Medieval remedy kills...superbug MRSA

Researchers believe the antibacterial effect of the recipe is not due to a single ingredient but the combination used and brewing methods. Photo / Thinkstock

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.

Lee translated the recipe from Bald's Leechbook, a leatherbound Old English manuscript which is kept in the British Library. It is widely thought of as one of the earliest known medical textbooks and contains advice and recipes for medicines, salves and treatments. Researchers believe the antibacterial effect of the recipe is not due to a single ingredient but the combination used and brewing methods. Further research is planned to investigate how and why this works.