Ancient Book On Herbal Medicine Shows Cures
A few years ago, Eric Buenz came across a 17th century book on herbal medicine.
And he wondered if its ancient folk wisdom could withstand a little scientific scrutiny.
So Buenz, then a graduate student at the Mayo Clinic, and a colleague decided to test a tree extract that the book claimed could cure diarrhea.
What they found was that the potion, made from the nuts of the atun tree, works a lot like an antibiotic, killing various types of bacteria.
And in a report in the British Medical Journal this month, they explain how a 300-year-old text by a Dutch naturalist named Rumphius could help scientists in their search for new and better drugs.
"It was lost traditional knowledge," Buenz said.
Mayo and the scientists have obtained a patent on the medicinal properties of the atun tree nut, in hopes someone might develop it into a drug. Full Story
Related: religion, wicca, pagan, spells
And he wondered if its ancient folk wisdom could withstand a little scientific scrutiny.
So Buenz, then a graduate student at the Mayo Clinic, and a colleague decided to test a tree extract that the book claimed could cure diarrhea.
What they found was that the potion, made from the nuts of the atun tree, works a lot like an antibiotic, killing various types of bacteria.
And in a report in the British Medical Journal this month, they explain how a 300-year-old text by a Dutch naturalist named Rumphius could help scientists in their search for new and better drugs.
"It was lost traditional knowledge," Buenz said.
Mayo and the scientists have obtained a patent on the medicinal properties of the atun tree nut, in hopes someone might develop it into a drug. Full Story
Related: religion, wicca, pagan, spells
posted at 7:38 PM
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