[MPWG] ARTICLE: Star Rises in Fight Against Bird Flu

[Olivia Kwong]

Although it's not a US plant, just thought I'd send along this article as
it's something Robyn happened to mention the other day.  :) This time I'm
sure it's a plant based story too!  Please see the link for the full text
of the article, free registration may be required.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701855.html

Star Rises in Fight Against Bird Flu
Demand for a Chinese Fruit Skyrockets

By Peter S. Goodman
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, November 18, 2005; Page D01

BEILIU, China -- For the past three decades, Qin Chenghao has lived the
life of an ordinary farmer. He has tended to the trees covering the
mountains that rise from the musty soil of southern China, harvesting the
star-shaped fruit on their branches. Year after year, the same few traders
arrive to buy his crop to sell as seasoning and traditional medicine.

This year, however, Qin's world changed. The star anise dangling from his
trees emerged as a source for the key ingredient in Tamiflu, a
pharmaceutical known to lessen the severity of avian flu. The output from
his 1,300-acre Darong Mountain Star Anise Plantation in Guangxi province
is now more than a simple means of spicing up stewed pork -- it is a
crucial weapon in a global campaign against a pandemic that health experts
say could kill tens of millions of people.

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 rrr at montana.com wrote:

> There’s lots of stories like this. If you want the Tamiflu-star anise
> story, let me know.
>
> Best Regards,
> Robyn Klein, Adjunct Instructor, AHG Herbalist, MS Medical Botany
> Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology
> Montana State University
>
>
>
>
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