Antibacterial effects of home-made resin salve from Norway spruce (Picea abies)

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0463.2007.apm_548.x

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Wiley InterScience

APMIS

Volume 115 Issue 4, Pages 335 - 340

Published Online: 10 May 2007

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Antibacterial effects of home-made resin salve from Norway spruce (Picea abies)

M. RAUTIO, ¹ A. SIPPONEN, ² R. PELTOLA, ¹ J. LOHI, ⁴ J. J. JOKINEN, ⁵ A. PAPP, ⁶ P. CARLSON ⁷ and P. SIPPONEN ⁸

¹ Division of Clinical Microbiology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, ² Department of Surgery, Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Heinola, ³ Finnish Forest Research Institute, Rovaniemi Research Station, ⁴ Rovaniemi Health Care Centre, Rovaniemi, ⁵ Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Meilahti Hospital, Helsinki, ⁶ Department of Plastic Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, ⁷ Division of Clinical Microbiology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, and ⁸ Division of Pathology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland

Correspondence to Arno Sipponen, Department of Surgery, Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, 18120 Heinola, Finland. e-mail: arno.sipponen@patolab.fi

Received 30 June 2006.

Accepted 22 November 2006.

KEYWORDS

Resin • Norway spruce • microbiology • MRSA • VRE • skin ulcer • infection

Rautio M, Sipponen A, Peltola R, Lohi J, Jokinen JJ, Papp A, Carlson P, Sipponen P. Antibacterial effects of home-made resin salve from Norway spruce (Picea abies): APMIS 2007;115:335–40.

ABSTRACT

Resin salve made from Norway spruce (Picea abies) is traditionally used in folk medicine to heal skin ulcers and infected wounds. Its antimicrobial properties were studied against certain human bacteria important in infected skin wounds. The sensitivity of the resin against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was studied in vitro by methods that are routinely used in microbiology laboratories. The resin salve exhibited a bacteriostatic effect against all tested Gram-positive bacteria but only against Proteus vulgaris of the Gram-negative bacteria. Interestingly, the resin inhibited the growth of bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), both on agar plates and in culture media. The study demonstrated antimicrobial activity of the resin salve and provided objective evidence of its antimicrobial properties. It gives some explanations why the traditional use of home-made resin salve from Norway spruce is experienced as being effective in the treatment of infected skin ulcers.

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1600-0463.2007.apm_548.x About DOI