Traditional medicine has often been set aside in favor of modern technology and medical advancements because we find that modern medicine has undergone rigorous research and testing that proves the effectiveness of treatments and medication in curing diseases.
It was quite surprising, then, for Ronald Quinn, a professor emeritus at Griffith University and a member of the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, to hear how John Watson used the bark of a mudjala mangrove tree as a painkiller when a crocodile bit off his finger. This began the 30-year quest to research this ancient painkiller, and turn it into a commercial drug that could benefit Australians.
Knowledge about the mudjala's medicinal properties was quite common among the Nyikina Mangala people as Watson had quickly searched for the tree, and created a makeshift analgesic dressing for his bitten finger until he got to the hospital.
In their years studying the mudjala, Quinn and his team found that the bark of the mudjala contained two active compounds which ease inflammation and nerve pain. Furthermore, Quinn and Watson believe that it is ten times stronger than morphine.
To create a commercial over-the-counter drug from the mudjala, the team received funding from the Jacka Foundation for Natural Therapies and they are hoping to formally launch the product in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
(Image credit: Steve Fitzgerald/Wikimedia Commons)