Explore traditional healing practices and their role as complementary therapies alongside conventional medicine.
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Overview
Some people use traditional healing practices as a complementary therapy. If you want to use traditional remedies from your culture alongside conventional medical treatment, ask your treatment team.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, healing is holistic. This mean that it includes the physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects of wellbeing. Many First Nations communities use bush medicine, sometimes called medijin or medijina. It can help to reconnect with land, culture and ancestors, and to bring peace of mind.
Bush medicines may include a smoking ceremony, something you put on your skin or plant remedies passed down through generations.
Safety and precautions
Bush medicines can be meaningful and supportive, but some may also interact with cancer treatments or interfere with medicines. It’s possible they may also cause side effects or affect your cancer treatment outcomes. Although herbs and plants may be natural, they still need to be used with care.
Bush medicine is not a replacement for conventional medical treatment. Tell your health care team about traditional practices that you plan to try. Being honest about what you want to try helps ensure your care is safe, respectful, and aligned with your values.
Accessing traditional therapies
If you want to use bush medicine, discuss this with a traditional healer, an Aboriginal Health Worker or an Elder. They can guide you on culturally safe practices and help you to communicate with other members of your medical team. There are many nations and traditions amongst First Nations peoples, so therapies vary depending on whose country you live on. Try to connect with local health workers and providers to get the best knowledge and support.
Access traditional healing through:
- community healing centres (e.g. Akeyulerre in Alice Springs)
- Ngangkari healers, who offer spiritual and physical healing in some hospitals and clinics
- local Aboriginal Medical Services, which may provide bush medicine workshops or referrals.
Some common bush medicine plants
 | Gumbi gumbi Traditionally used for colds, skin conditions, fatigue, digestion and emotional wellbeing. It’s taken as a tea or tonic. |
 | Native lemongrass Used for calming effects and to reduce pain. It may ease stress and discomfort during treatment. |
 | Emu bush Used in smoking ceremonies and on the skin for general wellbeing. Being studied in research. |
 | Kakadu plum Taken as a powder, supplement or eaten to help support general health during treatment. This fruit is very high in vitamin C and antioxidants. You should avoid it if your doctor has said you should not take vitamin C supplements. |
 | Maroon bush (Murrin murrin) Traditionally used for infections, chronic illness and to support general health. Often taken as a tea. It should not be taken without medical advice and needs a prescription in Western Australia. |
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Key resource
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More resources
A/Prof Geraldine McDonald, Director Patient Experience and Wellbeing, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Laura Carman, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; A/Prof Christine Carrington, Senior Consultant Pharmacist Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital and Metro South Health and The University of Queensland, QLD; Kellie Giannarelli, Consumer; Dr Suzanne Grant, Senior Research Fellow, Integrative Oncology, NICM Health Research Institute, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Vivienne Hansen, Bush and Western Herbal Medicine Practitioner, WA; Karla Jaji, Administration Officer, Nepean Cancer and Wellness Centre, NSW; Dr Laura Kirsten, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Nepean Cancer Services, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, NSW; A/Prof Judith Lacey, Director of Supportive Care and Integrative Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Western Sydney University and University of Technology Sydney, NSW; Dr David Mizrahi, Senior Research Fellow and Accredited Exercise Physiologist, The Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW; Professor Avni Sali AM, Founder and Director, National Institute of Integrative Medicine, VIC; Gillian Thompson, Consumer; A/Prof Kate Webber, Medical Oncologist, Monash Health, VIC; Tanya Wells, Integrative Oncology Consultant and Naturopath, Melbourne Integrative Oncology Group, VIC; Prof Kate White, Professor Cancer Nursing, Cancer Care Research Unit, The Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW.
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