There is nothing worse than a toothache. People want to do everything possible to find a cure and get rid of it immediately. It turns out that the miracle tool can be found in the tropical forests of Amazonia, where the rare plant of Acmella oleracea grows.
The Daily Mail quotes the researchers from Cambridge University saying that it could replace even the strongest painkillers.
The anthropologist Francoise Barbira Freedman found the plant 30 years ago, while staying with a Peruvian tribe and practicing shamanism. During that trip, she had a toothache in her wisdom tooth, and the people gave her some medication. As a result, the pain and discomfort instantly disappeared. Later, she found the plant that had helped her.
A few years later, a team of scientists successfully tested acmella, and the results shocked them. Using the extracts of plants, the scientists created a gel that blocked pain receptors in nerve endings. Clinical trials showed that the gel reduced pain after tooth extraction and was more effective than standard analgesics, if applied to the patients with gum diseases. Its action was prolonged. During the informal tests, conducted by the Peruvian dentist, the extract of the plant also helped to cure mouth ulcers caused by gum disease and wearing dentures and braces. The main advantage of the medication is that it has no side effects.
F Freedman comments that the invention of this medicine will allow to get rid of anesthetic injections during dental procedures. The results of the tests showed that the gel had a wide application. People would surely prefer to use it instead of other drugs, since it is a natural remedy, and it is suitable even for children. According to the scientist, there is no other alternative at the moment.
The specialist is planning to publish the results of clinical trials in an international dental journal and to conduct additional tests. She also does not exclude the possibility of improving the medicine to create an even more powerful and long acting gel. According to F. Freedman, the gel will be available within two years.
