Common wildflower may help against dangerous 'superbacteria'

Scientists have discovered that tormentil (popularly known as lapwort), a small wild plant with yellow flowers, can help fight dangerous bacteria that cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics.

Details

The study was carried out by experts from the UK and Ireland. They studied about 70 plants growing in bogs and found that it was tormentil that showed the strongest effect.

It turned out that this plant is able to inhibit the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii. It is considered one of the most dangerous bacteria in the world: it is often found in hospitals and causes severe infections, especially in weakened patients.

Why it's important

The main discovery is that tormentil can enhance the effects of colistin. This is a so-called "last chance" antibiotic, which is used when other drugs no longer work. If bacteria become resistant to it, there are almost no treatment options left.

Scientists have also discovered the mechanism: substances in the plant literally "take away" from the bacteria iron, without which they can not survive. When the researchers gave the iron back, the effect disappeared.

Background

Interestingly, tormentil was used as far back as the 19th century - for toothache and stomach problems, for example. Now it is clear that this was not just a folk belief: the plant really has medicinal properties.

According to the researchers, nature is still an important source of new medicines. In the future, tormentil may be used to create drugs that will help fight resistant infections.

Source

University of Southampton / Microbiology (2026)