A DNA test has confirmed Meru miraa is unique to the region and genetically different from its relatives cultivated in other parts of the world. The DNA results reinforce the case by Kenya government scientists who recently declared miraa safe for human consumption. The first argues that cultivated miraa originated in Yemen moving to Ethiopia and then Kenya. The second hypothesis runs that cultivated miraa first originated from Ethiopia and then spread to both Yemen and Kenya. The report to be published this week in the American Journal of Botany, suggests miraa grown in the Meru/Mt Kenya region has largely remained virgin.

Source: Standard Digital April 17, 2017 20:03 UTC