November 18, 2005

Star Anise the Key Ingredient in Tamiflu

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. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu