Galanthus nivalis can be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, though it is not a cure. Snowdrops contain also an active lectin or agglutinin named GNA for "Galanthus nivalis agglutinin". Potatoes have been genetically modified with the GNA gene. In 1998 Árpád Pusztai said in an interview on a World in Action programme that his group had observed damage to the intestines and immune systems of rats fed the genetically modified potatoes. He also said "If I had the choice I would certainly not eat it", and that "I find it's very unfair to use our fellow citizens as guinea pigs".
Luzula nivalis Luzula nivalis Luzula nivalis, commonly known as arctic wood-rush or less commonly as snowy wood-rush (both names are used with or without hyphenation), is a species of perennial rushes endemic to Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Northern Europe in Scandinavia. It was described by Polunin (1940) as one of the most abundant, ubiquitous, and ecologically important of all arctic plants. "Luzula nivalis" is classified under the section "Thyrsanochlamydeae" of the subgenus "Luzula". It belongs to the genus "Luzula" of the rush family Juncaceae. With regards to the etymology of the binomial: the generic name "Luzula" could come from the Italian "lucciola"