Ethnopharmacological relevance: Three important Anglo-Saxon medical texts from the 10 th century contain herbal formulations for over 250 plant species, many of which have yet to be evaluated for their phytochemical and/or pharmacological properties. In this study, three native British plants were selected to determine antimicrobial activity relevant to treating bacterial infections and wounds. represented 87% of the dataset variance. The P. reptans 75% ethanol root extract exhibited the greatest range of activity with MIC 50 at 31.25 µg/mL to a total MIC that was also the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 1 mg/mL. Additionally, the root of P. reptans inhibited growth of Gram-negative bacteria with the 75% ethanol extract having a MIC 50 at 1 mg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the decoction a MIC 50 at 3.9 µg/mL against Escherichia coli. Journal of Ethnopharmacology

A pedigree of autosomal dominant expression of multiple benign adnexal tumours is presented. Seven cases spanning three generations are discussed. The clinical manifestations of these tumours are quite variable, including multiple papules concentrated on the face, scalp nodules and a large turban tumour. One member of the family had a linear papular eruption involving one half of his body. Histopathology of all lesions demonstrated benign adnexal characteristics, including well-characterized eccrine spiradenomas, trichoepitheliomas and an eccrine cylindroma. The cutaneous tumours occurring in these patients have continued to develop during their lifetimes. The authors propose that this pedigree has phenotypic characteristics consistent with Brooke-Spiegler syndrome.

A 49-year-old man developed a widespread eczematous eruption following contact with plants sprayed with a fungicide. Patch testing revealed a strong reaction to thiuram mix and several of the individual thiuram mix constituents. The fungicide contained tetramethylthiuram disulphide, a thiuram chemical. Thiurams are widely recognized as a cause of rubber-glove allergy; however, they are also used extensively in fungicides.

Modern translations provide a new opportunity to revisit the Anglo-Saxon medicinal texts, a valuable resource for discovering and developing novel compounds from native British flora. Previous pharmacological studies of 16 th and 17 th century medicinal plants reported in the Anglo-Saxon medical texts, suggest some were effective and led to the identification and isolation of new natural compounds such as matricin from Achillea millefolium L., a prodrug that yields chamazulene carboxylic acid, a natural profen.New insights through multidisciplinary projects could further explore the manuscript content for the discovery of metabolites with potential pharmacological applications.

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