CASE OF THE STAR ANISE

We are often held in awe to note what modest stuff may really do for mankind. I always keep a bottle of star anise on my spice rack. What Malaysian housewife won't, anyway. I use it for fish curry and briyani rice that's all.I guess that speaks of my culinary prowess. It would appear that the Chinese, Vietnamese and Indians do find a multitude of use for it in their food preparation.

Recently, it came to my knowledge that apart from it's culinary uses, the Chinese and the Indians have long been using it for medicinal purposes. For example, I now recall the anise seeds served in Indian restaurants after meal to aid digestion. In Traditional Chinese medicine, star anise is used as a warm and moving herb that assists in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao.

In 2005, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its use in making Tamiflu. The 2009 swine flu outbreak led to another series of shortages as stocks of Tamiflu were built up around the world, sending prices soaring. Wo.......that is news to me! Tamiflu is a trade name for Oseltamivir, an antiviral drug that slows the spread of the flu virus in the body. Unfortunately, as of April 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 268 out of over 15,000 samples of the prevalent 2009 pandemic H1N1 (swine) flu tested worldwide have shown resistance to oseltamivir. Noted as well are the political figures who served on the board of the producing company.

Back home, people are brewing the star anise ...........