“We didn’t choose the forest. The forest chose us.”
The Legacy of Hawaiian Healing
Founded by Joy Johnson and her daughter, Melia Goodenow, Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals was created to carry forward the teachings of their Kumu and Kāhuna, especially Kahuna Lapa‘au Morrnah Simeona, who inspired their deep connection to Hawaiian plant medicine and energy healing.
Founded by Mother and Daughter
Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals was founded in 1993 by Joy Johnson and her daughter, Melia Goodenow. Their work grew from years of learning directly from their teachers, including Morrnah Nālamakū Simeona and Papa Henry Auwae. They were taught to make traditional medicine from Hawaiian plants and how to use those remedies and techniques in current modern times. Those teachings are the foundation of our products and continue to guide how we work today.
The teachings Joy and Melia received continue to shape how we work today—from the way we approach the plants to the way we gather and prepare each essence.
The Teachers Who Planted the Seeds
Mentored by Kahuna Morrnah Simeona & Papa Henry Auwae
Joy and Melia learned directly from Kahuna Lapaʻau Morrnah Nālamakū Simeona of O'ahu and Papa Henry Auwae of Hilo. Their years of learning shaped the way they understand and work with Hawaiian plants and energy. They learned to slow down, pay attention, follow the protocol, listen to the plants and follow their lead.
The lessons they received became part of the way Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals works today. They continue to guide how they gather flowers, prepare their essences, and care for people. Joy and Melia have developed a deep compassion and understanding of people and how their past experiences and emotional states hold up their energy and health. They created these flower essences as tools to free people from these past burdens.
We take our time when gathering flowers. We pause, ask permission, and take only what is needed. This is part of the way we have been taught to work with the plants and the land.
Walking the Forest in Pono
Medicine Is Asked For — Never Taken
Before a single blossom is gathered, we pause and pray. Permission is asked. The healer listens. If the plant does not consent, it is left untouched. This is the first law of Hawaiian healing: relationship before remedy.
This practice has been part of how we work with the plants for decades. We take only what is needed and give thanks before we leave. For us, working in pono means being thoughtful about how we gather, caring for the plants, and respecting the land that makes this work possible.
After the flowers are gathered, we take the same care with the preparation. Each essence is made by hand, following the practices and teachings that have guided Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals for more than 30 years.
Understanding Mana
The Living Energy of the Forest
The Hawaiian rainforest is not just scenery. It is alive with mana — the animating life force that moves through volcanic soil, rising mist, ancient trees, and blooming ʻŌhiʻa Lehua. This is not symbolic energy. It is felt. It is tangible. It is the presence that steadies the nervous system the moment you step beneath the canopy.
In Hawaiian tradition, mana refers to spiritual power or life-giving force. It is part of a broader understanding of the relationship between people, nature, and the world around us. When blossoms are gathered in right relationship, that mana infuses the water. When the essence is prepared in prayer, that mana is preserved. When you take the drops, that mana becomes part of your own restoration.
The mana of the Hawaiian rainforest lives within every essence — a tangible life force gathered in prayer and carried into each drop for emotional and spiritual balance.
A Mother, A Daughter, A Calling
Healing Techniques Passed Down from Heart to Heart
What began as mentorship became mission. What began as study became stewardship. Joy and Melia did not simply learn techniques — they inherited responsibility. Responsibility to the teachers who trusted them. Responsibility to the land that opened to them. Responsibility to those seeking healing across oceans.
The work has always been relational. Mother to daughter. Teacher to student. Forest to healer. Healer to you.
For more than 30 years, Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals has made flower essences by hand in Hawaiʻi. What began with Joy and Melia continues today in the way we work with the plants and make each essence.
Why Our Lineage Matters
A Tradition We Continue to Honor
In a world where “natural” has become a marketing term, authenticity matters. Hawaiian plant medicine is not a trend. It is a cultural inheritance. It is a sacred trust. Without lineage, without permission, without relationship, the medicine becomes diluted — not just chemically, but spiritually.
Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals exists to preserve the integrity of this tradition. Every essence carries the prayers, protocols, and teachings that came before it. We don't claim to have created this tradition. We are grateful for what we were taught, and those lessons continue to influence how we gather flowers and make our essences today.
Our flower essences are made to be part of everyday life. Take a few moments for yourself, choose what feels right for you, and make it part of your own daily ritual.
An Invitation to Pause
Make It Your Own Ritual
Life can get busy. A few quiet minutes can give you a chance to step away from the noise and take a breath. Our flower essences can be part of that simple pause—take a few drops in the morning, before bed, or whenever you have a moment to yourself.
Healing is not something added to you. It is something uncovered within you. The flower essences do not impose balance — they remind you of the balance you already carry. The rainforest is alive with memory. The land remembers harmony. The body remembers harmony. The spirit remembers harmony. Sometimes all that is needed is a gentle drop to bring that memory back to the surface.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals. We hope this story gives you a better understanding of where our flower essences come from and why this work matters to us.
Explore Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals
Rooted in Hawaiʻi Since 1993
Explore our flower essences, learn about our workshops, or follow along with Melia and our ʻohana as we continue this work in Hawaiʻi.