Teacher background information

Since Australia was colonised, Western science has looked to the pharmacopeia of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The early Australian colonists were isolated far from their own homes and had little or no access to Western medicines or their own folk remedies. Although most colonists disparaged the health and well-being practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is widely accepted that many colonists did in fact develop ‘bush medicines’ based on observations of the use of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pharmacopeia. Fast forward to today and we can again see a need to investigate the active compounds in traditional pharmaceuticals. 

Students gain awareness of the fact that contemporary society is continually facing outbreaks of increasingly virulent strains of diseases accompanied by the decreased effectiveness of some medicines. These global issues are having a major influence on the focus of scientific research into the development of new, efficacious medicines. Scientists, in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, continue to investigate the potential of traditional medicines as a source of novel pharmaceuticals for treating modern illnesses.

Evolution pressures and the extensive use of antibiotics by contemporary society have driven the emergence of highly virulent strains of diseases that are resistant to many medicines. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, and its subsequent use to treat infections, scientists have been searching for other new treatments and antimicrobial agents. There is now a growing awareness that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge of medicinal plants can provide new medicines and/or lead to the discovery of new pharmaceuticals for treating infections. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people possess a vast amount of knowledge about traditional pharmaceuticals derived from myriad sources. These medicines have been, and continue to be developed over millennia through observation and experimentation and are passed down through generations via histories, songs, and rituals. 

Some of this knowledge was incorporated into colonisers’ ‘bush remedies’, such as relieving aching joints by applying a poultice made from the creeper Clematis microphylla. Other examples of early adoption of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing methods include the inhalation of eucalyptus oil (from Eucalyptus spp.) to relieve respiratory problems and throat infections, and the topical application of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) for wounds and skin infections. 

Prior to the Second World War, some drugs based on alkaloids were manufactured in Germany. One of these was hyoscine hydrobromide which was used as a sedative and to relieve motion sickness. When the war began, alternative sources of this chemical had to be found by the Allies. Australian researchers found it in the leaves of the corkwood tree (Duboisia myoporoides), a plant used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to relieve stomach pain and to stupefy fish in waterholes. After the war, commercial plantations of Duboisia were established to produce the raw materials for a pharmaceutical that is still widely used as a digestive tract muscle relaxant to treat stomach aches and intestinal problems. 

The kangaroo apple, Solanum laciniatum, produces a fruit that has long been used by Aboriginal peoples in poultices to treat swollen joints. Scientists have found that the fruit contains the steroid solasodine, which is an important precursor for producing cortisone and other steroids for use in oral contraceptives, and for the treatment of a range of illnesses, including asthma and arthritis.  

Other recent studies of Aboriginal pharmacopeia have found that the seeds of the Moreton Bay chestnut (Castanospermum australe) contain castanospermine, a chemical that may be useful in the treatment of cancer and inhibiting HIV. Antiviral activity has been found in the boiled roots of the Pale Flax-lily (Dianella longifolia), used as a medicine to inhibit poliovirus Type 1, and the Crimson Turkey-bush (Eremophila latrobei), used for treating colds and the Ross River virus.  

Further investigation into traditional medicines may identify other therapeutic compounds with the potential for commercialisation. By investigating the historical and contemporary interest in the rich pharmacopeia of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, students can appreciate the highly-developed medical knowledge held by Australia’s First Peoples and their significant contributions to contemporary medical science.