I'm much unnerved at the disgusting tendency among medicine firms and practitioners in developed countries to get patents for the medicinal properties of substances which have been in use in the developing countries for centuries. The recent battle over haldi (turmeric, found in India) patents is a case in point.

Patents were issued to two Mississippi doctors of Indian origin for the traditional use of turmeric powder. Turmeric powder has been known in South Asia for centuries as haldi. If  the doctors had their way, any future research in South Asian turmeric would mean royalty payments to these doctors.

India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) petitioned the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) against the award of these patents. After some hearings, PTO rejected all six of the claims of the two physicians.

Thank God for the little mercies of life!