Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 I've just heard from Chinese TV, that G.M. seeds from the US will be allowed into China for growth. After looking at research in the UK and Europe, they noted that cross-infection is likely and will affect other plant life in areaa surrounding G.M. crops. My question to the group is, how will this affect Chinese herbal plants growing in China? Won't G.M. crops cross-infect and therefore affect the balance and medicinal properties of Chinese herbs? How can the quality of Chinese herbs be maintained, regulated and assured? Attilio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Hi Attilio! Let's hope that the Chinese government is *smarter* than the EU of US governments. On the other hand, with all that " public relations " money flying around from agri-business . . . At 10:18 PM 2/28/2004, you wrote: >I've just heard from Chinese TV, that G.M. seeds from the US will be >allowed into China for growth. After looking at research in the UK >and Europe, they noted that cross-infection is likely and will >affect other plant life in areaa surrounding G.M. crops. > >My question to the group is, how will this affect Chinese herbal >plants growing in China? Won't G.M. crops cross-infect and therefore >affect the balance and medicinal properties of Chinese herbs? How >can the quality of Chinese herbs be maintained, regulated and >assured? > >Attilio > > > >Membership requires that you do not post any commerical, swear, religious, >spam messages,flame another member or swear. > >To change your email settings, i.e. individually, daily digest or none, >visit the groups' homepage: >Chinese Medicine/ click 'edit my >membership' on the right hand side and adjust accordingly. > >To send an email to ><Chinese Medicine- > from the email >account you joined with. You will be removed automatically but will still >recieve messages for a few days. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Hi Attilio, As someone trained as a genetic engineer as well as an organismic biologist, I can assure you that the effects of GM plants are felt worldwide ... but only within their own species. Chinese herbs are unaffected. I believe you mean cross-pollination (rather than cross-infection) ... though pollination is very close to a virus infection. The way a sperm inserts its DNA into an egg is somewhat close to viral infection. The GM plant's pollen can only affect it's same species. Monsanto is not developing a thousand Chinese medical herb seed varieties for sale to traditional growers. Monsanto and cohorts are developing GM rice, corn, and soybeans. So Chinese herbs are generally unaffected by this. The irony is that it's been discovered that pollen travels around the world on air currents at high altitudes. Here in coastal California we're in the height of our early spring blossoms which means that the pollen count is very high ... and allergic individuals are suffering here. Also the pollen is flying on over to the American East Coast. Alas, there's no blossoms there to pollinate. Just lots of weary winter denizens to feel " spring fever " . In fact by now, Attilio, you are breathing the pollens from here in San Francisco, Berkeley and the surroundings. The prevailing winds are headed your way, and I believe it takes only a couple of weeks for the winds to carry pollens from here to England. So later in the year when blossoms do come up in Europe, American plants will be cross pollinating with them in some small measure. Here's another irony. If you are an organic farmer in Europe growing corn, you're crop is already GM (genetically modified) via cross pollination. An even further irony is that you may not collect your own seed and replant them. Monsanto will file suit against you for copyright infringement. So the bottom line is that you may as well just buy their d___ seeds. Respectfully, Emmanuel Segmen I've just heard from Chinese TV, that G.M. seeds from the US will be allowed into China for growth. After looking at research in the UK and Europe, they noted that cross-infection is likely and will affect other plant life in areaa surrounding G.M. crops. My question to the group is, how will this affect Chinese herbal plants growing in China? Won't G.M. crops cross-infect and therefore affect the balance and medicinal properties of Chinese herbs? How can the quality of Chinese herbs be maintained, regulated and assured? Attilio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Attilio: I've just heard from Chinese TV, that G.M. seeds from the US will be allowed into China for growth > > What is G.M.? Dr. Holmes Keikobad MB BS DPH Ret. DIP AC NCCAOM LIC AC CO & AZ www.acu-free.com - home based recertification for acupuncturists and health professionals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 Hi Emmanuel! The concern is often expressed that GM rice, corn and soybeans will crowd out the traditional GM rice, corn and soybeans making it impossible for the third world people to live and unnecessarily expensive for everyone else. This is to say nothing of the fear that GM rice, corn and soybeans will have undesirable side effects making everyone sick. We all get to be the guinea pigs in this grand experiment, while animal testing is considered inhumane undisclosed people testing is ok. At 02:38 AM 2/29/2004, you wrote: >Hi Attilio, > >As someone trained as a genetic engineer as well as an organismic >biologist, I can assure you that the effects of GM plants are felt >worldwide ... but only within their own species. Chinese herbs are >unaffected. I believe you mean cross-pollination (rather than >cross-infection) ... though pollination is very close to a virus >infection. The way a sperm inserts its DNA into an egg is somewhat close >to viral infection. The GM plant's pollen can only affect it's same >species. Monsanto is not developing a thousand Chinese medical herb seed >varieties for sale to traditional growers. Monsanto and cohorts are >developing GM rice, corn, and soybeans.<snip> Regards, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 Hi Pete, From my observation the GM food is not so dangerous to eat. The dangers are real, but not as human food. The GM plants may produce less of the normal nutrients than normally are found in those foods. As geneticists would say, we " impose " new genes and new proteins in the cells of the plant. So the plant is forced to produce molecules that they would normally not produce. So the balance of nutrients that they would produce without the imposition of new genes is pretty much off. I like the word " impose " to describe the problem each cell must endure. As a food, however, I don't think it's a big deal. As an ecological " imposition " , I think it's a very big deal. That's where the problem lies. We have " breached " a species' genes. That in and of itself is a very big deal to me. That billions of species are woven together into a fabric of ecology then makes such a breach a very big deal indeed that has incalculable consequences. Another " breach " with regard to human consciousness is the copyrighting of a living species by a corporation. This, too, will have consequences for the human community as regards hubris. That's my social as well as biological perspective. I had to take a course in scientific ethics when I was a graduate student in 1989. One of my five areas of concentration included certification in genetic engineering. I've been looking at this issue intensely ever since that ethics course, and my perspectives on the matter grow from year to year. Respectfully, Emmanuel Segmen - Pete Theisen Chinese Medicine Sunday, February 29, 2004 9:00 PM Re: G.M. Chinese Herbs Hi Emmanuel! The concern is often expressed that GM rice, corn and soybeans will crowd out the traditional GM rice, corn and soybeans making it impossible for the third world people to live and unnecessarily expensive for everyone else. This is to say nothing of the fear that GM rice, corn and soybeans will have undesirable side effects making everyone sick. We all get to be the guinea pigs in this grand experiment, while animal testing is considered inhumane undisclosed people testing is ok. At 02:38 AM 2/29/2004, you wrote: >Hi Attilio, > >As someone trained as a genetic engineer as well as an organismic >biologist, I can assure you that the effects of GM plants are felt >worldwide ... but only within their own species. Chinese herbs are >unaffected. I believe you mean cross-pollination (rather than >cross-infection) ... though pollination is very close to a virus >infection. The way a sperm inserts its DNA into an egg is somewhat close >to viral infection. The GM plant's pollen can only affect it's same >species. Monsanto is not developing a thousand Chinese medical herb seed >varieties for sale to traditional growers. Monsanto and cohorts are >developing GM rice, corn, and soybeans.<snip> Regards, Pete Membership requires that you do not post any commerical, swear, religious, spam messages,flame another member or swear. To change your email settings, i.e. individually, daily digest or none, visit the groups' homepage: Chinese Medicine/ click 'edit my membership' on the right hand side and adjust accordingly. To send an email to <Chinese Medicine- > from the email account you joined with. You will be removed automatically but will still recieve messages for a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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