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Bush medicine in Australia’s backyard
Bush medicine is a powerful and ancient part of the culture and heritage of many of Australia’s First Nations. For centuries First Peoples have passed down and shared their practices and stories of how Australia’s native flora can be prepared and used for healing.
Bush medicine involves taking the leaves, fruit, bark, sap and/or roots of specific native plants, and preparing them in such a way that their medicinal properties (e.g. antibacterial, anti-inflammatory) are activated. These remedies have been used to treat conditions ranging from upset stomachs and infections, to burns and rashes, and many illnesses in between.
In recognition of 2020 being the 'International Year of Plant Health', and with respect to the First Nations of the SQ Landscapes region, here are three native bush medicine plants worth noting.
A word of caution:
Many Australian native plants are highly toxic and difficult to identify. Unless you are experienced in the identification, collection and safe preparation of bush medicine, or accompanied by someone who is, it is inadvisable to harvest or use bush tucker for medicine or food.
Please also be aware that the harvesting of plants is restricted in some areas e.g. national parks.
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)
Quandongs (or Wild Peach) are a native fruit found in arid and semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The mature fruit is bright red and around 15-25mm in diameter. It grows as a shrub or tree and is parasitic in nature, sucking water and nutrients from a host plant to survive. It is a tart-tasting fruit, but the sugar content increases as it dries.
Quandongs contain twice the Vitamin C of an orange, and are a valuable source of Vitamin E, folate, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.
An incredibly versatile fruit, quandongs can be eaten raw, made into jams, pies and other desserts, frozen, dried, or utilised in bush medicine. Their centre kernels are ground to create powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory pastes for treating skin conditions and toothaches, the roots are made into an infusion to treat rheumatism and the leaves to treat stomach aches.
Quandong grind stones have been found in First Nation sites throughout the Murray-Darling Basin and are believed to have been used for more than 50,000 years. They can be difficult to grow domestically but dried quandongs can be found in health food/bush tucker stores throughout Australia and online.
Quinine Tree (Alstonia constricta)
The Quinine Tree (or Native Quince or Bitterbark) is part of a family of plants known as alkaloids. A common characteristic of alkaloids is a bitter taste, which can indicate either a therapeutic or, equally important if used effectively, poisonous quality.
The ripened fruit is small, round and bright yellow or orange. It grows on full shrubs or trees which can grow up to 6 metres high. As the fruit dries, it sheds its flesh and explodes, shooting the seeds in all directions. Native to coastal areas of northern Australia, north-east New South Wales and the Darling Downs region, the quinine tree grows commonly in thickets on sunny hill sides.
Traditionally, the bark and roots of the quinine tree would be prepared into liquids for treating diabetes and other illnesses including sores and headaches. The fresh fruit can be used to ease toothaches, malarial symptoms including fever, and as birth control.
The potent astringent and antiseptic qualities of the plant can make it difficult to control the outcomes of quinine when used medicinally.
Despite the bitter taste, emus eat quinine fruit which also helps to disperse seeds for regrowth.
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp)
One of the most prevalent and iconic native Australian plants, the eucalyptus is easy to identify due to its distinct look and aromatic aroma.
There are more than 700 different species of eucalyptus in Australia.
From short and bushy garden species, to the world’s tallest flowering tree (Eucalyptus regnans), eucalypts are incredibly diverse plants. Eucalypt flowers range in size and colour, producing white, yellow, pink and red blossoms. These blossoms attract native stingless bees that help pollinate the plants while producing honey from nectar known as 'sugarbag' bee honey - another bush tucker produced with the help of eucalypts.
Eucalypt aroma can be described as having likeness to peppermint, lemon or pepper. In bush medicine, aromatic plants are regarded as important for treating respiratory diseases. The bark, leaves, flowers and resin known as 'kino' of different eucalypts offer a variety of healing qualities.
Eucalyptus leaves and bark can be infused for body pains, fevers and chills, while the kino can be used to treat wounds and the oil (harvested from glands in the leaves) is used not only by First Nation peoples, but also commercially as an antimicrobial in mouthwash, lozenges, cough suppressants and topical balms.
Fossilised eucalypt flowers have been dated as 52 million years old, while the genome of the Australian rose gum (Eucalypt grandis) indicates these plants have been around for at least 109 million years.
To learn more about this native treasure, visit ABC Science’s Eucalypts: 10 things you may not know about an iconic Australian.
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The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”
Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.