About alberto de leon(Report on Health & Nutrition)vox-a12 http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/star-anise/http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-star-anise-4835.html . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illicium_verum ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
With the onslaught of swine flu throughout the global community, there is a new push towards acquiring and stockpiling drugs that can be used to treat potentially lethal strains of influenza.
According to medical science there is a pharmaceutical treatment option available called Tamiflu, that they say will treat swine flu.
But little do consumers know that there is a natural component within this mass-produced pharmaceutical. And what is this powerful ingredient? None other than the common herb star anise.
In fact, most people are unaware that over 40% of all pharmaceutical medications come from plant botanicals, including everything from common aspirin to powerful cancer-fighting medications such as tamoxifen.[1]
The Origins of Star Anise
Star anise, or Illicium verum, is a native plant of Asia, commonly used in traditional societies to spice food, reduce intestinal gas, aid in digestion and act as a powerful diuretic medicinal herb.
It is also known to promote vitality and vigor in the human system, and is a common ingredient in the French liqueur Pernod. This fragrant, licorice-spiced plant is now playing a starring role in one of the most sought-after drugs on the planet: Tamiflu.
Tamiflu: Our Only Hope During A Pandemic?
The manufacturer of the drug Tamiflu is Roche, based in Switzerland. Through a highly secretive process, the company uses large amounts of common Asian star anise to obtain shikimic acid, one of the principle active ingredients in Tamiflu. In fact, without star anise, there is no Tamiflu, as these eight-pointed seed pods gleaned from the Chinese evergreen, are said for massive production of the drug.
In 2005, in response to the SARS avian flu, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its extensive use in creating Tamiflu. During the 2005 scare, the drug company began to make shikimic acid artificially via a process of using fermented and bioengineered E. coli bacteria.
Currently, the US government has about 12 million boxes of Tamiflu on hand. In the event of a global pandemic, this would only serve a small percentage of the American population; certainly not enough to cover nation-wide health needs in the event of an emergency. And as Tamiflu is, so far, the so-called planet’s only defense in the event of a swine or avian flu pandemic, and even though millions of courses are available, one single manufacturer holding a tightly-sealed patent simply cannot create enough of the drug quickly enough to serve global needs in the event of a true pandemic.
For this reason, some governments are demanding that the company release their sealed patent, enabling other companies to make their own version of the star-anise infused remedy. What is more, Tamiflu can’t prevent you from getting swine flu or even kill swine flu, it is a toxic product and can create a grocery list of symptoms. And, according to the manufacturer it only reduces the symptoms of flu for the first 36 hours.
I am highly against the use of this drug and believe that most of these flu pandemics are actually created by man to reduce the population and create fat pockets for big pharma. This has been verified by Dr. Len Horowitz and many others.
One of the best ways of preventing the flu is to keep your overall health at optimum levels, through a proper diet and regular exercise routine. Star anise, in its natural form, can help the body’s immune system fight off many strains of flu, as well as many other health challenges.
For a limited time, Global Healing Center is offering a limited supply of 1 ounce bottles of Star Anise Oil. This oil can be rubbed on the soles of the feet, breathed in an aromatherapeutic form, or taken internally (three drops in warm water 2-3 times daily), to help the body increase resistance to strains of flu not normally encountered. A stimulant, star anise is also helpful in reducing chronic pain, cough, urinary infections, and respiratory infections.
For more information on purchasing Star Anise from the Global Healing Center, call 713-476-0016. I also recommend reading my blog post What I would do for the Flu, which has other effective methods of boosting your immune system in the case of an epidemic.
This entry was posted inHealth News,Natural Health ................................................................................................................................................Illicium verum, commonly calledStar anise,star aniseed, orChinese star aniseis aspicethat closely resemblesanisein flavor, obtained from the star-shapedpericarpofIllicium verum, a medium-sized nativeevergreentree of northeastVietnamand southwestChina. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening.
'Illicium' from Latin 'Illicio'=entice. In Persian, star anise is called badian ",بادیان رومی, hence its French name badiane. In northern India it is called badian khatai. It is said[who?] that its origin is a place called Khata in China. In Malay it is called "Bunga Lawang". It is widely used in Malay cooking. In Tamil it is called as"அன்னாசி மொக்கு" ("Annachi mokku") and in Malayalam it is called "thakolam". It's called as "అనస్ పువ్వు" ("Anas puvvu") in telugu.
Star anise contains anethole, the same ingredient that gives the unrelated aniseits flavor. Recently, star anise has come into use in the West as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in liquor production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor Galliano[citation needed]. It is also used in the production of sambuca, pastis, and many types of absinthe[citation needed]. Star anise enhances the flavour of meat.[citation needed] It is used as a spice in preparation of biryani and masala chai all over the Indian subcontinent. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component ofgaram masala, and in Malay and Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in China, India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also a major ingredient in the making of phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup.
Star anise has been used in a tea as a traditional remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion.[citation needed] As a warm and moving herb, star anise is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to Traditional Chinese medicine.
Star anise is the major source of the chemical compound shikimic acid, a primary precursor in the pharmaceutical synthesis of anti-influenza drug oseltamivir(Tamiflu).[1] Shikimic acid is produced by most autotrophic organisms and whilst it can be obtained in commercial quantities from elsewhere, star anise remains the usual industrial source. In 2005, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its use in the production of Tamiflu. Late in that year, a way was found of making shikimic acid synthetically.[citation needed]Roche now derives some of the raw material it needs from the fermentation of E. coli bacteria. The 2009 swine flu outbreak led to another series of shortages as stocks of Tamiflu were built up around the world, sending prices soaring.[2]
Star anise is grown in four provinces in China and harvested between March and May. It is also found in the south of New South Wales. The shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds in a ten-stage manufacturing process which takes a year. Reports say[citation needed] 90% of the harvest is already used by the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche in making Tamiflu, but other reports[citation needed] say there is an abundance of the spice in the main regions - Fujian, Guangdong,Guangxi and Yunnan.
Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), a similar tree, is not edible because it is highly toxic (due to containing sikimitoxin); instead, it has been burned as incense in Japan. Cases of illness, including "serious neurological effects, such as seizures", reported after using star anise tea may be a result of using this species. Japanese star anise contains anisatin, which causes severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs.The toxicity of Illicium anisatum, also known as Shikimi, is caused by its content in potent neurotoxins (anisatin, neoanisatin, and pseudoanisatin), due to their activity as non-competitive antagonists of GABA receptors.[3]
Star anise, widely used as a spice in Asian cuisine, also has medicinal properties.
Star anise is the star-shaped fruit of an evergreen plant known scientifically as Illicium verum. Originating in southern China, star anise has a licorice- or anise-like flavor, although it is not related to the true anise plants native to the Mediterranean basin and Middle East. Traditionally used as a spice and also as a healing herb, star anise appears to have medicinal properties that endow it with significant health benefits.
Star anise is the primary source of shikimic acid, a plant-based compound that is the precursor to oseltamivir, an antiviral medication that is marketed as Tamiflu, according to an article in a 2011 issue of “Alternative Medicine Studies.” Although shikimic acid also occurs naturally in ginkgo and sweetgum fruit, star anise has far greater concentrations. Italian researchers tested shikimic acid alone and in combination with quercetin, an antioxidant-rich plant-based nutrient, to see if they could bolster immune function to help fight off flu or other viral infections. Although shikimic acid on its own had little or no effect on immune function, its combination with quercetin, even at low doses, appeared to help ramp up immune function to better resist viral infection. Researchers published their findings in the April 2008 issue of “Journal of Medical Virology.”
Antifungal Properties
Candida albicans is a yeast -- a form of fungi -- that occurs naturally in the human mouth, throat, intestines and genitourinary tract. However, when your body’s delicate balance of microbes is disturbed or your immune system is somehow weakened, this yeast can grow unhindered and lead to serious infection, known as candidiasis. South Korean researchers found that extracts and essential oils of star anise exhibited strong antifungal properties when tested against Candida albicans. In the Dec. 10, 2010, issue of “Korean Journal of Medical Mycology,” they said their findings confirm that extracts from Illicium verum are promising candidates for use as antifungal agents.
Antibacterial Properties
The upsurge in bacterial infections that exhibit resistance to existing antibiotics has intensified the search for new agents that may prove more effective against these resistant strains of bacteria. Researchers in Taiwan tested four new antimicrobial compounds from star anise and found that they were effective against 67 strains of drug-resistant bacteria. Chronicling their study in the October 2010 issue of “Journal of Medicinal Food,” the researchers reported that their findings pave the way for the development of new antibiotic medicines from the star anise compounds they studied.
Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants target free radicals – atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons – that can cause disease and cellular damage. Free radicals can damage cellular DNA and initiate carcinogenesis – the beginnings of cancer. You can’t really avoid free radicals, which are byproducts of your body’s metabolic processes, but you can neutralize them by eating a diet rich in antioxidants. Indian researchers conducted an animal study to determine whether star anise’s antioxidant properties helped protect lab rats from artificially induced liver cancer. In a 2007 issue of “Chemico-Biological Interactions,” researchers reported animals that were fed star anise after the induction of carcinogenesis exhibited significantly less evidence of cancer development than those that did not receive star anise..........................................................................................................................................................
Star Anise: The Secret Ingredient in Tamiflu
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