Posted by bg on April 10, 2006 at 08:10:14:
There was a Malaysian researcher who claimed to have found a good alternative treatment to bird flu.
The concoction consisted of Zingiber aromaticum (puyang), a close relative of ginger. The other ingredients were two types of tumeric (curcuma aeruginosa and xanthorriza) and chili pepper (piper retrofactum).
A Korean scientist has claimed that kimchi, or rather the fermentation bacteria of kimchi is good for treating bird flu. I guess plain kimchi would also work.
Kimchi is a combination of cabbage, ginger, garlic and peppers that have been allowed to age naturally. Both the above treatments share ginger and peppers in their formulas.
Tamiflu itself derives originally from a component of star anise. Many people are stocking up on this drug. You could use all three types to combat bird flu in case it ever becomes a true epidemic.