Traditional herbal medicines from India may also offer a novel
source of antioxidants for the food industry for boosting both the
shelf-life and nutritional content of food, according to a new
review.
The future of research into the ability of phytochemicals to treat
modern disease lies in Asia because of restrictive laws and
"cynicism", a UK based research company has said.
Researchers in South Korea claim that the country's spicy fermented
cabbage dish, kimchi, could help to cure bird flu, the avian
disease which has ravaged poultry stocks across Asia and killed
nearly 50 humans since 2003.
An international clinical study funded by New Zealand dairy giant
Fonterra is said to have proved that dairy products
prevent major childhood diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.