With flu season about to arrive, and increased worry due to the swine flu, I wanted to remind you about Andrographis Paniculata.  This herb, known as Kan Jang in China and as Kalmegh in India, is potent against the flu.  One study conducted on 540 people with the flu demonstrated the following:

"The differences in the duration of sick leave and frequency of post-influenza complications indicate that the Kan Jang phytopreparation not only contributes to quicker recovery, but also reduces the risk of post-influenza complications."

Other studies have demonstrated Andrographis to be more effective than Echinachea in fighting viral infections.  There is also a large amount of research on Andrographis for the common cold--all of it positive (do a search on my site for "Andrographis" for more research).

I carry an excellent Andrographis in my store and at my office--I recommend having some on hand to take if you're around people with cold/flu, or at the first sign of illness.