A new study has found that a compound found in chocolate and a new combination of other drugs could treat several types of colds, including bird flu and swine flu.

According to the study published in the journal PNAS, the little-known components of chocolate, theobromine and areinosine, could be game-changers for treating colds, even outperforming the most widely used anti-influenza drug, oseltamivir.

The treatment works by targeting a key weakness in the influenza virus. This weakness is actually a microscopic channel that the virus uses to replicate and spread.

According to scientists, blocking this pathway can reduce the virus’s ability to survive.

In the study, the researchers found that the new compound outperformed oseltamivir in cell culture and animal tests.