From: Dorothy Darragh <[log in to unmask]>


It seems that Sauerkraut might be able to do what Tamiflu can't: Protect people from the so-called Bird Flu epidemic/pandemic. It hasn't been proven 100% effective yet, but it seems to be able to cure birds with Bird Flu. That's enough for me to know that it DOES work. Whether it will work for everyone remains to be proven yet. It has very much nutrition in it, too, which is good for the immune system. So much for the Rummy get rich on his Tamiflu 'kick backs'... :~)

The following is an article which was forwarded to me. Judge for yourself.

Sauerkraut May Tame Bird Flu 
http://www.poultrycanada.com/default.asp?source=overture 

Sauerkraut, the dish adored in Germany, could prove to be a secret weapon against the threat of bird flu, experts revealed Saturday. 

Scientists believe that the traditional recipe, which is made from chopped cabbage that's fermented for at least a month, contains a bacteria that may combat the potentially fatal disease. 

Their findings follow a study in which kimchee - a spicy cabbage dish popular in South Korea & similar to sauerkraut - was fed to 13 chickens infected with bird flu. Just 1 week later, 11 of the birds showed signs of recovery from the virus. 

"The feed has been shown to help improve the fight against bird flu or other types of flu viruses," said Prof. Kang Sa-ouk, who led the research at Seoul National University. 

Kang's team claims that lactobacilins, the lactic acid bacteria created during the fermenting process, is the active ingredient that could combat bird flu. 

Health experts already agreed there may be some truth to kimchee's curative properties, prompting an increase in its consumption in South Korea. 

Sales of sauerkraut in the US have also soared as a result of the research, & now Britain's starting to catch on. 

Saturday night, importers of the dish to Britain said sales were rising & they were increasing stocks in the expectation that demand could escalate. 

Geoff Hale, the commercial manager for Euro Food Brands, said "Sales are very buoyant at the moment. We bring in about half-a-million jars of sauerkraut to Britain from Germany every year & that numbers are definitely going up." 

Whether sauerkraut does cure bird flu, the dish is said to have a number of other health benefits, among them, cancer-fighting & detoxifying properties. It's also a rich source of vitamins.