Traditional Australian Medicinal Plants Agribusiness Project
Integria is a key partner in an Australian-first partnership exploring the development of a sustainable agribusiness model for traditional Australian medicinal plants growing in Northern Australia.
The first part of the project (2018-2021), which was a partnership between Integria Healthcare, Menzies School of Health Research, Traditional Homeland Enterprises and The University of Queensland, received $363,363 in funding from the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA). An additional $188,845 in cash and $461,074 in-kind was contributed by the project participants.
The project partners attended key workshops in 2019-20 to optimise the research outputs in line with the collaboration’s longer term goals. The final report for this phase of the project was submitted to the CRCNA on 15th April 2021.
Integria is proud to be playing a role in the development of Australia’s own traditional medicinal plants and continues to work with Indigenous communities and other collaborators to develop new products with unique, native Australian ingredients.
Project Focus
The collaboration brought together extensive research and industry experience to focus on traditional Australian medicinal plants as an important biological, cultural and economic resource.
Traditional medicinal plants were evaluated at Menzies in Darwin and the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland, with a view to using these findings to develop prototype healthcare products.
The long-term goal of the project was – and remains - the development of a local industry with opportunities in Indigenous workforce development, sustainable regional development in Northern Australia, and ultimately the development of uniquely Australian, value-added products.
Traditional Homeland Enterprises brought to the partnership its experience in the Kakadu plum industry to collaborate with Top End communities in developing models for sustainable Indigenous-led agribusinesses and explore solutions to challenges such as supply chain, benefit sharing and intellectual property management.
Opportunities for Indigenous communities
According to Mark Mayo, the partnership’s Indigenous Steering Committee representative and Menzies researcher, the group initiated plans for this project with a view to creating important opportunities for collaboration and mutual learning through the application of modern science to Indigenous knowledge.
“This exciting project will provide opportunities for Aboriginal people to share their knowledge of medicinal plants, developed over thousands of years, with researchers that have expertise in laboratory testing and healthcare product development,” Mayo said.
“The project also offers employment and training for Indigenous people, as well as the possibility of developing a sustainable agribusiness for future employment and training in Indigenous communities,” he said.
“In addition to laboratory work, there are opportunities to explore and preserve Indigenous knowledge of traditional medicinal plants and their use,” said Menzies Honorary Fellow Dr Greg Leach.
CAPTION: Left: Indigenous Trainees Taylah Church (front) and Raelene Collins setting up tests to determine activity of plant extracts against specific bacteria in the Menzies lab, Darwin.
Interview with Michael Bracka - Integria Healthcare:
Interview with Greg Leach - Botanist from Menzies School of Health Research: