Dr. I E Cock1,2
1Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, AUSTRALIA.
2School of Natural Sciences, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, AUSTRALIA.
DOI: 10.5530/pc.2022.2.17
The leaves, berries and bark of this plant have traditional uses as a food flavouring, and as a medicinal plant. Australian Aborigines used T. lanceolata as a therapeutic agent to treat stomach disorders and as an emetic, as well as general usage as a tonic. That study reported that T. lanceolata was used by Australian Aborigines for the treatment and cure of skin disorders, venereal diseases, colic, stomach ache and as a quinine substitute. Several of these traditional uses have been validated in recent publications. The antibacterial properties of T. lanceolata have been particularly well reported against a wide variety of bacterial species.2-6 Similarly, the related species Tasmannia stipatata7 and Pseudowintwera colorata (Raoul) Dandy8 have also been reported to inhibit the growth of multiple bacteria. T. lanceolata extracts have also been reported to inhibit the growth of the gastrointestinal protozoal parasite Giadria duodenalis.6,9 Similar extracts also inhibit the proliferation of several human cancer cell lines.6,1. Read more…