Plant medicine protected soldiers against bacterial infections
In the American civil war in the years 1861 to 1865 is a natural healing plant by the botanist Francis Porcher was born. From a lack of medicines out of the southern armed forces of naturopathy, as it were, to protect the numerous injured soldiers from infections. This ancient Knowledge has recently been discovered in the context of a study. The researchers see in the antiseptic properties of the described plants an opportunity to develop new and effective antibacterial agents.
A research team of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University in Atlanta, under the traditional herbal medicine was the potential for new drugs against multi-resistant bacteria. In particular, three trees were the focus of the research: the American White oak (Quercus alba), Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and the devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa). All the three plants showed strong antiseptic properties. The results of the study were recently presented in the journal “Scientific Reports”.
In phytotherapy applied
At the time of the American civil war from 1861 to 1865, it came in the high phases to the bottlenecks in the drug delivery. Among the many wounded soldiers was ruled by high infection rates. In search of Alternatives to the southern armed forces asked the botanist and surgeon Francis Porcher from South Carolina to help. He should put together a book of healing for a listing of plants from the southern States, and medicinal Plants, describes the were used by native Americans and the enslaved Africans.
Shortage of supply has aroused interest in Natural medicine
Francis Porcher full of his work ended with the title of “Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests” in the year 1863. The Confederate Surgeon General Samuel Moore drew from it a document entitled “standard supply table of the indigenous medicinal products for field service and the sick in General hospitals”, which can be used as a guide to the care of injured soldiers served, if no drugs were available.
The works of Francis Porcher revived
In today’s time, people are again facing similar problems. There is no civil war and no shortage of supply of drugs, although there is, but there is a lack of new agents against multi-resistant bacteria are spreading more and more. On the search for new drugs, the Emory research team turned again to the naturopathy.
Plant extract rescued hurt soldiers lives and limbs
The results of the research show that extracts from the three investigated trees can trigger an antimicrobial effect against one or more of three dangerous types of multi-resistant bacteria, the severity of wound infections. The extracts had the effect against bacteria of the type Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. “Our results suggest that the application of these extracts saved some limbs and life during the civil war haat“, the senior author of the Study, Cassandra Quave reported.
New drugs in old-age medicine
Professor Quave is an expert in the field of ethnobotany. This science examines the use of plants as medicine or as a Crop, as well as the customs of the Plant, in ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. “The American civil war is a great example of the use of Pflanzenheilmitteln“, the ethno-botanist explains. The research could benefit the modern wound care, when to identify, what are the active ingredients in the plants for the antimicrobial activity.
The plant extracts were prepared in the traditional way
The investigated plant extracts have been prepared on the basis of Porchers works. They contain extracts from the bark of the White oak tree, from the leaves of the Tulip-tree and from the root inner bark and the branch bark of the devil Krückstocks. The extracts were then tested in the laboratory on three types of multi-resistant bacteria, which occur normally found in wound infections.
The power of the White-oak
The bacterium Aceinetobacter baumannii was widespread among soldiers who have returned from the Iraq war. It has broad resistance against the most antibiotics. “It represents a major threat to patients recovering in hospitals from wounds, as well as for soldiers, the battle wounds to pull,” says Quave. Extracts of the White oak were able to inhibit the growth of A. Baumannii.
With Tuplenbaum and White-oak staphylococcal suppress
The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous pathogen that infests the skin, in the blood and remote organs can infect. Extracts of the White oak and the Tulip tree could be the growth of the bacteria and preventing the bacteria to produce a Biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus protects against antibiotics.
Devil’s walking stick prevented Biofilm formation
The bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common Hospital pathogen and causes life-threatening infections, the inflammation of the lungs or lead to septic shock. Extracts from the devil’s walking stick could prevent the formation of a biofilm for the bacteria and make it more susceptible to antibiotics make. (vb)