LISMORE, Australia, July 31, 2026 /CNW/ -- First Peoples say cultural medicines remain central to health and wellbeing despite a lack of access, with access to physical medicines (ingested, inhaled and topical) a top priority, according to new research led by Southern Cross University.

Published in First Nations Health and Wellbeing – The Lowitja Journal, the study provides the first Australia-wide, co-designed exploration of First Peoples' use, access and desire to use cultural medicines. The research team set out to understand the role the Indigenous community wanted cultural medicines to play.

The researchers say the findings reframe cultural medicines as a core equity issue rather than a peripheral or 'alternative' aspect of care and call for the recognition of First Peoples as the original experts in health and healing.

Lead author is Dr Alana Gall of Southern Cross University's National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine.

"The study found substantial unmet need, shaped not only by geography and service availability but likely by colonisation, displacement from Country, disruption of knowledge transmission, and the ongoing marginalisation of Indigenous knowledges systems within health structures," said Dr Gall, a proud Truwulway and Litamirimina woman.

"As an Aboriginal person myself, it concerns me that we can learn about, access and use Traditional Chinese Medicine and all these other medicines from across the globe yet we can't do the same when it comes to our own medicines."

A total of 186 First Peoples adults participated, mostly aged 30-49 years. The majority were women (81.7% female). Respondents were in cities and regional areas across Australia.

Only 9.7 per cent reported easy access to traditional healers, yet over 94 per cent of those without access indicated that they would use healers if available. Use of 'Country as medicine' and smoking ceremonies were most common, while song-based ceremonies, insect-based native foods and traditional healers showed lowest engagement.

"Taken together, these results reframe cultural medicines as a core equity issue rather than a peripheral or 'alternative' aspect of care. Achieving health equity for First Peoples requires more than cultural awareness training or piecemeal inclusion of Indigenous content in existing models; it demands structural change," said Dr Gall.

End-of-life care also emerged as a critical site for cultural inclusion. While two-thirds of participants wanted cultural medicines for themselves in palliative care, more than 92 per cent wanted their families to access healing ceremonies for grieving.

Dr Gall said family is always at the centre of wellbeing for Indigenous people.

"This finding highlights a strong demand for culturally governed cultural medicines within palliative and bereavement pathways. Cultural shifts are needed across the health system to support all forms of health practitioners to facilitate access to cultural medicines and to create shared spaces of medical and therapeutic plurality."

"Addressing these gaps is consistent with national commitments such as the Closing the Gap policy agenda in Australia, and international policy, particularly the United Nations General Assembly 2007, which speak to First Peoples' rights to culturally safe care and to self-determination in health," said Dr Gall.

For more information visit: https://www.scu.edu.au/news/2026/indigenous-australians-want-to-use-cultural-medicines-more-often/

SOURCE Southern Cross University