The Kīpuka Garden is the first phase of the Hawaiian Healing Center and is already established on the future campus of the Puna Community Medical Center. This māla lāʻau (herbal garden) supports the Center’s self-care program by cultivating traditional Hawaiian medicinal and food plants. The garden serves both as a nursery for lāʻau and as a living classroom for ʻohana and kūpuna, including providing kūpuna with starter plants for their own home gardens. 

Plants in the garden are selected for their traditional uses in reducing inflammation (pehupehu), supporting chronic disease conditions (maʻi maʻi), and helping address infections present in our Puna community.

The Center’s initial program, Kūpuna Strong!, will help elders restore balance, strength, and well-being through culturally grounded self-care practices. The program will expand as the Kīpuka Center for Health & Wellness campus is completed.

The Kīpuka Garden was created by Kumu Dane Kaohelani Silva, a kahuna lāʻau lapaʻau who followed in the footsteps of his kūpuna and shared his knowledge generously with the Puna community. Sadly, we lost our friend and valued colleague in December 2022. Kumu Dane was a tremendous source of knowledge, energy, and inspiration, and he is deeply missed by the community. We honor his legacy by continuing his work at the Kīpuka Garden, and we invite the community to remember Kumu Dane by learning more about his life and legacy here.
We extend our gratitude to Luana Jones for taking up stewardship of the garden and continuing its care.