Echinacea is widely known as an 'immune booster' but it may not stimulate the immune system in a way that is beneficial to those infected with avian flu. Echinacea stimulates the release of TNF and increases MAPK p38 activity. PMID:15556647 (cache), PMID:15115689 (cache), PMID:9568541 (cache) One echinacea extract was shown to increase gamma interferon but had no effect on nitric oxide. PMID:15949903 (cache)

Although echinacea may be useful for some types of viral infection, studies have suggested that it may be harmful in some virus infections, like HIV. PMID:11366022 (cache) Given the fact that echinacea promotes the cytokine storm, its use in H5N1 avian flu is also questionable.

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