In June of 2022, multiple people fell ill. Seriously ill. Those affected had terrible symptoms. They were nauseated. Some vomited until they were dehydrated and in many, the liver tests were extremely abnormal. Some patients developed jaundice and severe itching of their hands and feet. The doctors did not know what was causing it. Every virus and other infections they tested for, and every drug they thought was causing it - were conspicuously absent. The cause became shrouded in mystery. The itching would not stop, the jaundice would not settle. So the doctors had to do assume that it was stones in the gall bladder that blocked the bile ducts, causing inflammation of the gall bladder leading to jaundice and itching. So as a last resort, they removed the gall bladder of patients who did not improve with medication. At least 25 people in various parts of the country lost their gall bladders. By the end of July 2022, the US FDA received 329 similar cases and 113 hospitalizations across 36 States - all with features of severe gastroenteritis, jaundice and sky high liver enzymes on blood tests. In June of 2022, multiple people fell ill. Seriously ill. And the numbers were rising. And as the number rose, complaints about a seemingly benign cause was consistently being reported on a particular company's complaint line which was picked up by the US FDA. In June of 2022, multiple people fell ill. Seriously ill, after consuming a new plant-based frozen product. In April of 2022, this new frozen product, was first advertised and sold as a tasty protein-rich topping on flatbreads and tortillas or better, layered into lasagna or stuffed into empanadas or as fillings in Shepherd's pie. Droves of people bought it. In fact, 28,000 numbers of this plant-based frozen product were sold across the United States at 'pop-up' stores and via home delivery. By the end of June 2022, the manufacturer of the food product, Daily Harvest, pulled its new "hot" product off the shelves because they feared it was contaminated and had gotten people very sick. A month later, Daily Harvest said it had ruled out various food-borne microbes, fungal toxins, heavy metals, and major allergens in their product. And there was no contamination or adulteration. And a hunt for the ingredient that caused severe gastrointestinal and liver injury, in their highly advertised "French Lentil + Leek Crumbles" frozen food kicked into action. Everyone started focusing on a seemingly benign ingredient, which was hitherto unknown as a major protein source at the time. A new "plant-based protein" kid on the block. It was a flour made from the seeds or pods of the Tara Tree, which grows in the Andes, in Peru. This Tara flour was the protein source in the Crumbles product. The company warned consumers to dump the product if they had brought it and the US FDA advised people to not consume Tara flour based product from Daily Harvest. But medical science and the curiosity of research did not end there. There had to be a reason why it was the Tara flour. Why did a seemingly benign plant-based protein-rich flour make so many ill? Almost a year later, in May 2023, scientists at the National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, lead by Professor Ikhlas A Khan, found it...1/2