scholarly journals ‘Knowledge cost ya nothing and is not heavy to carry around’: Taungurung bush tucker, bush medicine and bushcraft

Author(s):  
Roy Henry Patterson ◽  
Jennifer Jones
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 726
Author(s):  
Thomas Brendler

Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum spp., Pedaliaceae) is one of the best-documented phytomedicines. Its mode of action is largely elucidated, and its efficacy and excellent safety profile have been demonstrated in a long list of clinical investigations. The author conducted a bibliographic review which not only included peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals but also a vast amount of grey literature, such as theses and reports initiated by governmental as well as non-governmental organizations, thus allowing for a more holistic presentation of the available evidence. Close to 700 sources published over the course of two centuries were identified, confirmed, and cataloged. The purpose of the review is three-fold: to trace the historical milestones in devil’s claw becoming a modern herbal medicine, to point out gaps in the seemingly all-encompassing body of research, and to provide the reader with a reliable and comprehensive bibliography. The review covers aspects of ethnobotany, taxonomy, history of product development and commercialization, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, as well as clinical efficacy and safety. It is concluded that three areas stand out in need of further investigation. The taxonomical assessment of the genus is outdated and lacking. A revision is needed to account for intra- and inter-specific, geographical, and chemo-taxonomical variation, including variation in composition. Further research is needed to conclusively elucidate the active compound(s). Confounded by early substitution, intermixture, and blending, it has yet to be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that both (or all) Harpagophytum spp. are equally (and interchangeably) safe and efficacious in clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
pp. 54-68
Author(s):  
Ede Tyrell ◽  
Karishma Jeeboo ◽  
Jewel Edmonson-Carter ◽  
Troy Thomas ◽  
Rajini Kurup

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Schmidt ◽  
Joseph A. Noletto ◽  
Bernhard Vogler ◽  
William N. Setzer

1980 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-30
Author(s):  
Daynawa Nurruwutthun

Daynawa Nurruwutthun is 20 years old and a teacher at Yirrkala Community School. She belongs to the Munyuku clan and is of the Yirritja Moiety and Narritjan sub-section.She attended school at Yirrkala and started teaching in 1975. During 1976 and 1977 she completed the 1st Year of the On-site Teacher Training Program at Yirrkala.After attending the Bilingual Conference in Darwin in 1976 and talking with other Aboriginal teachers she returned to Yirrkala determined to begin an Aboriginal Studies Program for the Infant School.After discussions with other Aboriginal teachers, four areas of study were developed. These have now been extended to the six following areas: bush food and sea food; natural science; Homeland Centres; old ways; bush medicine; culture, i.e. social organisation and behaviour.


Author(s):  
Ede Tyrell ◽  
Karishma Jeeboo ◽  
Jewel Edmonson- Carter ◽  
Troy Thomas ◽  
Rajini Kurup

Aims: To examine the attitudes and practices of physicians and pharmacists towards bush medicine, and explore the factors influencing their attitudes. Also, to determine whether a video educational intervention impacted attitudes. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of registered physicians and pharmacists. Place and Duration of Study: A total of 274 persons participated: 134 pharmacists attending their first Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) of 2015 and 140 physicians attending their annual Medical Scientific Conference. Methodology: A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was distributed and collected, a video intervention was shown, and a post-intervention questionnaire was administered. Data were analysed using latent class cluster analysis, and the best-fitting model was determined using mainly the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). Logistic and multinomial regression and Fisher's exact test were also employed to investigate associations with demographic variables and the impact of the intervention. Results: Most of the participants (56.4%) were 20-30 years old, and the majority (52%) had five years or less professional experience. Pharmacists displayed a more positive attitude to bush medicine than physicians. Most (99%) believed that patients should inform their physician/pharmacist about their bush medicine use, but only 53% routinely requested this information. More than half (52%) had personally used bush medicine, but only 38% had ever recommended its use. More than 90% believed that clinical trials should be conducted with bush medicine before it is used, and 88% were interested in further training. Ethnicity, years of professional experience and type of profession influenced attitudes and the intervention led to an improved outlook regarding bush medicine. Conclusion: Overall, most participants had some misgivings about bush medicine but were willing to learn more and were interested in clinical trials. Evidence-based clinical research and training at the tertiary level or future continuing education sessions should be implemented using the content in the video as a template.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1300800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Sadgrove ◽  
Graham L. Jones

Essential oil was hydrodistilled from the Australian Wilga, botanically named G. parviflora Lindl., (Rutaceae). Fresh and aged essential oils were characterized using GC-MS, quantified using GC-FID and screened for bacterial inhibition qualitatively using disc diffusion and quantitatively using micro-titer plate broth dilution. To identify components responsible for bacterial inhibition, TLC-bioautography was used. Free radical scavenging capacity was determined using diphenylpicrylhydrazyl in methanol, and solvent extracts of the leaves using light petroleum, acetone and water were screened for qualitative pharmacological properties, as well as extracts produced by smoking the leaves and channeling into a condenser. Results showed that all essential oils extracted here conform broadly in composition to a previous identified chemotype with α-pinene, camphene and sabinene as the main constituents. As the essential oils age, polymerization of peroxide intermediates produced epoxycaryophyllene in at least one of our samples. The fresh oil showed only a modest level of antibacterial activity, but this became pronounced as the oil aged in storage, which resulted from a chemical change in the oil during years of storage at 4°C. Bioautography revealed that the antimicrobial capacity of the fresh oil may be attributed to its less abundant constituents, mainly α-terpineol, terpinen-4-ol, spathulenol, 1,8-cineole and camphor. The solvent extracts of the leaves revealed the presence of saponins, triterpenoids and alkaloids. The last two of these were also present in the smoke extract.


Africa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Ranger

In the Sherlock Holmes stories Scotland Yard famously does not deploy science or make use of all those studies of blood and ash and bone which Holmes himself had pioneered. But the Yard is never so clumsy as when the occult seems to be involved – with suspected vampires, spectral dogs, tribal fetishes. The Yard's combination of ignorance, scepticism and credulity is shown to be the very worst of all attitudes to adopt. How much things have changed in one way and how little in another. Scotland Yard is now incredibly scientific. The assumed ritual murder of ‘Adam’, the African boy whose torso was found in the Thames, has allowed a dazzling exhibition of what scientific method can now achieve. On the other hand police interpretations of the African occult still combine ignorance, scepticism and credulity.


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