From the point of view of modern medicine, many of the methods of ancient healers seem ineffective and ridiculous. But as the data obtained by scientists have shown, the ancient Anglo-Saxon eye medicine is able to get rid of Staphylococcus aureus, which is currently one of the most resistant bacteria. The experts promised to present the results of the studies at the annual conference of microbiologists, which is to be held soon in Britain.
An ancient recipe from a thousand years ago was translated by Professor Christina Lee of the University of Nottingham from the ancient Book of Bald. It is reportedly written in the ninth century AD and is considered one of the earliest medieval texts that have survived to this day. Scientists have made four servings of the drug according to the recipe, the components of which are wine, bovine bile, equal to two types of garlic and onion.
According to the ancient recipe, you need to take equal shares of onion and garlic, crush them, and then mix well. Wine and bile in equal amounts are mixed with the onion-garlic mixture, stirred in a copper pot, and then infused for nine days. After that, the mixture is filtered, cleaned and poured into the horn. The medicine is instilled into the eyes at night using a bird's feather.
Scientists tested the potion they made according to an ancient recipe on cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, grown on synthetic wound simulants, and then on infected rats. Taken separately, each ingredient of the drug had no effect on the bacteria, but the finished product killed almost all the cells. Out of every thousand, no more than one bacteria survived.
The lower concentration of the drug, although it did not kill the staphylococcus, disrupted its connections, thereby depriving dangerous microorganisms from infecting infected tissues. According to scientists, it is quite possible that they have found an effective remedy to combat resistant strains of bacteria.
Scientists are currently trying to reproduce other drugs as well, according to the recipes indicated in the ancient book, in order to evaluate their effect against some modern diseases.