In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Posted on 03/30/2015 2:58:04 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
A thousand-year-old medieval remedy for eye infections which was discovered in a manuscript in the British Library has been found to kill the superbug MRSA.
Anglo-Saxon expert Dr Christina Lee, from the School of English, at Nottingham University, recreated the 10th century potion to see if it really worked as an antibacterial remedy.
The 'eyesalve' recipe calls for two species of Allium (garlic and onion or leek), wine and oxgall (bile from a cow’s stomach).
It describes a very specific method of making the topical solution including the use of a brass vessel to brew it, a strainer to purify it and an instruction to leave the mixture for nine days before use.
None of the experts really expected the concoction to work. But when it was tested, microbiologists were amazed to find that not only did the salve clear up styes, but it also tackled the deadly superbug MRSA, which is resistant to many antibiotics.
“We were genuinely astonished at the results of our experiments in the lab,” said Dr Lee.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
The recipe was translated from Bald’s Leechbook, a leatherbound Old Enlgish manuscript which is kept in the British Library. This manuscript 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.”
Very cool if it’s true.
I have the garlic thing down - garlic stuffed olives and vodka martini’s .
Having had this crap I welcome this!! There is a topical creme that also kills it... made from Oak extract or something.
It sucks!! very painful sores!!
but those were the superstitious, ignorant people of “dark” ages don’t you know...
I want to know why it has to be an Anglo-Saxon cow?
What else would they be?
“Asian” Anglo-Saxon?
I had heard that a particular type of honey was good for it as well.
So if we find dead cows with the bile ducts removed, it’s probably not space aliens, just anglo-saxons.
Considering that Obamacare is going to destroy modern medicine, it’s good to know we have a fall back position.
I'll make the wild guess that the allium is the active ingredient.
Probably manuka honey from New Zealand.
“Painful sires?”
I had MRSA and it was a viral infection. . .no sores.
Damned near killed me.
Thank God for modern medicine.
Nah, it’s the magic incantation that is spoken over the bubbling brazen pot.
That’s the way you do it, healing from cow bile and the magic is free.
“sores” but you knew that.
same information / different headline:
1,000-year-old onion and garlic eye remedy kills MRSA ...
finding 1000 year old onions could be problematic
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