History and uses of the Red River Gum

I recently wrote this article for the Friends of Braeside Park newsletter. As a herbalist and massage therapist I have used eucalyptus oil in my blends for colds, flu and sore muscles over many years. The leaves, flower nectar and gums (kino) has been used for many years by the original Koori people of this land. 

River Red Gum-Murray Red Gum

This tree is one of the most widespread eucalyptus or gum tree species in Australia and within Braeside Park. It belongs to the Myrtaceace botanical family. It was originally named Eualyptus rostrata  by the botanist Diederich von Schlectendahl in 1847 because of the rostrum or beak on the cap of the unopened bud. This name continued to be used until as late as the mid twentieth century which caused considerable botanical confusion as it had also been named Eucalyptus camaldulensis previously in 1832 by the head gardener Frederick Dehnhardt . It was a forty foot red gum in the famous garden Camalduli of Francesco Ricciardi, Count of Camaldoli . Apparently it had originated from John Oxley’s 1817 exploratory inland expedition from Sydney to the river Lachlan in NSW. He collected plant material for the Earl Bathurst who was Secretary of State for the Colonies and also for the Austrian Emperor. Some of his collection found its way to Italy where in 1822 an Australian River Red Gum was growing in the garden behind Naples. This garden has since vanished but the name E. camaldulensis has remained as it has scientific precedence over E. rostrata as the first name for this tree. River red gums can live from 500 to 1,000 years and have existed for around 50 million years.

River Reds and many other eucalypts have an ominous nickname, "Widow Maker", as they have a habit of dropping large branches without warning. This form of self-pruning may be a means of saving water or simply a result of their brittle wood. These trees have a great demand for water hence their growth habitat is confined to river beds and low alluvial flats subject to flooding.

The original people of the Braeside Park area belonged to the Bunurong tribes. The various Koori names for red gum include biall, yarrah, moolerr, polak and karrawirra. The bark and timber was very popular for building canoes and as material for roofs. The nectar produces a golden honey known as red gum which is still widely eaten and enjoyed today. Kino which is a complex mixture of tannins & other substances from the trunk exudates was exported from Botany Bay around 1810 to England. The early settlers mixed it in water to be drunk for cases of diarrhoea. It was also used as a gargle for sore throats or as a wash for skin sores. A recipe using Kino as a medicine was given in the British medical journal the Lancet using 2 to 4 drachms doses. However the aborigines had little use of the eucalyptus Kino.

The aboriginal people of Australia did use the leaves of Eucalyptus species as a tea for fevers, and in poultices for infected wounds and inflammations. Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia used the leaves of E. camaldulensis and E. tetrodonta in washes and liniments for joint and muscle pain, as a mouthwash in cases of toothache and for symptoms of cold and flu. It was prized for its disinfecting qualities. The sap was collected, boiled in water until dissolved and then rubbed onto sores and cuts. Its heartwood diluted with boiled water was an effective treatment for diarrhoea in children.

 The aborigines obtained water from the superficial roots. The roots were excavated or lifted to the soil surface. Then the root was cut into pieces about 45 cm long, debarked, held vertically, and blown into, the water then draining into a container. It has been traditionally used as a musical instrument using the mouth to make music and you can hear Herb Patten do this on You Tube.

The colonists found many similar uses for gum leaves but also some new ones such as stimulating hair growth and curing scurvy. The Danish herbalist H.P Rasmusssen who lived in Sydney around 1890 had recipes for eucalyptus leaf baths, ointments & other preparations for earache, ulcers, piles and skin diseases. We are all very familiar with eucalyptus oil for colds, cough, fever and many other complaints. The oil is used in inhalations, mouthwash gargles and dental preparations, as well as in skin rubs to relieve muscle aches and pains. It is a common ingredient in cough syrups and candies. It is used also in domestic cleaners and room sprays as a general disinfectant, and deodorizer about the house. The first oil came onto the market in 1852 at a distillery at Dandenong creek by Melbourne pharmacist Joseph “Bosisto”- a brand that still exists today.

 We know only too well the volatility of eucalyptus oils. Eucalyptus trees have a special connection with fire, whereas the leaves burn easily because of their essential oil content, the tree itself survives the fire and actually thrives and regenerates after a fire. The true scent of Eucalyptus has this regenerating spirit of survival through fire, of rising like a phoenix from the ashes again and again during its life with the sprouting growth of fresh new young leaves.

The leaves contain 0.1–0.4% essential oil, 77% of which is cineol. There is some cuminal, phellandrene, aromadendren and some valerylaldehyde, geraniol, cymene, and phellandral oils, and 5–11% tannin. The Kino contains 45% kinotannic acid as well as Kino red, a glycoside, catechol, and pyrocatechol. Leaves and fruits test positive for flavonoids and sterols. 

Braeside Park River Red Gum