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Aboriginal Australian Medicine

The world's oldest continuous healing tradition, spanning 65,000 years, using eucalyptus, tea tree, desert plants, and deep knowledge of Country.

Australia

History & Philosophy

Origins

Aboriginal Australian medicine is part of the world's oldest continuous living culture, with plant knowledge developed and refined over more than 65,000 years of continuous relationship with the Australian continent.

Core philosophy

Healing knowledge is carried through songlines and lore tied to specific Country (land), meaning particular plant knowledge is often inseparable from the specific place and cultural custodianship it belongs to.

Practiced today

Bush medicine — including eucalyptus and tea tree, now globally recognized botanicals — continues to be practiced and transmitted within Aboriginal communities, alongside growing research collaboration on traditional plant knowledge.

Herbs, foods & remedies

174 herbs traditionally used within Aboriginal Australian Medicine — most often for Wound Healing, Skin Health, Fever.

See all 174

Showing the first 40 of 174 — use “See all” above for the full, filterable list.

Aboriginal Australian Medicine

History & Philosophy

Origins

Core philosophy

Practiced today

Herbs, foods & remedies

Alpine Mint Bush

Apple Box Gum

Austral Plantain

Bell-Fruited Mallee

Billy Goat Plum

Bloodwood (Corymbia)

Blue Bush (Maireana)

Blue Flax Lily Seed

Blue Gum Leaf

Blue Mallee (Eucalyptus)

Blue-Leaved Box

Boab (Baobab)

Boobialla (Myoporum)

Bottlebrush (Callistemon)

Box Mistletoe

Bracken Fern Root

Broad-Leaved Eremophila

Broad-Leaved Paperbark

Broom Wattle

Bunya Nut (Araucaria)

Bush Banana (Marsdenia)

Bush Coconut (Cystococcus)

Bush Tomato (Kutjera)

Correa (Native Fuchsia)

Creek Bottlebrush

Currawang Wattle

Davidson Plum

Dead Finish (Acacia)

Desert Lime

Desert Oak Bark

Desert Quandong

Dusky Correa

Emu Apple (Owenia)

Emu Bush (Eremophila)

Emu Saltbush

Eucalyptus (Stringybark)

Finger Lime

Flame Grevillea

Flame Tree (Brachychiton)

Flannel Flower

Bael Fruit (Native)

Blue Flax Lily Berry (Dianella)

Bunya Nut

Bush Banana (Marsdenia)

Bush Plum (Santalum lanceolatum)

Bush Tomato (Akudjura)

Coolibah Fruit (Eucalyptus coolabah)

Davidson Plum

Desert Lime (Citrus glauca)

Emu

Emu Apple (Owenia)

Finger Lime

Illawarra Plum (Podocarpus)

Kakadu Plum

Kangaroo

Lemon Myrtle

Macadamia Nut

Marsdenia Fruits (Doubah)

Midyim Berry (Austromyrtus)

Muntries (Native Cranberry)

Native Currant (Acrotriche)

Native Ginger (Alpinia caerulea)

Native Lemon Aspen (Acronychia)

Native Raspberry (Rubus parvifolius)

Native Thyme (Prostanthera)

Native Watercress (Nasturtium fluviatile)

Native Yam (Dioscorea)

Pigface (Karkalla)

Quandong (Native Peach)

Riberry

River Mint

Saltbush (Old Man Saltbush)

Sandpaper Fig

Sea Parsley