Civil War Era Medicinals Found Potentially Effective Against Infection
Researchers at Emory University investigated medicinal plants cited in the American Civil War era guide *Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural; Being Also a Medical Botany of the Confederate States*, authored by Francis Peyre Porcher. The historical text documented devil's walking stick, white oak, and tulip poplar for use against infections in wounded soldiers.
In a study published in *Scientific Reports*, lead author Micah Dettweiler and senior author Cassandra Quave reported that extracts from white oak, tulip poplar, and devil's walking stick exhibited antimicrobial activity in laboratory testing against multidrug-resistant bacteria associated with wound infections, specifically *Acinetobacter baumannii*, *Staphylococcus aureus*, and *Klebsiella pneumoniae*.
The researchers noted that further investigation is required to identify the specific compounds responsible for the observed antimicrobial activity and to evaluate their potential utility in wound care.