Bible oil: sacred, scientific, or cynical? Oh, and fish.

In Israel, a Professor Ovadia has mixed some oil with cinnamon and other spices according to a biblical recipe, and sold his discovery to Frutarom, a multinational 'nutraceutical' company which reckons it can use it to inhibit the spread of infections in hospitals and public places - including Avian flu and HIV.  One of the best bits of this web report is the responses - some saying it's superstitious, some that it is cynical  marketing and that he has no right to sell it anyway, and a few  from diverse religions who are wholly convinced about miraculous oils, water etc. 
    Something a touch less contentious is a site full of bible recipes.  Re-worked by a modern chef,  because we have bred our fruit and veg to be milder and sweeter over 2000 years.  Apparently the ancients liked sour and bitter tastes more than we do.  I was going to say "well, the Romans liked sauce made of rotten fish"  but deeper research suggests that this is a calumny and that it was fresh fish.  The poet Martial says that the mackerel was 'still breathing".  Sorry, I seem to have strayed a bit. Must be the oil.