Swiss researcher's passion is fungus, a cure for impotence. But what really gets him excited is fungus. Professor Hostettmann, who teaches at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, has isolated a potent anti-fungal from the root bark of a widely distributed tropical African tree, Bobgunnia madagascariensis.
Traditional healers use the roots of the tree to treat leprosy and syphilis.
The plant s chemicals are said to deter termites. Chemicals in the fruits effectively kill schistosomiasis-transmitting snails. And now this multi-purpose plant might give the world a compound to treat mycosis. The new compound, quinone methide diterpene, which has received a United States patent, will help the millions of AIDS sufferers who suffer from Candida albicans and Cladosporium cucumerinum fungal infections. In immuno-compromised individuals, however, Candida may cause life threatening illness.