The superbug MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is so powerful that it is resistant to regular antibiotics. However, researchers have discovered that the hospital superbug is vulnerable to a 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon remedy that contains ingredients such as onion, garlic, and cow bile.
MRSA caused the deaths of over 5,000 people in the U.S. in 2013. Some experts warn that within time the superbug could cause more deaths than cancer.
The global scientific community has argued that new technology is the only way to combat MRSA effectively. However, researchers in the U.K. have unearthed a 1,000-year-old remedy that can kill the superbug.
It is a basic blend. The contents include onion, garlic, wine, copper, and a secret ingredient: oxgall (cow bile), according to The Washington Post.
When the scientists tested the ancient remedy, they discovered that it killed a maximum of 90 percent of MRSA bacteria, according to BBC. The effectiveness seems to be from the mix of the ingredients.
Dr. Freya Harrison, researcher at the University of Nottingham, said that the ingredients' effectiveness caused her team to be "blown away."
The researchers found the remedy in "Bald's Leechbook," an Old English Anglo-Saxon book from the 10th century. It served as a type of medical textbook for doctors. The remedy was originally a cream for eyes.
Some of the book's other remedies were less effective. They include using a porpoise-skin whip to hit a crazy person, and eating a radish root to protect oneself from a talkative woman.
The UK researchers considered the unconventional method of searching for the remedy due to talks with various scholars. Those researches studied how people treated infectious diseases before antibiotics were used.
The University of Nottingham researchers will present their findings at a national microbiology conference. That will take place in Birmingham. England.
The true test of the oxgall remedy will be to determine if it treats non-lab MRSA patients effectively. If it does, then it will be one for the ages.