Native to eastern Australia, the Brush Cherry (Syzygium australe) can grow up to about 70 feet in the wild, but is normally found as a small multi-trunked tree or bush in cultivation, which can be shaped.
The plant is commonly grown as an ornamental, and as the name implies, the Brush Cherry produces an edible fruit, which is tart but tasty (though some specimens are bland), and can be eaten raw, cooked, or made into jams and jellies.
The wood is also useful and has been used traditionally for making tools, boomerangs and shields.
The Brush Cherry, like many others in the Syzygium genus, also has a long history of traditional medicinal use, and both the fruit and leaves have been found to have very good antimicrobial properties.
The Brush Cherry was compared in one preclinical study against other Australian Aboriginal and Asian traditional use plants for fungal skin infections. While all extracts in the study were found to exhibit antifungal activity, the Brush Cherry methanolic extract showed particularly good potent activity.
In scientific investigation, the fruit extracts were also found to be antioxidants, potent inhibitors of CaCo2 and HeLa cancer cell proliferation, as well as showing potential for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis and as a seafood preservative.
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*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
Photo by Arthur Chapman