Traditional Medicine

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Zimbabwe Herb Prolongs Lives Of HIV-Infected

Scientists Anna Chibamu, 12 January 2006
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ZIMBABWEAN scientists yesterday claimed that they had made a major breakthrough in trying to find a solution to increasing even further the lifespan of people living with HIV and Aids, a puzzle bugging the medical fraternity for two decades.

Health and Child Welfare deputy minister Edwin Muguti said clinical tests done on a herbal medicine, locally called gundamiti, had so far proved that it possesses healing properties for people living with HIV

"The clinical trials started on December 1 in 2005. To date, 45 patients are on trial for the herbal medicine which we are confident will go a long way in helping patients who are HIV positive," Muguti said.

He said preliminary results so far were encouraging as the condition of patients on the herbal therapy had improved tremendously with some opportunistic infections disappearing "I can safely say their CD4 count had increased, while viral load decreased," the deputy minister said.

"This herbal combination is very safe with no deaths recorded and side effects detected so far."

Muguti said the new development was innovative and refreshing to HIV and Aids patients, as most could not afford the prohibitive anti-retrovirals. "Local products are less expensive and readily available and this makes gundamiti a promising herbal medicine for our country," he said.

Initially, Muguti said the ministry had intended to put 50 patients on trial, but ended up getting 45. "Those who are 18 years and above qualify for the trial and these should be HIV positive," he said. "And they should not have taken any anti-retroviral therapy before."

Last year, the ministry created the department of Traditional Medicine to focus primarily on safe and rational use of herbs and other natural medicines. Muguti stressed that this was very necessary as most countries were now relied on natural medicines due to high cost of conventional drugs

"Research and alternative treatment is vital for the development of Zimbabwe. For example, China and India have produced doctors from Traditional Schools of Medicine, so the same should also happen here," he said.

The Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha) president, Gordon Chavhunduka, also praised the dawn of the herb, he also said was very effective judging by research carried out since 2002.

"Zinatha has been trying this herb for the past 4 years and I can acknowledge its effectiveness in patients, who are HIV positive," he said A few years ago, Zinatha set up a training college for traditional healers, but the project had to be shelved due to financial constraints.

Source: Partners-Zimbabwe eForum

Saturday, January 14, 2006

China, Thailand To Distribute Herbal Drug To Treat HIV-Positive People

from Kaiser Family Foundation, January 11, 2006

Thailand and China plan to distribute an herbal drug that researchers say can boost the immune systems of HIV-positive people and help manage the virus, health officials said on Wednesday in Thailand, AFX/Forbes reports.

The drug, called SH Instant, combines three medicinal herbs from China and two from Thailand and was developed as part of a six-year, $2 million project, according to the Medical Science Department of Thailand's Ministry of Public Health (AFX/Forbes, 1/11).

China's Department of Medical Services Deputy Director Pongphan Wongmanee said that China and Thailand worked together to test the efficacy of the herbal drug (Thai News Service, 1/11).

In a study of 60 patients, the 40 people who took the drug "fared better in fighting the virus than the 20 who did not" take the drug, AFX/Forbes reports (AFX/Forbes, 1/11). SH Instant was shown to reduce the participants' viral load by 43% but does not eliminate the need for standard antiretroviral drugs, according to the Thai News Service.

In initial trials, patients experienced no adverse side effects to SH Instant. The drug currently is in the third phase of testing. China's Ministry of Public Health said it plans to distribute SH Instant within the next three months.

The drugs will be produced in China, but Thailand is negotiating an agreement to sell the drug in Thailand before it is available in other countries, Pongphan said (Thai News Service, 1/11).

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More Than 5,800 HIV-Positive People in China Using Traditional Medicine More than 5,800 HIV-positive people in China are using traditional forms of Chinese medicine, according to She Jing, director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinhuanet reports.

She said 3,500 HIV-positive people in China are using traditional medicines through government funded programs in 11 provinces, and an additional 2,305 are using medicines provided by 15 health institutions in 19 provinces.

She added that the government hopes to widen traditional medicine treatment programs to 14 provinces this year and will continue monitoring the efficacy of the medicines in people living with HIV/AIDS.

According to She, traditional medicines have been proven effective in treating some infectious diseases that occur as a result of HIV and can help patients with some of the painful side effects of antiretroviral drugs (Xinhuanet, 1/11).

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation