An Irish wildflower could hold the key to wiping out the deadly superbug MRSA. A bright yellow flower known as inula helenium kills the bacteria, which is resistant to some of the most powerful antibiotics available.
Inula helenium grows wild in west Cork and blossoms in late summer. Another herb, pulsatilla vulgaris, was also effective against the disease.
When extracts from both plants were tested against a group of 300 staphylococci, including MRSA, inula helenium was 100 percent effective against the superbug.
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