Mary Tilmouth - Bush Medicine Flower

Catalogue Number: 23/458

This painting shows the bush medicine flower, a plant that grows in the Central Desert after heavy rain. When the rain comes its green leaves return, and local Aboriginal people can find the plant from its smell.

For generations, Aboriginal women have gone out onto Country to collect these healing leaves. The leaves are crushed and boiled in water to make medicine. This bush medicine is used to wash the body, ease skin problems and help with cold, flu and pain.

Learning about bush medicine is part of our cultural. Elders show younger people how to find the plant, when to pick it, and how to prepare it. This knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next.