Tea tree lake...

This morning I rose early and rode to  a path Id seen off the main road, in search of a Tea Tree lake that was used by the indigenous women of this area as a birthing pool. Its been quite elusive. As i started walking into the bush I felt the stress in my body exhale out as I walked between forest, then wetlands and watched the soil change to sand as I neared the lake. Yep finally found it, amongst the paperbark trees.  I sat watching the ripples on the water surface, stained brown by fallen leaves and said a prayer to the elements, offered up some tobacco.

As I got up to leave i remembered to stop, and connect with a particular plant that drew me. One caught my attention, commonly called a 'hopbush'. I pondered whether it had been used to brew ale of some form or whether she had soporiphic qualities? I greeted her and asked if I could pick a leaf. Yessss. Crushing it between my fingers the scent was strongly musty. I tasted a small amount and it had that green banana sensation to it. Many Australian native plants have strong oils in their leaves and I wondered why?

There are few leaf eaters  here, so what is the oils purpose, not as defense? Or is it, like with lavendar and rosemary, that the poor soils and at times harsh climate create such potency.

Perhaps this also indicates the strong medicinal potentials of Australian plants, and the reason why indigenous medicine used 'smoking' as one of their main techniques. Placing leaves on a fire and then inhaling or passing a  person through the smoke. It was also a version of incense, used to clear energy before ritual and dance.

Eucalyptus oil is world renoun for her antiseptic and disinfectant qualities, as is Tea Tree oil. There is a limited amount of information on medicinal uses of plants in parts of Australia, knowledge safe guarded by indigenous communities. I wondered of learning more through direct connection with plants met like the hopbush.

I bode farewell and kept walking...my brain started up..bugger should have brought my camera...