Research in the journal Scientific Reports has determined that a 1000-year-old concoction can be used where antibiotics fail. The mixture of garlic, onion, wine, and bile salts is being investigated in treating diabetic foot infections. The infection is known to be particularly resistant to antibiotics and can result in amputation of the foot.
Microbiologists say these ingredients all have some antibacterial activity; therefore, the combination makes sense. This isn’t the first time modern medicine has taken a
page from ancient texts: a drug used for treating malaria was derived from wormwood based on a remedy found in an ancient Chinese text.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if the cure for COVID-19 was found hidden in a library filled with ancient texts? An entire story could be based on the unearthing of the recipe, escaping from powerful drug companies, and disseminating the knowledge using social networks.
Before writing this, I would have to research or talk to a microbiologist to come up with a plausible condition to treat with household items. Or create a different world altogether where technology doesn’t apply.
This story would be a Dan Brown-style thriller, with the bookish librarian forced to overcome the powerful corporation and give away the cure at the end of the book. Creating a series from this, the librarian would stumble upon some other useful knowledge hidden in ancient texts that opposes a powerful organization, leading to multiple books.
