A study on rats exposed to bacterial infection showed that low doses of capsaicin (the ingredient that makes hot peppers hot) reduced blood levels of TNF, IL-6, and other inflammatory compounds. PUBMED ID:15502055 (cache).

However, it seems to do so by blocking NF-Kappa, not the MAPK p38 pathway that the H5N1 virus uses. PMID:12537981 (cache), PMID:12115659 (cache)

Other studies have found that capsaicin can increase MAPK p38 activity. PMID:15621364 (cache), PMID:16123700 (cache)

While it is clear that hot peppers contain potent immunomodulators, but this research suggests that capsaicin may not be the right agent for the H5N1 virus.

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