action. It has since been discovered that one of the bioactive compounds is a cannabinoid known as perrottetinene, similar to THC in cannabis, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Liverworts are one example where we have a traditional understanding of the value of what grows around us and yet, too frequently we look down on such knowledge as non-scientific. Given how hard it is to quantify so much of our biological world, sometimes we simply need to understand what is good in the world so we can move towards a better balance — we can’t always wait for the science to catch up.
Let’s explore this further — a friend shared a TED Talk with me "retelling the story of humans and nature". In the talk, the speaker, Damon Gameau asks "can we tell a new, but old, story about humans and nature that will reshape our world for the better?"
The world is facing cataclysmic biodiversity collapse in the face of climate change. In our thinking and in finding solutions, it’s important that we recognise we are part of the ecological system, not separate to it. There is no economics versus environment argument because the economy is part of the environment — as the economy is simply an extension of us as humans. We, as humans have co-evolved with plants, animals and microorganisms for centuries. The co-evolution will continue, the question is how many species — humans included — will be lost in the next evolutionary machinations?
About 350,000 years ago, modern humans evolved, learned to walk bipedally and like many other mammals and insects, used movement to flee from predators. As the ancestry diet changed, so too did the skull shape — 1.5 million years ago, Homo erectus had a lighter skull with smaller teeth as they didn’t need to chew the tough plant material their ancestors did.
Preceding and in parallel to human evolution, plants evolved over millions of years, adapting to survive in drought, deserts, flood zones, in extreme heat, including fire, and cold and in high altitudes. Structural form is one way in which plants adapted to their environment — longer tap roots, thicker leaves, prickles and spikes.
There is a fascinating case study examining the shikimic acid (SA) pathway which demonstrates the evolutionary dependence of humans on plants. Through this pathway, plants biosynthesise three of the nine essential amino acids that are not produced in the human body. In addition, the SA pathway gives us flavonoids and alkaloids, many of which are used in traditional and modern medicines. Humans have evolved to require derivatives of the SA pathway, demonstrating the evolutionary dynamics that are part of our history.
Co-evolution is part of this history and will be part of the future. The balance of what that looks like is what is in question. As we seek solutions to climate change, it’s important that we look to the old and the new for answers. Māori concepts of care for the land — where Papatūānuku is the land, a Mother Earth figure who gives birth to all things of the world and imparts blessings to her children — may sound obscure to a Western-trained scientist, but when lining up what that means with what is good and common sense, we ignore such knowledge at our peril.
As humans, we can derive inspiration from what grows around us, from the intricacies of liverworts and associated micro-ecosystems to mass global ecosystems.
We have always known the answer lies in caring for our environment, yet in recent times we have tried to override this.
In re-establishing some balance, we can learn from those who lived and grew before us.
— Anna Campbell is co-founder of Zestt Wellness, a nutraceutical company. She holds various directorships.
