Kua roa te whakamahinga o te rongoā mārama e whakamahia ana i te wā e noho ana ngā tipu me ngā kararehe ki te whenua, nā te mea ka whai hua tātou katoa i te hihi o te rā.
Ehara i te mea ko te hihi UVB o te rā anake ka taunekeneke ki te cholesterol i roto i te kiri hei āwhina i te hanga huaora D3 (nō reira ka whai hua mō te tinana katoa), engari ko te wāhanga whero o te whānuitanga mārama e kitea ana (600 – 1000nm) ka taunekeneke anō hoki ki tētahi whākōkī matua o te pākia o te tinana i roto i te mitochondria o ō tātou pūtau, ka ara ake te taupoki o tō tātou pūmanawa whakaputa pūngao.
Kua roa te whakamahinga o te rama whakaora o nāianei mai i te mutunga o te rautau 1800, kāore i roa i muri i te whakamahinga o te hiko me te rama kāinga, i te wā i whakamātau ai a Niels Ryberg Finsen, he wahine nō Ngā Moutere o Faroe, i te rama hei rongoā mō te mate.
Nō muri mai ka toa a Finsen i te Tohu Nobel mō te rongoā i te tau 1903, kotahi tau i mua i tōna matenga, ā, i tino angitu ia ki te rongoā i te rewharewha, te lupus me ētahi atu mate kiri mā te whakamahi i te mārama kukū.
Ko te nuinga o ngā rangahau mō te whakaora rama tōmua ko te whakamahi i ngā pūrama rama tawhito, ā, e 10,000 ngā rangahau kua oti mō te rama i te rautau 20. Ko ngā rangahau e ahu mai ana i ngā pānga ki ngā noke, ki ngā manu, ki ngā wāhine hapu, ki ngā hōiho me ngā pepeke, ki ngā huakita, ki ngā tipu me te maha atu. Ko te whanaketanga hou ko te whakaurunga mai o ngā taputapu LED me ngā taiaho.
I te piki haere o ngā tae e wātea ana hei rama LED, me te tīmatanga o te whakapai ake i te whai huatanga o te hangarau, ka noho ko ngā rama LED te kōwhiringa tino arorau me te whai hua mō te whakaora mārama, ā, koinei te paerewa ahumahi i ēnei rā, me te whakapai tonu i te whai huatanga.