Wildflower once used to treat wounds and sore throats shows promise in fighting dangerous superbugs

Tormentil grows wild across the UK, Ireland and Europe. Ihor Hvozdetskyi/ Shutterstock

Long before we had modern antibiotics to rely on, people often turned to traditional medicines from plants to treat infections.

The root of tormentil (Potentilla erecta), a small yellow wildflower that grows across Ireland, the UK and Europe, was used for centuries in Irish and European traditional medicine. It was used to treat wounds, sore throats, diarrhoea and gum disease. These traditional uses suggested that tormentil could contain compounds powerful enough to kill microbes.