There’s Something About Sweet Wormwood

1

Howard W. French writes in today’s NY Times about the acres and acres of a new crop, called qinqhat, or sweet wormwood, that’s become a huge cash producer in China–
Because Novartis is making anti-malarial drugs with its active ingredient.

“Even peasants closely associated with these efforts, however, say they are being kept in the dark about the drug’s uses, and grumbled over what they said was the company’s secretiveness.

Xu Qianmin, a farmer who gets his seeds from Holley, said his arrangements with the company prevented him from talking about the uses of sweet wormwood, probably, he said, because there may be more commercial hopes for the plant. Little by little, though, with his family gathered around in their simple farmhouse, he opened up.

“I hear there’s a country in Africa with a population of 1.5 million people, and only 14 kilos of our qinghao cured all of their malaria,” he said, touting his plants as a sort of miracle drug.

“Qinghao isn’t only good for one disease,” he added. “We’ve heard it can be made into 300 different medicines.”

Asked for examples, he acted briefly as if he had committed an indiscretion, but then mused that treating cancer might be one of the drug’s future uses.

“The company has found a way to make money, and they want to keep things a secret,” Mr. Xu said, when asked why one needed to keep things quiet. “They don’t want others to come in and steal their business. They want it for themselves.”