Plant Touted as 'Lebanese Viagra'
Thursday August 20 5:51 PM EDT
JOSEPH PANOSSIAN Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - The plant known as Shirsh Zallouh has grown high in Lebanon's mountains for millennia, disturbed only by herbalists who prescribe it as a stimulant.
But almost overnight, the root has entered the common vernacular. The spark? Beirut newspapers have christened Shirsh Zallouh the ''Lebanese Viagra.''
The sudden surge in demand by Lebanese men and women seeking a sex panacea is causing scientists to fret about the plant's possible extinction. Health officials, meanwhile, worry that amateur harvesters could confuse the plant with look-alike roots that are highly toxic.
Pierre Malychef, an ecologist and former professor of pharmacology at two Lebanese universities, found six harmful plants that were mistaken for the herb. One of them contained the poison that killed the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
Shirsh Zallouh, Arabic for ''hairy root,'' grows above 6,000 feet. It can be picked from August to October, after its roots mature and before snow makes the mountains inaccessible. It belongs to the parsley family and has the Latin name Ferula Hormonis.
While some specialists doubt the plant's medicinal value, people are climbing eastern Lebanon's mountains and biblical Mount Hermon in the south to gather the roots for personal use or for sale.
''I am afraid an ecological disaster will ensue if the uncontrolled harvesting continues,'' said Malychef.
Businessman Kuftan Jamal said he cannot get enough to meet increasing demand. The price has risen from $3.30 to $16.50 for a little more than 2 pounds.
Some herb dealers say they've had inquiries from as far away as Australia and Japan about deals to package the drug as a modern medicine.
The Shirsh Zallouh fad began weeks ago when newspapers dubbed it ''Lebanese Viagra without the side effects.'' Most Arab states have banned the U.S. impotency drug.
Usually the roots of Shirsh Zallouh are eaten after being soaked in wine or are ground into powder that is put into capsules or mixed with tea. In Syria, the powder is mixed with honey.
Dr. Wassim Wazzan, a specialist in treating impotence at Beirut's American University Hospital, expressed skepticism about its effectiveness, saying, ''We as doctors trained in Western medicine ...
don't use herbs.''
But Dr. Ali Abou Hamman, a physician in the village of Chebaa near Mount Hermon, said in a telephone interview that he has treated ''hundreds of people ... with a 100 percent success rate.''
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