Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Event Website
https://oxfordicsb.org/
Start Date
9-4-2025 8:30 AM
Description
Boglands are iconic landscapes and important carbon sinks, extending across the northern hemisphere, covering approximately 20% of Ireland's land area. These ancient water-logged ecosystems are reservoirs of a unique biodiversity adapted to survive in nutrient-poor yet strikingly beautiful environments. Irish mythology is deeply connected to boglands, featuring stories about healing plants, fairies, and ancient curses. Irish communities historically used bogland plants for their medicinal properties. Many uses are recorded in the Schools' Manuscript Collection (SMC) (1937-1939), a treasure-trove of Irish folklore, customs, and ethnographic data, collected as part of the Irish Folklore Commission's effort to preserve Ireland’s oral traditions (Dúchas.ie). In a Philanthropic project we have been charged with ‘Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy from Bogland Species’. We have collected 72 unique plant and lichen species, encompassing 50 genera from different bogland locations. Extracts from plant parts have created a repository of over 400 samples. Bioactivity screening has guided the isolation and characterisation of bioactive molecules and has prioritised species such as Myrcia gale, Erica cinerea, Sphagnum, Drosera and Cladonia spp. We report on our lead species with potent immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity as well as presenting detailed mechanism of action, identified using in vitro, in vivo, and ex-vivo assays. In addition, we have identified extracts with antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against ESKAPE pathogens and report the MOA of one lead species against Acinetobacter baumannii. We have applied metabolic profiling, integrated with chemometric analyses, to give information re regional effects on chemical profiles and their correlation with bioactivity for selected species. We have confirmed the reported pre and post famine traditional uses and have identified new activities supporting the therapeutic potential of a number of bog species.
Recommended Citation
Sheridan, Helen, "Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy: Using hidden secrets from Post Famine Ireland to direct modern scientific exploration of Irish Bogland Species." (2025). Oxford ICSB. 32.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/32
Publication Date
April 2025
Accessibility Status
Searchable text
Included in
Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy: Using hidden secrets from Post Famine Ireland to direct modern scientific exploration of Irish Bogland Species.
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Boglands are iconic landscapes and important carbon sinks, extending across the northern hemisphere, covering approximately 20% of Ireland's land area. These ancient water-logged ecosystems are reservoirs of a unique biodiversity adapted to survive in nutrient-poor yet strikingly beautiful environments. Irish mythology is deeply connected to boglands, featuring stories about healing plants, fairies, and ancient curses. Irish communities historically used bogland plants for their medicinal properties. Many uses are recorded in the Schools' Manuscript Collection (SMC) (1937-1939), a treasure-trove of Irish folklore, customs, and ethnographic data, collected as part of the Irish Folklore Commission's effort to preserve Ireland’s oral traditions (Dúchas.ie). In a Philanthropic project we have been charged with ‘Unlocking Nature’s Pharmacy from Bogland Species’. We have collected 72 unique plant and lichen species, encompassing 50 genera from different bogland locations. Extracts from plant parts have created a repository of over 400 samples. Bioactivity screening has guided the isolation and characterisation of bioactive molecules and has prioritised species such as Myrcia gale, Erica cinerea, Sphagnum, Drosera and Cladonia spp. We report on our lead species with potent immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity as well as presenting detailed mechanism of action, identified using in vitro, in vivo, and ex-vivo assays. In addition, we have identified extracts with antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against ESKAPE pathogens and report the MOA of one lead species against Acinetobacter baumannii. We have applied metabolic profiling, integrated with chemometric analyses, to give information re regional effects on chemical profiles and their correlation with bioactivity for selected species. We have confirmed the reported pre and post famine traditional uses and have identified new activities supporting the therapeutic potential of a number of bog species.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/32