Solving medical mysteries from your spice rack
Posted Mar 14, 2011 1:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The cure to some of the world’s most problematic diseases, could be hiding at home on your spice rack.
Researchers at the University of Calgary say they’ve now unlocked how alum works, a common pickling agent found in most grocery stores.
By understanding the mechanism behind how the immune booster works, lead investigator Dr. Yan Shi says they may be able to manipulate it for a vaccine against HIV and tuberculosis.
“The reason we need to understand how it works beyond academic interests, is that we can manipulate something like alum to make a better vaccine,” says Shi.
However it’s bittersweet news though for those fans of anything pickled.
The doctor says the benefits really don’t apply by ingesting the material, but rather by injecting it through a vaccine.
Shi expects to have his hands full as he continues his research the spice.
The immune booster has been a common ingredient in modern day medicines for nearly 90 years.
