Scientists in Yunnan unlock secrets of 'magical' microbe-killing plant

Scientists say they have discovered that the pepper-like fruit of a plant native to Yunnan can kill germs as efficiently as antibiotics, with few side effects.

While the benefits of ma qian are new to modern medicine, the plant has long been used by the Dai minority in the Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture, which straddles the border with Laos.

Tribal doctors have used oil extracted from the seeds to cure stomach disorders and flesh wounds since ancient times. The mild flavoured fruit has a pleasant fragrance and is used as a food preservative.

The herbal germ-killer shows promise in treating patients while avoiding the serious overuse of antibiotics in China, according to researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Dr Zhang Ping, a researcher at the internationally acclaimed CAS Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in Mengla county and an author of a study on the plant, said that due to the region’s isolation, the “magical power” of ma qian was known to few people outside the local Dai population.

“I had never heard of it until I came to Xishuangbanna,” Zhang said. “It is totally new to the rest of China and the world.”