In partnership with RMIT University (School of Science)
They reveal the ingenuity of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who for tens of thousands of years have known how to turn native plants into delicious bush food, flavour, and medicine.
What do a rainforest leaf, a toxic fern, and an ancient palm have in common?
Australia’s First Nations peoples have long practiced evidence-based science — from detoxifying seeds to understanding plant chemistry.
It’s applied science, refined through observation, experimentation, and storytelling
Lemon myrtle is an Australian rainforest plant with a flavour even stronger than a lemon — thanks to citral, a powerful compound made of two isomers: geranial and neral.
Used traditionally by First Nations People in teas and medicine — lemon myrtle is now in everything from food to skincare!
Bush food meets biochemistry
Nardoo is a type of aquatic fern that grows in inland Australia. Its spore-producing structures, called sporocarps, can be ground into flour — but they also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down crucial vitamin B1 in the body.
Nutrition or poison? Depends on the science
Early explorers Burke and Wills died after eating nardoo raw. But Aboriginal peoples had long known how to make it safe — by soaking, leaching, and roasting it.
The fatal mistake of eating nardoo raw
Cycads are ancient plants with seeds that are poisonous unless processed properly. Aboriginal peoples developed multi-day methods to remove the toxins, such as cycasin, allowing them to eat cycad seed flour safely for generations.
Toxic to treated
For First Nations peoples, science isn’t just found in textbooks — it lives in stories, songs, ceremonies and careful observation.
These cultural traditions are scientific records, preserving knowledge of plant chemistry, seasonal change and ecological relationships with precision.
As we confront challenges like climate change and food insecurity, Indigenous science offers both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge insight.