A Chinese spice that increases the flavour of food has become the centre of public attention, thanks to the growing profile of bird flu.

Star anise, a herbal fruit mainly grown in China, as well as Viet Nam, is a primary ingredient in the production of an anti-viral drug which helps to fight bird flu symptoms. 

More specifically, star anise is the basic component for Shikimic acid. Shikimic acid is the base material for the production of Tamiflu, the only drug available that combats the deadly strain of avian flu, which some fear may kill millions of humans.

The new market value and soaring fears of a Tamiflu shortage have triggered a price surge for star anise in its main production regions of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong, Yunnan and Fujian provinces. In Guangxi, the price has doubled in the past week.

Despite its new fame as the key ingredient of Tamiflu, star anise has rarely been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat flu. But in some Tibetan prescriptions, the star anise is used to cure influenza.

重点记忆词汇

bird flu  n. 禽流感

bird flu  n. 禽流感

herbal  n. 草药的

symptom  n. 症状, 征兆

avian  a. 鸟类的

soar  v. 高飞，剧增

stockpile  v. 储蓄, 贮存

Tibetan  a. 西藏的，藏族人的

[划词翻译已开启]