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Tamiflu's main ingredient plentiful in Chinatown Dried Star Anise Friut is a digestive, stimulant and diuretic remedy Star anise | The herb pictured left, reputedly in short supply for antiviral drug, is available at Toronto herb stores. Oct. 30, 2005. 12:20 AM ALBERT NERENBERG SPECIAL TO THE STAR The main ingredient for Tamiflu, the widely sought-after treatment for avian flu, is literally right under our noses. While Roche, the Swiss manufacturer of Tamiflu (generic name: oseltamivir), suspended shipments of the anti-viral drug last week, citing a shortage of the Chinese herb it is made from, that herb can be had by ordering spareribs at most Chinese restaurants. Tamiflu, which reduces the symptoms of avian flu but can't cure or prevent it, is made from star anise, a naturally occurring herb that is harvested in four Chinese provinces between March and May. The licorice-flavoured herb is used in many standard Chinese dishes, including spareribs and five-spice duck. It is known to bring out the flavour in stewed meats and is an ingredient in traditional Chinese five spice powder available in most grocery stores. A survey of Chinese herb shops on Dundas St. W. found many were stocking the dried, strong-smelling, star-shaped plant that is also known by its Cantonese name, bat gok. At least one store manager couldn't understand Roche claiming it could not supply enough Tamiflu because of the scarcity of the herb. "Down in my basement, I've got crate after crate of star anise," says William Chiu, manager of Po Chi Tong Chinese Natural Herbs. Chiu sells the dried stars for $7 a pound. In Chinese medicine, star anise has been used to treat respiratory blockage, which is the way some medical experts have said the avian flu kills its victims. Star anise is a natural expectorant, which may point to its role in Tamiflu. (It is also distinct from the Japanese variety of star anise that, in its tea form, was the subject of a recent FDA advisory about possible links to seizures and other complications.) But before you race down to Chinatown to cook up your own batch of the alleged anti-viral wonder drug, consider this: According to Roche, star anise and Tamiflu are very different things. Roche uses the herb as a source of shikimic acid, which is extracted from the seeds of the star anise and converted to epoxide in three chemical steps carried out at low temperature on seven separate sites. At one point after that, the process produces azide, a highly explosive substance. The substance is only handled in tiny quantities, again at different locations, by specialized companies. Finally, one year and many laboratories later (and barring a massive explosion), you get Tamiflu. For practitioners of Chinese medicine, the natural source of Tamiflu is particularly intriguing. "Tamiflu is a Chinese herbal remedy," says Chiu, who operates a large herb emporium with several doctors of traditional Chinese medicine working right in the store. "They're basically taking the herb and pulling out a particular essence. That curative aspect of the plant itself is what led them to Tamiflu." That's interesting, says Chiu, because, from a Chinese medicine perspective, it's evidence that there may be approaches to treating avian flu that don't rely solely on hoarding an under-supplied pharmaceutical product. Traditional Chinese medicine places emphasis on the careful use of natural herbs and the strengthening of the body's immune system. "If you're worried about avian flu, strengthen your immune system," says Chiu. "Take ginseng, astragali and wolfberry, and exercise. That's really the best way overall." Chiu says, once the avian flu scare passes, the world might be hit by a different killer flu that Tamiflu will have no effect on. "You may be better off protecting yourself, in general, naturally." Albert Nerenberg is a Toronto documentary filmmaker.

 

 

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