This is a readable and well-researched introduction to the huge variety of native plants in Australia with medicinal properties. The Aboriginal people exploited this diversity and harvested the bounty of the land with ingenuity. The colonists found the strange flora almost incomprehensible. A long process of experimentation began. The astringent, antibacterial qualities of Eucalypt kino and the wattle trees were accepted. The fragrant oils of Eucalypts, Tea-trees, Native Myrtles and Mintbushes were utilised. The records of early pioneers, the European medical men and Aboriginal experience have given us valuable bush remedies. This fusion of ancient tradition combined with the insights granted by modern science sees native plants taking on a new role.
