Sometimes life can really imitate art. Take actor Keanu Reeves. Made famous firstly in the science-fiction film, “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” as dim-witted Ted, his role as a hustler in “My Own Private Idaho” alongside River Phoenix made the film a cult classic for its avant-garde style and ‘queer themes’ (descriptives of the day for the 1990s LGBT community).

Keanu later played action heroes in films such as “Point Break” and “Speed” before finally landing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with is role as Neo in “The Matrix”.

This film broke boundaries not only in cinematography, but futuristically predicted the rise of artificial intelligence and the technological fall of the human race by imprisoning them in a virtual reality called the Matrix.

Such was Reeves’ cultural and societal influence in the film, researchers in Germany named a lethal fungus-killing compound after him as a nod to how swiftly and effectively he eliminated villains in “The Matrix”.

Sebastian Götze, a researcher with Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, discovered new microbes, lipopeptides, which were effective in treating fungal infections in plants, which could also to be an effective treatment against human fungal infections. The Institute named the lipopeptides, “keanumycins” for its stealth ability to kill fungal infections so effectively.

Of course, there are many types and names of fungal infections which can affect us mere mortals. Athlete’s foot, jock itch, ringworm and candida are all different names for the common fungal infection many Kiwis succumb to each year.

Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungus which grows best in a warm, moist environment such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and the floors of public showers.

There are many over-the-counter pharmaceutical creams which can be used to treat athlete’s foot but if you have a horopito tree nearby, it’s quick and easy to make your own cheap antifungal foot bath at home.

Horopito (Pseudowintera colorata) is a shrub or small tree that grows to eight metres in height. It grows throughout much of New Zealand, although is doesn’t like the warmer climate of Waiheke.

It is abundant in upland and mountain forests in the North Island, and extends down to sea level in the southern South Island. It regenerates well after the destruction of tall forests and at high altitudes forms dense secondary shrub lands and low forest.

The upper surface of its light green, round leaves is splotched with red, especially if the plant is exposed to the light. The underside is blue-grey. Tiny greenish-white flowers appear in early spring, followed by black berries in autumn.

Leaves of the horopito tree were traditionally using to treat fungal infections as the peppery constituents of horopito stimulate the circulation when it is applied topically.

The main constituent of horopito is known as polygodial which is a component of the “hot taste” in peppery spices common in traditional Japanese cuisine and it has been shown to exhibit significant antifungal and antibacterial activity.

Simply take a handful of leaves and place on a chopping board. Using the base of a large, heavy saucepan, crush the leaves slightly and place them in the saucepan and add one litre of water.

Simmer for twenty minutes and allow the water to cool before straining the horopito leaves and adding to a foot bath. Soak your feet until the water cools and then pat dry. The water can then be used on your garden veggies to keep them free from fungal infections as well.

Fungal infections can also be caused by an overgrowth, or allergic reaction to, a fungal form of yeast called Candida albicans.  This fungus is found naturally in our gut flora where it supports a healthy digestive tract by gobbling up toxins. Sometimes candida infections of the mouth, nails, skin, or genitals can occur when the balance of our gut flora is disturbed.

This can happen after taking antibiotics which destroy beneficial, as well as harmful, microorganisms in the body. Other causes can be pregnancy, diabetes, the use of the oral contraceptive pill or a poor diet.

The symptoms and their severity vary from person to person and can include chronic fatigue, especially after eating, depression, craving for breads and sugars, mood swings, chronic fungal infections of the skin, genitals or mouth and feeling bloated after eating.

Probiotic supplements can also help digestive problems such as chronic diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome and can reduce the severity of allergic conditions such as eczema and hayfever by boosting the body’s natural immunity.

A simple and healthy way look after your tummy is to eat probiotic-rich yoghurt. But, remember, not all yoghurts are the same. Choose an unflavoured, natural yoghurt with no added sugar and check the ingredient list to see if include ‘live’ or ‘active’ cultures included.

Simple remedies can help relieve the side-effectives of simple fungal infections and means you won’t find yourself in the matrix having to decide whether to take “the red pill or the blue pill”. Pun intended.