Lindow man, Tollund man and other peat-bog bodies: the preservative and antimicrobial action of sphagnan, a reactive glycuronoglycan with tanning and sequestering properties

Seminal paper (242 citations) identifying sphagnan — a reactive glycuronoglycan — as the key compound responsible for the antimicrobial and preservative properties of sphagnum moss. Uses the remarkable preservation of peat bog bodies (Lindow Man, Tollund Man) as evidence for sphagnan’s tanning and metal-sequestering activity. Foundational reference for understanding why sphagnum was historically effective as wound dressing material and why peat bogs preserve organic matter for millennia.