7.5.a Rosy Periwinkle

Growing conditions

• Small evergreen shrub
• Native to Madagascar
• No common in tropical and sub-tropical regions
• Needs warm conditions with no frost at all
• Well-drained soil
• Slightly acidic soil

International trade

• Worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year
• Exploited by Eli Lilly
  • Only small amounts of the money go back to the countries where the plant is grown
  • Called biopiracy
  • Prevents economic growth
  • Creates poverty and inequality in the country where it is grown

• The Late 60s
  • Found to contain 70 known alkaloids
  • 2 of which are crucial in cancer treatments
    • Vincristine - Chemotherapy for children with leukaemia - changed the survival rate from 10% to 90%
    • Vinblastine - Used as a treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma
• Cannot be artificially produced
  • Mainly produced in India, Central Asia and Madagascar
• Treatments
  • Cancer (above)
  • Wasp stings (India)
  • Diabetes (China & Philippines)
• Also, an ornamental garden plant, commonly found in Asia