Resveratrol is a compound found in large amounts in red wine, grape seeds, and Japanese knotweed. Resveratrol is known to be absorbed into the blood, and it is believed to be part of the "French Paradox" where many people in France eat a high fat diet, yet have low rates of heart disease.

The root of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum multiflorum aka "He Sho Wu") is the richest known source of resveratrol. It has long been used in a variety of herbal medicines in China and Japan, where it is considered a tonic and life prolonging plant. This plant has spread to many other countries and is naturalized in the US and parts of Europe.

The effects of alcohol on a person infected with avian flu raises obvious concerns - drinking red wine might help prevent an infection, but once an infection does occur, the alcoholic component of wine is probably not desirable. And resveratrol in wine is not stable: After opening a bottle of red wine, the resveratrol begins to oxidize and much of it is degraded within 24-48 hours.

In addition to inhibiting neuraminidase (PMID:12785732 (cache)) resveratrol also sends a message to cells to stop manufacturing Influenza A and Cytomegalo viruses. This was described in terms of blocking the "nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of viral ribonucleoproteins" and reducing the "expression of late viral proteins seemingly related to the inhibition of protein kinase C activity and its dependent pathway." PMID:15838800 (cache), PMID: 15302137 (cache)). These studies found no toxic effects of resveratrol at levels that significantly inhibited the viruses.

Resveratrol Supplements are relatively innexpensive, more stable than wine, and lack the alcohol content that might be harmful while fighting a serious infection.

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Common mispelling: reservatrol