Chinese Medicine Plant Secrets Probed

Scientists have unravelled one of the secrets of a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine.The Chinese skullcap – known as Huang-Qin – is traditionally used for fever, liver and lung problems.

Scientists have discovered that the plant uses a special pathway to make chemicals with potential cancer-fighting properties.They say it is a step towards being able to scale up production to make new drugs.

Prof Cathie Martin, of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, is lead researcher of the study, published in Science Advances.Working in collaboration with Chinese scientists, her team deduced how the plant,Scutellaria baicalensi, synthesises the chemicals, known as flavones.

Flavones are found widely in the plant kingdom, giving some plants vivid blue flowers.

Courtesy: BBC News