Australian Medicinal Plants

An essential guide and invaluable resource for anyone interested in herbal medicine, Australian flora and the indigenous Australian culture. Includes a history on the Aboriginal use of native plants and explains how the first European settlers learnt of their medicinal value from the Indigenous people.

An invaluable resource for all those interested in herbal medicine, Aboriginal culture and Australian flora. Australia's varied flora provided Aborigines with their medicines for thousands of years. In this book hundreds of species are described and their uses as painkillers, antiseptics, etc are explained.

This book is designed to enhance the appreciation of the medicinal history of Australia's flora, its unique contributions to everyday life, and its extraordinary future potential. Author Cheryll Williams previously published a series of articles on medicinal plants in Australian Wellbeing magazine and is currently working with Wildlife Rescue in the tropical rainforest. Chapters include: Plants of the Pioneers: First Impressions and Improvisations * Herbal Inspiration: Remedies from the Bush * Sarsaparilla and Sassafras: Old Remedies in a New Colony * Xanthorrhoea: Grass-Tree Medicine * Floral Emissaries * Bush Beverages * Bush Tucker Bugs * A Sweet Surprise: Medicinal and Toxic Honeys * Uniquely Australian: Flowers, Flavors, and Fragrance * Sandalwood: The Aromatic Export * The Famous Australian Gum-tree.

Did you know that there are plants that eat insects? Plants whose seeds spread in poo? Plants that move when you touch them? And plants that grow on other plants? Plantastic! presents 26 of Australia's most unique and incredible native plants. Discover and identify native plants found in your local park, bushland, or even in your very own backyard. With its perfect balance of fun facts, activities, adventurous ideas and gorgeous illustrations, Plantastic! will prove just how fantastic Australia's native plants really are!

This book continues as volume 5 of a multicompendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers edible fruits/seeds used fresh, cooked or processed as vegetables, cereals, spices, stimulant, edible oils and beverages. It covers selected species from the following families: Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cunoniaceae, Lythraceae, Papaveraceae, Poaceae, Polygalaceae, Polygonaceae, Proteaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rubiaceae, Salicaceae, Santalaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae and Zingiberaceae. This work will be of significant interest to scientists, medical practitioners, pharmacologists, ethnobotanists, horticulturists, food nutritionists, botanists, agriculturists, conservationists, lecturers, students and the general public. Topics covered include: taxonomy; common/English and vernacular names; origin and distribution; agroecology; edible plant parts and uses; botany; nutritive/pharmacological properties, medicinal uses, nonedible uses; and selected references.

It has taken centuries to truly appreciate the healing attributes of much of the Australian flora. These books tell about the influential role the early discoveries had on medicinal practice in Australia, and the role these traditional medicines are fulfilling.

In this book the authors have recorded information on many of the medicinal plants that were regularly used by the Noongar people of the south-west of Western Australia. They hope it will ensure that the traditional knowledge is not lost forever with the passing of elders and traditional healers.