The indigenous peoples of Australia are thought to have brewed their own infusions from plants such as tea tree, paperbark and sweet sarsaparilla.
Interestingly, Australian Geographic tells us that pre-colonisation, Aboriginal Australians enjoyed tea infused with native plant species, including tea tree or paperbark leaves.
Governor Arthur Phillip brought his own tea to New South Wales and it was was served at Government House. The first tea imported into the new colony occurred probably in 1794. Convicts began to enjoy a daily cuppa from 1819. Green tea is now grown in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
The aboriginal people of Australia have traditionally used tea tree oil as an antiseptic (germ killer) and an herbal medicine. Today, external use of tea tree oil is promoted for various conditions such as acne, athlete's foot, lice, nail fungus, cuts, mite infection at the base of the eyelids, and insect bites.
1. Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) Perhaps the most well known tree used medicinally by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is the one the Bundjalung Peoples in Northern NSW refer to as 'kallara', otherwise known as Melaleuca alternifolia – commonly known as tea tree.
Aboriginal Australians made tea by using leaves from the local plants. This early form of tea-making showed that Australia was a place rich in culture and history long before European settlers arrived. However, due to their isolation, it is difficult to prove how much this practice spread out across Australia.
The oldest tree still standing is the Jinxiu Tea Tree, said to be over 3200 years old. Although there are a wide variety of products produced out of the leaves of these ancient tea trees there are two types of teas that stick out.
Tea tree oil is available as an oil and in many over-the-counter skin products, including soaps and lotions. However, tea tree oil should not be taken orally. If swallowed, it can cause serious symptoms.
vegetables such as tjanmata (bush onion) and wakati (native pigweed) fruits such as kampurarpa (desert raisin or bush tomato), arnguli (bush plum), ili (native fig) and wayanu (quandong)
Tea Tree Oil is distilled from the Melaleuca alternifolia plant. Australia is the only place in the World where Melaleuca alternifolia tea trees grow naturally.
The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created.
China is considered to have the earliest records of tea drinking, with recorded tea use in its history dating back to the first millennium BC. The Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) or earlier.
It is probable that the tea plant originated in regions around southwest China, Tibet, and Northern India. Chinese traders may have traveled throughout these regions often and encountered people chewing tea leaves for medicinal purposes.
In the past, Aboriginal people tapped the trees to allow the sap, resembling maple syrup, to collect in hollows in the bark or at the base of the tree. Ever-present yeast would ferment the liquid to an alcoholic, cider-like beverage that the local Aboriginal people referred to as Way-a-linah.
Aboriginal people drink less than white people. Many Australian health surveys have shown that most Aboriginal people are less likely than non-Aboriginal Australians to consume alcohol, a trait they share with indigenous peoples in Canada and New Zealand.
In numerous regions of Australia, Aboriginal people made sweet, watery drinks by steeping nectar-bearing blossoms in water; these nonalcoholic drinks were consumed immediately rather than being left for natural fermentation to occur (Moore, 1978, p. 213; Petrie, 1904).
Aboriginal people ate a large variety of plant foods such as fruits, nuts, roots, vegetables, grasses and seeds, as well as different meats such as kangaroos, 'porcupine'7, emus, possums, goannas, turtles, shellfish and fish.
The types of fruit and seed depended on the season and availability, but could include wild passionfruit, wild oranges, bush tomato, bush banana, bush plums, mulga seeds and wattle seeds. Aboriginal Australians would also gather honey and nectar from bees, honey ants, flowers and trees.
Their plant menu included fruits such as the native cherry, native currant and kangaroo apple, and vegetables such as the native potato and native carrot. (The adjective 'native' emphasises that these were quite different species from their European namesakes.)
It is derived from the leaves of the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, native to southeast Queensland and the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. The oil comprises many constituent chemicals and its composition changes if it is exposed to air and oxidizes.
#4: Tea Tree is a natural remedy for bad breath and contains ingredients that diminish plaque. This oil is a perfect ingredient for a DIY toothpaste or mouthwash because of its ability to kill off bacteria, diminish tooth decay and relieve bleeding gums!
Tea tree oil mouthwash can reduce the bleeding associated with gingivitis significantly. To make tea tree oil mouthwash, you should simply add 3 drops of tea tree oil to a cup of warm water then use it in the same way as the other homemade mouthwashes above.
Da Hong Pao is considered the most expensive and rarest tea in the world. This traditional Chinese product is obtained from six mother trees of Da Hong Pao with 350 years old, located on Mount Muyi (China).
Green tea from China is the oldest form of tea, with production dating back millennia, and to this day it remains one of the most popular.
At an altitude of 7130 ft or 2170 m above sea-level Kolukkamalai Tea Estate is the highest tea plantation in the world. The Kolukkumalai Tea is known for its distinct flavor and freshness. The plantation produces 12 tons of tea every month. Kolukkumalai is a small village in Theni District.