SIOUX CITY, Iowa — For the not so many people who have consumed them, Psoralea esculenta, or prairie turnips, are not considered to be the stuff of fine dining.
But the turnip, which is grown in Siouxland and the upper Great Plains, could have a key role ahead in inhibiting the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Briar Cliff University professors and students are researching medical uses of the turnip, and have seen good results in inhibiting the growth of the type of bacteria that causes staph infections, the Sioux City Journal reported.
Briar Cliff biology professor Daniel Jung and chemistry professor Paul Weber are providing guidance, as students Avery Sitzman, Olivia Matz and Abby Furlich have been performing weekly tests on extracts from turnip rinds.
Essentially, they are trying to see if prairie turnips can zero in on negative forms of bacteria, while keeping the good forms that could benefit people.
“What we are doing now is the basic research,” Jung said. “There is a long way to go, let’s say, to make a pill or a cream. There are many hurdles to go over,” Jung said.
Matz, a sophomore from Des Moines, said only upperclassmen could handle such research in large universities, so it is pleasing to be at Briar Cliff.
“I love the aspect of being part of undergraduate research,” Matz said. “It is so great that we get this experience so young in our college careers.”
