By: Robert II Smith
Sub-Saharan Africa is known to have the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world. To this day, there is still a high demand for drugs for the HIV/AIDS virus, which may decrease depending on the affordability of these drugs manufactured by multibillion-dollar companies (Bloom). Just like some people in the Far East believe in the healing power of Chinese medicine, there are definitely a significant number of people in Africa who equally believe in the power of African traditional medicine (Sebit et al.; Zachariah et al.).
The holistic nature of traditional medicine in Africa can be described as communication with the world of spirits and the use of plant and animal products in religious rituals. This holism addresses the spiritual, the physical and the socio-psychological problems that affect people’s daily lives (Makhubu). In this paper we shall not directly look at traditional African medicine with a religious / spiritual aspect, but analyze the herbology with specific interest in alternative treatments for the HIV/AIDS virus.
Despite the readily available antiretroviral drugs, the general use of complementary and alternative medicine among HIV/AIDS patients seems fairly widespread, even in the West (Duggan et al.). It is known that in some African nations, the health ministries encourage the use of traditional medicine herbs in order to treat HIV/AIDS, whether it is in combination with prescription drugs or not (McPhail et al.; Morris; “Ghana…”).
Hypoxis hemerocallidea is a species of the family Hypoxidaceae and has a long history of medicinal use on the African continent. Among its many names, it is also known as the African potato. The South African primary health care community is currently using Hypoxis as an immunostimulant for patients with HIV/AIDS. It is said that there are sterols and sterolins that have the potential to enhance immunity, which are found in the root of the Hypoxis. Zulu traditional healers for centuries have used the Hypoxis root in the treatment of urinary infections, heart weakness, internal tumors, and nervous disorders (Mills et al.). In Europe, specific extracts of the Hypoxis hemerocallidea are used to treat prostrate problems, due to the extracts’ anti-inflammatory activity. These extracts also assist in lowering cholesterol levels and stabilizing of membranes (Hostettmann et al.).
Another herb that also has a relatively long history of effectiveness in southern Africa is Sutherlandia Frutescens. It is said to have been used in the treatment of cancer, influenza, tuberculosis, diabetes, HIV infection and many other conditions (Mills et al.; Dalvi). “Sutherlandia seems to assist the body in mobilizing its own resources to cope with diverse physical, mental and chemical stresses.”(Dalvi). According to Mills et al. (2005), a US patent registered in 1988 claimed that 95% of HIV-infected lymphocytes were selectively destroyed in vitro. Sutherlandia is also said to help in reducing wasting in cancer and AIDS patients. Sutherlandia “appears mainly to assist in weight gain in patients with a catabolic (self-destructive) metabolism, not in those with a normal, anabolic metabolism…[Thus, Sutherlandia] should be of strong interest to healthcare providers using anabolic agents (to increase muscle mass) and drug appetite stimulants (Dalvi).
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