Herbae Thylacini
Dr Kaja Skraskova is a master of herbal medicine, botany and healing and her collection is remarkably Tasmanian.
Herbae Thylacini is the name of her Tasmanian bush apothecary and you will find many creams and treatments made from native plants from around our island.
When you talk to her, you will find that she is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her research and like any journey there is always more to discover…
‘As a whole, I love how the local flora reflects the variety of the Tasmanian landscape. There are salt resistant plants growing along the coastline, plants that adapted to growth in strong winds on top of kunanyi, the cushion plants, the famous Huon Pine... To a certain extent this can be said about plants anywhere in the world, but Tasmania is so unique in how much variety you can find in a relatively small area. There over 500 endemic plants on our island, ranging from trees down to tiny plants’, says Kaja.
We asked Kaja what her favourite Tasmanian plant was…
‘It’s a difficult question to answer, but there is one plant that I am intrigued by and that is Isophysis Tasmanica. She looks so beautiful and noble, is rare and you have to do some work to get to see her. She can be found in the Southwest National Park and even though I've made a few trips there, I have yet to see her.’
‘I am also interested in some of the high-salt-content plants, such as Pigface (Carpobrotus Rossii) and Bower Spinach (Tetragonia Implexicoma). Other plants in my focus are the native willowherbs (Epilobium spp.). I have been looking into whether they could be used in place of the European and largely medicinal Willowherbs. It also appeals to me how they can hide in intricate places.’
Kaja is committed to sourcing all of her plants as raw material directly from local and Australian growers. It’s important to her that the supply chain is short and direct as this improves the quality and potency of the herbal extracts. Custom-made orders are her speciality and she welcomes people to get in contact about their specific needs.
‘I love the small format of the new market and I feel like I can support the local community. There is space and time to chat and I that is really important when you want to help someone’, says Kaja.