Indigenous Australians used desert bloodwood trees for traditional medicine. The exudate from the trunk or branches was diluted and used as an antiseptic treatment for facial cuts and sores. Larger leaves were also valuable for staunching wounds. The red bark kino can be stripped from the tree, mixed in water, and then consumed for diarrhoea, indigestion, and chest pain. Indigenous peoples also used the wood from the tree to make spear-throwers, dig bowls and carry vessels. An interesting comparison is that Europeans used wood to make fence posts, joists, slabs, and buildings for firewood.