The Australian Aboriginal people have used plants as medicine for thousands of years and have a vast reservoir of knowledge of Australia’s unique flora. However, this traditional knowledge is poorly documented and is in danger of being lost, especially in southern and eastern Australia due to dislocation and greater westernisation of Aboriginal communities. This project aims to preserve the traditional knowledge of NSW Aboriginal communities and to provide information that can be used for their cultural and educational purposes, as well as for the wider scientific community. It will also aid the discovery of new medicinal agents and lead to a greater understanding of Australia’s biodiversity.

 
This project is an unique collaboration between Aboriginal communities and researchers in the fields of Environmental Law, Indigenous Studies, Ethnobotany, Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry and Microbiology. Its goals are to:

• provide training for members of the communities in fieldwork, interviewing techniques, mapping and some laboratory work
• encourage the communities to participate in all aspects of the project, including documentation of the knowledge and the biological and chemical investigations
• allow Aboriginal communities to be instrumental in discovering new medicinal agents
• assist the understanding of biodiversity and aid the conservation of medicinal plants

© David Horton, AIATSIS

All scientific data (ethnobotanical information and biological and chemical studies) are shared with the communities. The acknowledgement of the indigenous intellectual properties rights is ensured.
 

from traditional to modern medicine

 

Approximately 25% of all pharmaceutical products worldwide are originated from traditional medicinal knowledge and there is widespread interest in developing new types of medicinal agents with greater potency and reduced side effects. Traditional Aboriginal knowledge is of key importance in such drug discovery activities. When using traditional medicinal plants in research, the success rate of isolating bio-active compounds is significantly higher than random screening.
 

The importance of traditional knowledge systems in the drug discovery process is exemplified by the isolation of artemisinin from the herb sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua or Qing Ho). This plant was used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for over 2,000 years for the treatment of fever and malaria, and was rediscovered  by   Chinese   scientists   in   the   1970’s.  The   active  compound, artemisinin, can be isolated from the leaves and is a fast acting and life-saving drug against malaria parasites and works even against the multi-drug resistant P. falciparum. Of 30 species of Artemisia, only A. annua was used in traditional Chinese medicine and is the only species that has antimalarial activity.  

An example of an Australian traditional medicinal plant, is the kangaroo apple (Solanum):

• saponins in the leaves, stems or unripe berries easily converted to steroids
• one of the world's major sources of steroids
• used in contraceptives and anti-inflammatory products
• S. alviculare and S. lanciniatum leaves give highest yield
• native to Australia but no local steroid industry
• most plantations can be found in the former Soviet Union and Hungary