Human Utilization of the Antiseptic Powers of Sphagnum Mosses

Plants of all kinds have been used around the world for innumerable applications since humans have been humans, and Sphagnum mosses are no different. Their biological structure that makes them highly absorptive and the biochemical processes that make them resistant to decay have been harnessed by people around the world for dressing wounds, swaddling babies and even preserving human remains for thousands of years.

Shortly after the end of World War I, in 1920, a botanist named Isaac Bayley Balfour was knighted in Britain for his part in preventing the deaths of countless wounded soldiers from infection, not by using a drug like penicillin, which would not be developed until twenty years later, but by recommending the use of Sphagnum moss for wound dressing^[1]. Not only is dried Sphagnum twice as absorptive as cotton, making it better at soaking up bodily fluids, its unique biochemistry also protects wounds from infection^[2]. In its natural habitat, Sphagnum actively acidifies its surroundings in order to inhibit the growth of bacteria and prevent the decay of organic matter. This allows the formation of peat with a high organic matter content (primarily dead Sphagnum) and low nutrient availability, which makes the soil highly absorptive and prevents other plants from colonizing the area, ultimately creating a bog dominated by Sphagnum. As a wound dressing, Sphagnum’s absorptive capabilities and antimicrobial properties are effective at preventing wounds from becoming infected.

The knowledge of Sphagnum’s antimicrobial properties is ancient. People from boreal regions around the world have been harnessing Sphagnum’s powers for thousands of years. Mothers in Northern Europe and North America have historically used Sphagnum to line their babies’ cradles and carriers because of its natural absorptive capacity and its ability to prevent diaper rash and infection. Sphagnum has also been used by North American women as natural menstrual pads^[5].

Because of the slow rate of decay in Sphagnum bogs, archaeologists have found them to be invaluable sites of preserved remains and artifacts. Human remains have been discovered in bogs with remarkably preserved soft tissues and clothing even after being buried for thousands of years. One of the most famous of these so-called ‘bog bodies’ is Tollund Man, whose remains were discovered in Denmark in the 1950s^[29]. Initially thought to be a recent murder victim because of the noose around his neck and his state of preservation, studies have found that he lived over 2,000 years ago and his body and the noose were preserved by the bog he was buried in. Researchers have even been able to identify the composition of the porridge he ate before his death^[3]. Bog bodies give us a rare window into the lives of people who lived and died long ago, even giving us clues about their diets and cultures.

References

^[1]Ayres, P. G. (2015). Isaac Bayley Balfour, Sphagnum moss, and the Great War (1914-1918). Archives of Natural History, 42(1), 1–9.

^[2]Boissoneault, L. (2017). How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humble-moss-helped-heal-wounds-thousands-WWI-180963081/

^[3]Geggel, L. (2021). Last meal of ancient human sacrifice victim “Tollund Man” revealed in exquisite detail. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/bog-body-tollund-man-last-meal.html

^[4]Struzik, E. (2022). Swamps, Bogs, Marshes and More! [Living on Earth]. https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=22-P13-00041&segmentID=3

^[5]Viereck, E. G. (1987). Alaska’s Wilderness Medicines: Healthful Plants of the Far North. Alaska Northwest Books. http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/curriculum/Books/Viereck/vierecksphagnum.html