Bird-Flu Fears Spurs interest in Star Anise Spice - National Geographic News

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends:

 

I am really grateful for this group.

 

Recently I read in one of the prominent American Indian newspapers

that Star Spice (variously called Anistar / Badiyan ) is the main

ingredient for Tamiflu.

 

Also, "[Roche] is buying a larger amount of star anise to extract

the shikimic acid that they need for Tamiflu"

 

"Bird-Flu Fears Spur Sales of Star Anise Spice

Brian Handwerk

for National Geographic News

 

November 28, 2005

A licorice-flavored spice that's long been a staple on Asian tables

may now be a major weapon against global influenza.

 

Part of Chinese cuisine's five-spice powder, star anise is also the

primary source of shikimic acid used to produce oseltamivir

phosphate, sold under the brand name Tamiflu.

 

 

Bird Flu Basics: What It Is and How It Could Explode

Killer Bird Flu Pandemic Is Preventable, Expert Says

 

With fears of a bird-flu pandemic rising, the antiviral flu-

treatment drug is in demand—and so is the once obscure fruit used to

produce it.

 

China Daily, a government-run English-language newspaper, reported

early this month that star anise prices in some Chinese markets had

doubled in a week's time. United States spice merchants are seeing

spikes as well.

"This week it has jumped considerably in price, and now supply

issues are becoming a problem as well, when a month ago there was

plenty of supply," said Dennis Knock of Frontier Natural Foods Co-Op

in Norway, Iowa.

 

The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is currently the only company

producing Tamiflu.

This year the drug's revenues more than doubled from the three-month

period ending in June to the three-month period ending in September,

when Tamiflu rang up sales worth 211 million U.S. dollars.

Roche plans to produce some 300 million doses of Tamiflu by 2007.

This year it will produce about 55 million doses.

The Tamiflu boom and subsequent media coverage have created a buzz

around star anise.

"There has been a lot of emotional run-up in prices, both in China

and in the U.S," explained Ed Deep, a spice broker with A.A. Sayia &

Company in Hoboken, New Jersey.

"In New York it has gone from around $1.30 a pound [about half a

kilogram] up to $1.70 a pound."

"[Roche] is buying a larger amount of star anise to extract the

shikimic acid that they need for Tamiflu," Deep added. He also noted

that some of the demand is driven by "people who believe that star

anise will help with the flu—which we believe is erroneous."

"

 

For full article, read:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1128_051128_star_anis

e.html

 

I hope this will be helpful for everyone visiting here.

Incidently, Star Spice is grown and easily available in South India.

 

This is for everyone's information.

 

Regards,

Sucheta

[Guest guest]

Dear Suchetaji,

 

This also highlights the dangers of "isolating the active ingredient".

While Anistar is totally side effect free, the same cannot be said for

Tamiflu which has to be used with extreme caution for its very severe

side effects. No wonder the Govt has prohibited its over the counter

use. The most funny thing is that Tamiflu is declared by mainstream

doctors to be complete useless or at best limitedly useful against

bird flu in humans.

 

Another facet of the "economics" of disease.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

ayurveda, "Sucheta" <SuchetaUSA

wrote:

>

> Dear Friends:

>

> I am really grateful for this group.

>

> Recently I read in one of the prominent American Indian newspapers

> that Star Spice (variously called Anistar / Badiyan ) is the main

> ingredient for Tamiflu.

[Guest guest]

star anise does not equal tamiflu

and further, shikimic acid is found in many other species of plants, star anise

containing

not even being close to the highest amount

 

***

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Plants Containing SHIKIMIC ACID

Ordered by quantity

 

Mammea americana L. -- MameyLeaf 0-700,000 ppm HHB

Terminalia chebula RETZ. -- Black Myrobalan, Chebulic Myrobalan, Ink Nut,

Myrobalan

Fruit 22,000 ppm DUKE1992A

Pistacia lentiscus L. -- Chios Mastictree, Lentisco (Sp.), Mastic, Mastictree,

Mastixbaum

(Ger.) Leaf 18,000 ppm DUKE1992A

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) MILL. -- Indian Fig, Nopal, Nopalito, Prickly Pear

Fruit 220 ppm

DUKE1992A

 

***

 

further, tamiflu is a drug synthesized from an isolated plant ingredient

comparing star anise with tamiflu is like saying that the wild yam is like

pharmaceutical-

grade progesterone

 

best... todd caldecott

 

ayurveda, "Sucheta" <SuchetaUSA wrote:

> Recently I read in one of the prominent American Indian newspapers

> that Star Spice (variously called Anistar / Badiyan ) is the main

> ingredient for Tamiflu.

>

> Also, "[Roche] is buying a larger amount of star anise to extract

> the shikimic acid that they need for Tamiflu"

>

> "Bird-Flu Fears Spur Sales of Star Anise Spice

> Brian Handwerk

> for National Geographic News

>

> November 28, 2005

> A licorice-flavored spice that's long been a staple on Asian tables

> may now be a major weapon against global influenza.

>

> Part of Chinese cuisine's five-spice powder, star anise is also the

> primary source of shikimic acid used to produce oseltamivir

> phosphate, sold under the brand name Tamiflu.