Science

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts) Mon Mar 30, 2015, 03:01 PM Mar 2015

AncientBiotics - a medieval remedy for modern day superbugs?

30 Mar 2015 11:12:03.567

A one thousand year old Anglo-Saxon remedy for eye infections which originates from a manuscript in the British Library has been found to kill the modern-day superbug MRSA in an unusual research collaboration at The University of Nottingham.

Dr Christina Lee, an Anglo-Saxon expert from the School of English has enlisted the help of microbiologists from University’s Centre for Biomolecular Sciences to recreate a 10th century potion for eye infections from Bald’s Leechbook an Old English leatherbound volume in the British Library, to see if it really works as an antibacterial remedy. The Leechbook is widely thought of as one of the earliest known medical textbooks and contains Anglo-Saxon medical advice and recipes for medicines, salves and treatments.

Early results on the 'potion', tested in vitro at Nottingham and backed up by mouse model tests at a university in the United States, are, in the words of the US collaborator, “astonishing”. The solution has had remarkable effects on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is one of the most antibiotic-resistant bugs costing modern health services billions.

The team now has good, replicated data showing that Bald’s eye salve kills up to 90% of MRSA bacteria in ‘in vivo’ wound biopsies from mouse models. They believe the bactericidal effect of the recipe is not due to a single ingredient but the combination used and brewing methods/container material used. Further research is planned to investigate how and why this works.

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2015/march/ancientbiotics---a-medieval-remedy-for-modern-day-superbugs.aspx

Several more paragraphs at the link, including a short video on the University of Nottingham's AncientBiotics program.

9 replies

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Highlight:

AncientBiotics - a medieval remedy for modern day superbugs? (Original Post) Adsos Letter Mar 2015 OP

We need to look more into the herbal remedies of ancient people and Cleita Mar 2015 #1

it's "bioprospecting"--or "biopiracy" in many cases MisterP Mar 2015 #8

See your cleric today and ask him if a Potion of Super Healing is right for you Kelvin Mace Mar 2015 #2

This is how old I am... Adsos Letter Mar 2015 #3

A Dungeons & Dragons reference Kelvin Mace Mar 2015 #5

I had to look that up Adsos Letter Mar 2015 #7

That's good but 90% is not good enough TexasProgresive Mar 2015 #4

99.2% sounds pretty good. PADemD Mar 2015 #6

If people do not take the full course of a prescription it WILL NOT MATTER!!!!! Moostache Apr 2015 #9

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

1. We need to look more into the herbal remedies of ancient people and

Reply to Adsos Letter (Original post)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 03:33 PM

Mar 2015

present day indigenous people. During WWII pharmaceuticals became scarce in South America because most of what was manufactured was made in Germany and the USA and used for the war effort. The doctors in those countries increasingly started turning to the Brujos to find out what they used for cures. Much of what those medicine men used came from the Amazon. A lot of it has been appropriated and made into synthetic versions by big pharma but there is still much to be learned.

MisterP

(23,730 posts)

8. it's "bioprospecting"--or "biopiracy" in many cases

Reply to Cleita (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 31, 2015, 12:32 AM

Mar 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioprospecting

Kelvin Mace

(17,469 posts)

2. See your cleric today and ask him if a Potion of Super Healing is right for you

Reply to Adsos Letter (Original post)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 03:48 PM

Mar 2015

Cures 3-24 hit points of damage.

Should not be mixed with other potions due to possible need to roll on potion mishap sub-table at a -5.

Can not heal more damage than you have, so excess hit points are lost.

Not intended for use by Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic/Evil persons, demi-persons or wandering monsters.

See you Dungeon Master for appropriate dice to roll.

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)

3. This is how old I am...

Reply to Kelvin Mace (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 04:10 PM

Mar 2015

I understood none of that.

Kelvin Mace

(17,469 posts)

5. A Dungeons & Dragons reference

Reply to Adsos Letter (Reply #3)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 05:33 PM

Mar 2015

if you didn't play, you wouldn't get it

Adsos Letter

(19,459 posts)

7. I had to look that up

Reply to Kelvin Mace (Reply #5)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 09:03 PM

Mar 2015

I'll just shuffle off into the mists of old age and cultural ignorance now...

TexasProgresive

(12,157 posts)

4. That's good but 90% is not good enough

Reply to Adsos Letter (Original post)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 04:32 PM

Mar 2015

the 10% remaining will rapidly recover and are perhaps resistant. To be effective an anti microbial needs to kill 99.99% of the target.

PADemD

(4,482 posts)

6. 99.2% sounds pretty good.

Reply to TexasProgresive (Reply #4)

Mon Mar 30, 2015, 07:16 PM

Mar 2015

Oakin, an Oak extract, has been shown to start killing MRSA immediately and reaches 99.2% at 6 hours, sustaining that kill rate for 48 hours (max time tested).

See Reference 148

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus#Treatment

Moostache

(9,897 posts)

9. If people do not take the full course of a prescription it WILL NOT MATTER!!!!!

Reply to Adsos Letter (Original post)

Wed Apr 1, 2015, 01:21 AM

Apr 2015

Aside from over-prescription, misuse of antibiotics is the single biggest contributor to resistance and the loss of effective treatment options. If you get a prescription, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND TAKE THE FULL COURSE!!! Please encourage anyone you know to be on antibiotics of any kind to NOT stop because their symptoms clear up.

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