Bald's eyesalve

Bald's Eyesalve is a medicine described in ''Bald's Leechbook'', a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon medical text written in Old English that survives in the collection of the British Library. The identity of Bald is not known but he is named in the work by a note that states "Bald owns this book which he ordered Cild to compile". The eyesalve is described as a treatment for a "wen" (lump) in the eye ("most likely a sty: an infection of an eyelash follicle"). == Recipe translation ==

== 21st-century experiments ==

A study published in 2015 explored the "ancientbiotic" potential of Bald's eyesalve. A "wen" was most likely a stye, which is caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, and the researchers found that the Bald remedy repeatedly killed established S. aureus biofilms in an in vitro model. The remedy also killed methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in a mouse chronic wound model. The researchers conclude that their study indicated the importance of investigating the combined activity of ingredients in historic remedies. In the 2020 study, researchers compared the combined remedy of Bald's eyesalve against individual active ingredients, the latter mirroring current drug development practices of isolating single active compounds from historic remedies. Whilst garlic could reduce numbers of bacteria, it had no effect upon biofilms, which is a more relevant test of clinical efficacy. Only the presence of all four ingredients resulted in an effective remedy. The researchers also tested variants of the eyesalve made with onion and with leek, since it was unclear which might have been used in the original recipe. A preparation made with onion was found to be more effective than one made with leek. == See also ==