Anglo-Saxon Eye Remedy Kills Deadly Superbug

A 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon remedy for eye infections has been found to be effective against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, researchers from the University of Nottingham said on Monday. The scientists recreated a 9th Century remedy to treat styes.

The age-old remedy called for "cropleek and garlic, of both equal quantities, pound them well together … take wine and bullocks gall, mix with the leek … let it stand nine days in the brass vessel," according to the New Scientist.

Some of the ingredients, such as copper from the brass vessel, have antimicrobial properties, but the scientists were not sure if the recipe would be effective against infection. They tested it on tissue samples from mice infected with the MRSA superbug, an antibiotic-resistant strain of Staph, which the U.S. National Institute of Health says has “evolved from a controllable nuisance into a serious public health concern.”

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