Australian Bush Tucker bites presents Happy Wanderer (Hardenbergia violacea).
This lovely vine clambers and wanders over anything in its path. It makes a great groundcover or climber with stunning purple flowers just before the end of winter. Indigenous Australians recognised these flowers as a “seasonal indicator” that certain types of fish could be sustainably fished from creeks.
It has many other uses, including:
- adding the flowers to tea as a sweetener
- brewing a tea from the leaves (if cooled and sweetened with native honey, apparently it tastes like Sarsparilla)
- treating mouth ulcers
- treating chest complaints
- treating stomach cramps
- eating flowers to detox and cleanse
- weaving the vine to create fishnets and traps
- weaving the vine to create ropes
- making a dye from the flowers
Apparently, the tea is similar to green tea in flavour and was used in some communities, unsweetened, as a punishment for children who skipped school!
