Flu Clue

Anise, it's not just for Szechuan duck anymore.

Why an Exotic Fruit is the World's Only Weapon Against Bird Flu.

A rare herb grown in China used to flavour duck dishes and treat infants for colic is at the centre of a worldwide search for a cure for avian flu.

Star anise, the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree, is sold in supermarkets in the UK to consumers seeking its pungent, liquorice-like flavour.

But the herb has a vital function as the source of shikimic acid from which the drug Tamiflu is made, the only defence the world currently has against the threatened flu pandemic.

Tamiflu cannot prevent infection with avian flu but it can reduce its severity. In the absence of an effective vaccine - which has not yet been developed - it is all that stands between the world and what could become a modern plague.

Yesterday it emerged that a shortage of star anise is one of the key reasons why countries including Britain cannot obtain enough Tamiflu to protect their populations.

Might I take this moment to scare everyone to death? If you haven't, I recommend reading The Coming Plague, by Laurie Garrett, which had a profound effect on my thinking about these things: namely, Eeeeeeekkkk!! I'm reminded of this book because of the discussion of AIDS as an emergent virus, and its route down the Kinshasha Highway. It really struck me that just as these viruses and microbes live in our natural environments, so do their enemies, our cures. To that end, we must save the rainforests. And grow more anise, naturally.

More questions about the flu? Check out the FluWiki. [via alphabitch]

Comments

[Jarrett]

This reminds me very much of the brief popularity of taxol, based on the rather sparsely populated and slow-growing Pacific Yew.

I continue to dread the emergence of a virus that can be cured only by a chemical in giant sequoias.

I hope anise grows faster. We nearly lost the Pacific Yew before they figured out how to make taxol synthetically.

[ae]

Jarrett, eeeeeek!! Oh, please Lord, not the sequoias! I hope anise grows faster, too, but on that point, the thing that makes me worry about that is that the cynical Food Corps will use the hysteria to push GM foods -- like, hey, we can grow SuperAnise (TM) 10 x faster and make it resistant to drought/deluge/whatever, to boot! They scare me.