No more ‘superbugs’ -- Maple syrup extract enhances antibiotic action

So I heard this today on the CBC Radio and I was FLOORED.

It's very early in the research. Mouse trials have started but won't be conclusive until end of year. They hope to get human trials in the next few years if all goes well:

Turns out, Canada's best export, is potentially going to revolutionise medicine.

Source

The researchers will present their work today at the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world’s largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features more than 14,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

“Native populations in Canada have long used maple syrup to fight infections,” says Nathalie Tufenkji, Ph.D. “I’ve always been interested in the science behind these folk medicines.”

The idea for the project really gelled when Tufenkji, who had been studying the antimicrobial effects of cranberry extracts, learned of the anti-cancer properties of a phenolic maple syrup extract. “That gave me the idea to check its antimicrobial activity,” Tufenkji says. “So, I sent my postdoc to the store to buy some syrup.”

Using the same extraction approach as other researchers have in the past, Tufenkji’s team at McGill University separated the sugar and water from the syrup’s phenolic compounds, which contribute to maple syrup’s signature golden hue.

In an initial test, the team exposed several disease-causing bacterial strains to the extract, but they didn’t see much of an effect. Rather than give up on maple syrup altogether, Tufenkji decided to check whether the extract could enhance the antimicrobial potency of the commonly used antibiotics ciprofloxacin and carbenicillin. When her team mixed the phenolic extract with either of these medicines, they indeed found a synergistic effect, allowing them to get the same antimicrobial effect with upwards of 90 percent less antibiotic. The approach worked on a variety of bacterial strains, including E. coli, which can cause gastrointestinal problems; Proteus mirabilis, responsible for many urinary tract infections; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause infections often acquired by patients in hospitals.

To me this is amazing. What do you all think ATS?

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

you asked so i will answer.
i dont believe this will come to much and i certainly dont think there will be no more superbugs.

just my opinion.

i am a fan of modern medicine. not too big on broccoli and cranberry curing anything....

a reply to: TinySickTears

Well the science so far is pretty sound if you read the article.

Up to 90% less antibiotic to get the same effect as a full dose is pretty impressive.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

What works in mice and in petri dishes doesn't always work on humans.

There's not much to say until human trials have been done, tbh.

a reply to: TerryDon79

Oh of course, bring on the more research.

I'm still pretty impressed that something as innocuous as maple syrup extract could have any kind of medical benefit though.

~Tenth

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
a reply to: TinySickTears

Well the science so far is pretty sound if you read the article.

Up to 90% less antibiotic to get the same effect as a full dose is pretty impressive.

~Tenth

i read what you posted. didnt click further than that.

pretty early in to say anything but you asked my opinion.
my opinion is i think not much will come of it.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Very interesting! Maple syrup extract helps antibiotics be more effective, without creating a resistance. I can't wait for the clinical trials to begin, so then we'll know more.

I just hope people are not going to start gorging on maple syrup, as it does not work so when ingested. If the trials work, the extract will probably be taken as a pill like regular antibiotics.

Great post!

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
a reply to: TerryDon79

Oh of course, bring on the more research.

I'm still pretty impressed that something as innocuous as maple syrup extract could have any kind of medical benefit though.

~Tenth

m m mj is pretty innocuous too and has a lot of medical benefits.
i suppose syrup could too.
i just dont see it
not yet

Tufenkji decided to check whether the extract could enhance the antimicrobial potency of the commonly used antibiotics ciprofloxacin and carbenicillin. When her team mixed the phenolic extract with either of these medicines, they indeed found a synergistic effect, allowing them to get the same antimicrobial effect with upwards of 90 percent less antibiotic.

thats a hell of a claim.

why are they making the jump to possibly no more superbugs though? it is way early and the few mentioned in the article are not superbugs.

i hope it works though. would be awesome

a reply to: tothetenthpower

It could be impressive, if it works.

A lot of our drugs are actually from some pretty basic things. Just look at some types of chemo.

BTW, I'm not trying to poo-poo your thread. If it does work then it'll be a gigantic leap forward in health AND cost to patients/tax payers.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Modern medicine in many ways is a joke.

Pharmaceutical companies push there synthesized trash for extreme prices while the FDA and many doctors don't use natural remedies when it can be applied.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: TinySickTears

Modern medicine in many ways is a joke.

Pharmaceutical companies push there synthesized trash for extreme prices while the FDA and many doctors don't use natural remedies when it can be applied.

in many ways it is.
im not talking about prices though. talking about what works.

tried lots of stuff for my pain. vicodin works. valerian root not so much
ive tried natural remedies for quite a few things actually. no results. when i go to the pharms i get results so thats what i do.
personal preference and my opinions are my own

a reply to: tothetenthpower

That's it. When the zombie apocalypse finally happens, I'm moving to Canada.

Gonna get an IV straight from the tree and let those undead jerks nibble to their unbeating hearts' content.

Also going to pack lots of bandaids.

I like to sip the sap from the Maple tree just as it is. It has some good properties to it, a hormone that helps a tree rejuvenate to start the year. This growth and repair hormone is actually good for us in a moderate amount. But overuse can have some possible effects too.

The people in South Korea drink this sap and it may be partly to do with the reason they stay youthful looking. But I caution about drinking too much of it, it also may be able to be used by cancer cells to grow too. I would say having a little every now and then would be beneficial. It has a good taste if the tree is healthy.

The bark of a tree has a lot of antibacterial effects to it too. It has been revered for those properties for many centuries. Maple is way less of a toxin than oak, the oak bark tanons are a lot more powerful and it will cause us some major problems. Birch tree syrup is very powerful medicine, but it is pretty bad tasting. It is a medicine. I have never tasted birch sap, but I do have some of the mushroom in a can in the cupboard which contains some of the chemistry. Maybe a combo of a few things should be tested. I put a pinch of the Chaga chips on top of my coffee in the morning and it gives the coffee a good taste.

Some of the properties of the sap are lost when boiling it down but lots of good still exists in maple syrup. I think we should take better care of nature and these trees. I have quite a few maples on my property and I have taps and everything needed to make syrup. But I feel bad drilling the hole in the tree, these trees have become part of the family. So I buy my syrup from those who make it locally. I think I am turning into a sap in my old age, maybe that is why I like the sap taste so much.

a reply to: TinySickTears

why are they making the jump to possibly no more superbugs though? it is way early and the few mentioned in the article are not superbugs.

I listened to an interview with one of the study authors and they said the reason is two fold:

1. It makes the cell wall of the bacteria more permeable to the antibiotic.
2.It's also preventing the cell from expelling the anti-biotic as it would normally do.

And since the maple extract isn't actually killing the bacteria, the antibiotics are, and if you're using even 50% less antibiotic, there's less chance of it becoming resistant.

~Tenth

a reply to: TinySickTears

Well, being a girl and know what cranberry can do for me? YEA!!!!

So, I would guess this will work too. I find it interesting when science "catches up" with folk medicine.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

There is a lot of merit to this finding. Phenolics, anthocyanins etc...have been studied for decades and found to have amazing curative attributes for any number of chronic and acute diseases.

One might note elagic acid studies from black raspberries curing cancer, particularly colon, rectal and esophigial varieties in rats during studies publish in 2005 Ohio State.

Purdue and Cornell have a number of unpublished studies on American Elderberry curing all base strains of the flu in studies going back through the 90s while researching alternative cash crops.

The indigenous peoples of all cultures were not just ignorant savages and modern pharma as made crazy bank synthesizing plant constituents from indigenous plant medicines for decades....all while charging their biggest proponents an arm and a leg to use them and destroying healthcare.

Great find.

I find this fascinating.

I hope something really does come from it.

Very interesting news!! It doesn't seem so far fetched knowing the healing properties from many plants like Aloe and such...

Hell honey has some pretty amazing properties as well.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

That is wonderful news in the face of the looming impotence of our current anti-biotic armoury !!

I hope they fast track research and trials to get this in the field ASAP.

I wonder if any tests have been performed with Manuka honey as a similar agent ?

What exactly is maple syrup extract?