User:Ringpicker/Medicinal Plants In Australia

Medicinal Plants In Australia is a series of four volumes written by Cheryll Williams (B, Sydney, Australia 1957) and has been published by Rosenberg Publishing

Overview

The four-volume series Medicinal Plants in Australia takes us on a journey through the search for medicines from the Australian bush, focusing on the value of the native flora. This includes the traditional use of plants for food and medicine by Aboriginal people and European experimentation with local herbs. There were also many imports, many of which became unwelcome weeds, yet some were valued remedies in homesteads throughout the country. In a few instances, even pestilential weeds were to become medicinal plant crops of the future. Research initiatives into the native flora are presented, and table summaries are provided, which give details of plant chemical research. Where possible, insights into the phytochemistry are outlined that show links between the properties of the native flora and known herbal medicines.

"Medicinal Plants in Australia is a work that sits prominently in the libraries of both the Australian National Herbarium and the Australian National Botanic Gardens here in Canberra; no doubt it has also found a place in many other libraries in Australia and overseas, as well as on the shelves of anyone interested in Australian plants. It is a work that speaks of the drive, determination and passionate interest of its author, and one that I am very pleased to have been involved with in some small way" (Brendan Lepschi 2014, Curator, Australian National Herbarium )

"The 4-volume series Medicinal Plants in Australia is a meticulous review of this subject which, until now, has been definitely lacking: Australian Aborigines have a long history of using medicinal plants to maintain their health and well being prior to the arrival of European settlers. Despite this long history of medicinal plant usage and the unique nature of Australian plants, there is a notable absence of books dealing with the medicinal plants of Australia at a level accessible to both interested lay persons, as well as experts in the fields of botany and herbal medicine......."(Ian Cock 2012, Pharmacognosy Communications)

A Bush Pharmacy (2010)

(321 pages including resources)

The first volume, Bush Pharmacy, covers early days of the colony and experimentation with the local flora. This Volume was short-listed in the 2011 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards[[1]]

The discovery of a continent with new and unique plants, unknown to European botanical physicians, caused great excitement. The nectar-laden filamentous flowers of Grevillea, Hakea and Callistemon were a novelty, and the sheer di versity of the Lillipillies, with their remarkable range of fruits in all manner of colour and shape were decidedly intriguing. It was a time of unusual and unique discoveries, some of which have endured for more than two centuries. The fragrant Eucalypts and other aromatic plants were high on the list of desirable products. The discovery of a Native Sandalwood was quickly exploited. It may come as a surprise to learn that use of honey and insects as food and medicine was similar to that of other countries - traditions that originated in ancient times that are now being well supported by current research.

The comprehensive description of medicinal Australian plants with great photos for easy identification is ground breaking literature. The text details the plants that have been used in Australia to influence the outcome of disease entities, their active principles, and explanations of why and how they work. Dominique Finney, MedicineRoom

Gums, Resins, Tannins and Essential Oils (2011)

(334 pages including resources)

The second work on Gums, Resins, Tannin and Essential Oils, expands upon this theme, evaluating the chemical advances that were to follow.

The essential oil industry in the early days of the Australian colony thrived with the Eucalyptus oil trade booming across the world. This oil was to eventually become a part of every household medicine cabinet and a major commodity in the international marketplace. Later, the wonderful Melaleuca gained prominence with the discovery of Tea Tree Oil. However, many other native plants with unique essential oils profiles deserve mention. Gums and resins are natural products that have been used by native cultures across the world, and Australian Aboriginal traditions were no exception. There are numerous natives resources, some of which even showed pharmaceutical potential. One of the most familiar was the antibacterial properties of Eucalypt kino - a standard first aid remedy in the bush. Tannin-based remedies also have substantial medicinal value as astringents, and the genus Acacia was to provide some exceptionally effective medicaments.

"Williams, a clinical herbalist and acupuncturist, has done a beautiful job in writing a technical book that offers very accessible reading. Sections are nicely organized according to the type of plants or their uses." - The American Herb Association 27:4, 2012

Plants Potions and Poisons (2012)

(460 Pages including resources)

In the third volume, Plants Potions and Poisons, the impact of toxic plants in Australia is reviewed.

Aboriginal people were expert foragers who excelled in the detoxification of local produce, some of which were decidedly poisonous. This bush produce included toxic native Tomatoes, Morning Glory purgatives, caustic Cashews, irritant Wild Yams and Aroids. Plants such as the Black Bean or the native Cycads could only have been used as food resources after undergoing extensive processing. These traditions were also of ancient origins, refined and applied with meticulous care to the native flora. One of the most challenging for these methods of detoxification was the native Cycads, which have well known toxic effects - yet they were a food resource that could not be ignored. To this day, Cycad chemistry continues to provide a toxicological puzzle of significant consequence! Unfortunately, dietary neurotoxin exposure has been a familiar and tragic circumstance across the world. Australian Piscicides or Ichythyotoxins (fish poisons) also held a prominent place in food procurement techniques, some of which had counterparts that were used for poisoning purposes in Asia and Africa

"Australia is a massive pharmacy store, where some very useful plants grow in our streets, reserves and gardens.

Enter Cheryll Williams’ world of potent plants used for healing and eating.

There’s so much quackery and conflicting advice about medicinal plants the internet, this major reference book is a welcome antidote and scientific update." Jerry Coleby-Williams

An Antipodean Apothecary (2013)

(540 Pages including resources)

The fourth work, An Antipodean Apothecary, returns to the use of traditional European herbal medicine in Australia - and the modern search for native counterparts. Some of which have been spectacularly successful.

The native flora contains a diversity of healing plants such as the wound healing Native Mints and Gotu Kola, decongestant Sneezeweeds, nutritional Pigweeds, and venous tonics such as the Native Buckthorn. Colonial gardens were not only planted with a view to floral beauty, plants such as the Rose have many medicinal uses. The prolific flowers of the Daisy family were another source of familiar herbal medicines such as Feverfew, Calendula and Dandelion. The use of some plants for treating disorders such as leprosy and tuberculosis resulted in research initiatives evaluating the activity of herbs against the mycobacteria responsible, and studies continue to this day. While the discovery of antibiotics from moulds and soil microorganisms have been the mainstay of modern medical practice, the use of soil and clay for nutritional purposes, as healing remedies, and for detoxification (poison antidotes) has ancient origins. There is a strong association between parasites and chronic disease, particularly intestinal parasites, for which many herbal remedies have been deployed. Even so, modern research shows many interesting links between these infections and beneficial immune adaptations that cannot be ignored. The outback regions of the continent contain some unique plants with strong traditional therapeutic associations for Aboriginal people. Until relatively recently, little has been known about much of this flora - and there are new research initiatives to evaluate this arid frontier. In particular the fragrant genus Eremophila, with its uniquely attractive flowers, has been the source of numerous discoveries. Other classifications, notably those from the Solanaceae, which were known to the ancients as powerful magical drug plants, contain Australian representatives that are no less potent. In particular, the Native Tobacco plants and the narcotic Pituri from Duboisia have well known pharmacological properties that continue to be of commercial value. There are also the native Solanum Kangaroo Apples, which have been used for steroid production. The Dioscorea yams are another well known source of steroids upon which many medical practices rely.

"Before Cheryll Williams’s unique and tireless foray into the ethnopharmacology of Australia (which is comprised of a total of 4 hefty volumes), one would have had a difficult time finding similar narrative-style writing on the subject....It may not be the type of systematic treatment of a continent’s medicinal flora that economic botanists are used to, but in many ways it might be better." John de la Parra, Northeastern University Boston. Economic Botany: 201468:9292

"This comprehensive reference work transcends being a mere list of medicinally beneficial plants, becoming instead a quite engrossing read. You can easily lose yourself in chapters . . . filled with details and hundreds of color illustrations. Williams delicately balances many details from ethnographic, historical, pharmaceutical, and other sources, creating a book that certainly looks beyond Australia's borders. This book should find a happy place on many a reference shelf where it will rarely gather dust." (Edward Valauskas, Curator of Rare Books, Chicago Botanic Garden)

Reviews

• Volume 1

Review by Dominique Finney (© Dominique Finney March 30th 2011).
Review by Penny Robertshawe, Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society [JATMS (3) Sep 2011].

• Volume 2

Review by Bettina Schmoll, Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism, 2011 23(3).
Review by Penny Robertshawe, Journal of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society [JATMS (3) Sep 2011],

• Volume 3

Review by Dr. Ian Cock, Environmental Futures Centre, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd., Nathan, Brisbane, Qheensland, Australia. Pharmacognosy Communications, Volume 2 [Issue 4] Oct-Dec 2012
Review by Jerry Coleby-Williams.

• Volume 4

Review by John De La Parra, Northeastern University Boston. MA, USA. Economic Botany 201468:9292
Review by Edward Valauskas, Curator of Rare Books, Chicago Botanic Garden.

External Links

Medicinal Plants in Australia Home Page