Science7 Bush Tucker & Medicine: Home

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples used traditional medicines to treat such ailments as burns, snake bites, jellyfish stings, headaches, and eye infections. These treatments were referred to as “bush” medicine because all the ingredients used to make the ointments or remedies were gathered from the natural resources in the bush. Each clan used different medicines, depending on which plants and animals were available in their environment and in different seasons. Remedies included the use of wild herbs, bark and sap from trees, soil, animal products, and leaves. Knowledge of which plants or products treated particular conditions and how to prepare those remedies was part of the body of knowledge passed down through the oral tradition.