I have a batch of Tamiflu and wondering when is the right time to take it. Before symptoms or once they begin? Seems to be alot of flu going around in my community, so feeling concerned.
Within 48 hours of the start of symptoms is what I hear. Since there is a shortage taking it as a preventative could be a bad idea as you may run out.
Tamiflu, btw, is an herbal extract from what I can tell. it is made from shikimic acid which is taken from the fruit Chinese star anise. So there is going to be a shortage as we can’t artificially produce shikimic acid from what I can tell, we have to wait for more star anise fruits to grow.
On another note you might want to get some black elderberry extract. At least two studies have found it can cut the duration of the flu from about 7 days down to 3 days. Tamiflu, by contrast only cuts the flu down from 7 days to about 5 days.
http://www.supplementquality.com/efficacy/sambucol_flu.html
There was a study out recently showing sauerkraut, when given to birds infected with avian, cut death risk from about 50% down to about. Howevr it is only one study and I don’t know if it also works in humans.
Other supplements that may help are lactoferrin, Echinacea, garlic, cimetidine and several others that I can’t remember right now.
I’m not a doctor, but according to Tamiflu’s homepage you’ve got 2 days after the onset of flu symptoms.
- Peter Wiggen
That should say it cut the death rates down to about 15%.
Wesley, thanks for great info and links! I’ll wait till the onset of symptoms (for all the reasons stated), and realizing there’ll be a shortage, I’ll try some of the other supplements you mentioned.
Peter, I didn’t realize Tamiflu had a website! Just visited the site and loads of info there, too. Thanks!
Here is another interesting site on the subject.
Another great site! Interesting to see DHEA at top of other supplemental approaches–I take Omega 3 now, typically one head of garlic (10+ cloves?) daily, and green tea after dinner… sure hope this boots my immune system, generally speaking, but particularly should I succomb to the flu.
pace 
LOL. We have no idea what we’re doing.
"Avian flu may kill by an exaggerated immune response, how will it change treatment … "
WHOA!! You are NOT going to believe this, but just spoke with inlaws in Singapore 5 minutes ago (who sent me the Tamiflu) and they said they now have shortage, HOWEVER, their major newspaper reported yesterday that two Japanese citizens died from taking Tamiflu!! So, you’re right! lol! “we have no idea what we’re doing.”
Well, Tamiflu acts by blocking an enzyme the flu virus needs to use to escape its host cell. Basically it prevents the flu from escaping a host cell after it has taken it over. I don’t know if it has any effect on immune response.
These must be the teens. Sounds more like troubled kids or hallucinagenic side effects from the tamiflu.
Three cheers for low level college molecular biology classes.
On another note one of those studies I listed earlier shows black elderberry extract greatly increases cytokine levels, by up to 50x. If high cytokine levels are why the Avian flu is deadly then that will probably just kill you.
Thank god it’ll probably take a few years for the flu to jump to humans. Maybe by then we’ll know what to do about it. I’m really not sure anymore. I thought just boosting the immune system and fighting the flu would be good, now it seems that the opposite is a good idea.