Scientists in Athlone have gathered information from folklore, ancient manuscripts, and stories passed by word of mouth about herbs and plants which can cure skin conditions, particularly psoriasis and eczema.
These herbs will now be examined using all the rigours of the scientific method to see if they have actual curative properties, and whether they can be developed as novel drugs.
"More than 70 per cent of drugs currently in clinical use are derived from natural products," said Dr Paul Tomkins, head of science, Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). "The natural product universe benefits from a vast array of up to 30 million species, each with the capacity to produce unique and potentially valuable compounds."
A team of scientists are working at AIT's Centre of Biopolymer and Biomolecular Research to test the medicinal properties of plants, as well as preparing them for possible clinical application.
One of the team, Dr Ann Marie O'Brien, has spent the past 10 months delving into folklore and historical archives. During her ongoing research, she has studied herbal cures for skin conditions on the Internet, in books, as well as speaking with herbalists.
She has also regularly visited the private library of Lord Rosse in Birr Castle, Co Offaly, which she says contains extensive information about plants. "I am looking for a veiled reference to a plant or a tree with any connection to skin conditions." Ancient manuscripts may not expressly label a condition as psoriasis, but may refer to "skin eruptions", for example. This information would then be cross-checked against other sources. From this she has developed a short-list of plants and herbs which may be beneficial for skin conditions.
Once the plants have been gathered they must be analysed in a laboratory where active compounds are isolated and purified. This process aims to find the actual healing ingredient in the plant. However, the process has its own problems.
The plant must be separated into its constituent parts, but breaking it up may nullify its healing properties. The plant may only work as a whole, said Dr O'Brien.
Once a possibly useful element of the plant has been isolated, it can be tested. This isolated compound is placed in a system which models its reaction with human skin. Mr Ian Horan, another member of the research team, explains how the system works, using psoriasis as an example.
In a person with psoriasis, keratinocytes, the main cell type of the epidermis of the skin, grow out of control, causing inflammation of the skin, resulting in recurring reddish patches covered with silvery scales.
These cells are placed in a laboratory system where they are placed on a scaffold of other cells called fibroblasts, which give rise to connective tissue in the body. This system effectively replicates, in the laboratory, the natural skin environment.
The compound derived from the plant or herb is then allowed to react with the keratinocytes in the laboratory system, after which two things can be determined, says Mr Horan.
Firstly, the possible toxicity of the plant compound can be seen: the skin cells may die. Secondly, the effectiveness of the plant compound can be determined. With psoriasis, for example, if the plant can stop the keratinocytes replicating uncontrollably, it may have a beneficial effect.
This research is in its initial stages, and the drug development cycle is a long and expensive process, explained Dr Tomkins. It requires an average of 16 years and £350 million for a single drug.