1,000-year-old medieval remedy could be potential antibiotic, scientists say

Antibiotic resistance is real. In the years to come, we may no longer be able to treat and cure many of the infections we once could as bacteria outsmart our most sophisticated drugs. With drug resistance expected to result in 10 million deaths a year by 2050, scientists are hunting high and low for alternatives to antibiotics. A team of UK researchers has found some hope in an unexpected place: a medieval manuscript. A 1,000-year-old natural remedy made from onion, garlic, wine and bile salts has shown antibacterial potential, with promise to treat diabetic foot and leg infections, new research published Tuesday suggested. Known as Bald's eyesalve, the treatment has the potential to tackle biofilm infections -- communities of bacteria which resist antibiotics -- making them much harder to treat, the researchers said. Biofilm infections are estimated to cost the United Kingdom alone more than 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) every year, the study s...