Gumby Gumby

Pittosporum angustifolium, commonly known as butterbush, weeping pittosporum, berrigan, native willow, native apricot, bitter bush, cattle bush or poison berry tree, is a weeping shrub or tree endemic to mostly inland Australia. It has narrow leaves, fragrant yellow to cream flowers, and yellowish capsules holding sticky, reddish-brown seeds. It is drought and frost resistant, and individuals may live for over a hundred years. Indigenous Australians used parts of the plant in various ways as medicine, and the uses varied from place to place and people to people. Some ate or chewed the gum that oozed from the branches, while others ground the seeds into flour. Most commonly the leaves, seed or wood were steeped in hot water for a poultice or tea, to relieve digestive issues, internal pain and cramping, treat colds, muscle sprains and eczema, and induce lactation.