Bush Medicinal Plants of the Australian Wet Tropics and Their Biodiscovery Potential

The Wet Tropics bioregion is home to more than 2800 plant species, out of which more than 700 species (i.e., approximately 25%) are endemic to the area [2]. The “Wet Tropics” is significant not only from an ecological point of view but also for preserving important historical, cultural, and anthropogenic activities, including Aboriginal people’s vast knowledge about edible and medicinal plants [7].At present, about 20 Aboriginal communities comprising 120 clans speaking eight languages live in the “Wet Tropics” [7]. These Rainforest Aboriginal people have lived in harmony with nature for thousands of years and their knowledge in utilising plants for food, shelter, and medicine is commendable.This chapter highlights 30 medicinal plants that grow in the ‘Wet Tropics’ region. We identified only three medicinal plant species endemic to the Wet Tropics and Cape York region.

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Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants

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978-3-031-28779-4

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