Herbal remedies

Got a cure for AIDS? Maybe you're convinced that large doses of vitamins can do the trick or that you have found the answer scores of scientists over the last 25 years could not. If you live in South Africa there is little to prevent you from packaging your wonder product in an old coke bottle or a fancy pill container, depending on your means, and selling it for whatever price you can get.

Geneva - The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday issued guidelines for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the multibillion-dollar herbal medicines market amid reports that some products are tainted with toxic substances. The guidelines, intended for national regulatory bodies, lay out the best techniques for growing and harvesting medicinal plants used for various ailments or weight loss, as well as the clear labelling of the contents of any product. Herbal medicines represent an estimated $60-billion (about R413-billion) a year global market, about 20 percent of the overall drug market, according to the United Nations agency. Yet only China, Japan and the European Union have regulations for medicinal plants. It is not a binding guideline for any country, but it is a model or sort of checklist which they can use to make their own national regulations, Hans Hogerzeil, acting director of WHO's essential drugs and medicines department, told a news briefing. In Africa, up to 80 percent of the population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care. In China, herbal preparations account for up to 50 percent of total consumption.(Source: Reuters, February 10 2004 on www.iol.co.za)

Ground-breaking research could see herbal remedies becoming an integral part of mainstream medicine in South African hospitals, bringing hope to thousands of HIV/AIDS sufferers who cannot afford expensive anti-retroviral therapy. Reports from one KwaZulu-Natal provincial hospital, where herbal medicine has become part of the routine medical service, show significant improvements in health in many patients opting for traditional care. Presenting a personal and scientifically-based perspective on indigenous herbal medication to healthcare workers at a Medical Research Council HIV/AIDS forum meeting in Durban on Tuesday, ethno-botanist and natural healer Anne Hutchings described work being done at the Ngwelazane Hospital near Empangeni in Zululand. She said more than 400 patients, after initial assessment, had undergone treatment with remedies, many of which had their roots based in century-old African tradition. Among the findings on 211 patients who had visited the hospital's natural treatment clinic, 50 percent showed steady weight gains, while 17 percent remained in a stable condition.  In another study, observed over three months, 67 out of 89 HIV patients boasted weight gains and an improved health status while on a regimen of natural medication combined with standard antibiotics and a special diet plan. Indigenous plants that have been introduced as remedies in various forms - from creams to tablets - include Sutherlandia, Warburgia and African Ginger, all of which have therapeutic qualities beneficial to those with HIV. Many of them are natural antibiotics with properties that are known to relieve thrush, chronic pain, bronchitis, nausea, night sweats, diarrhoea and swollen glands. Others help with loss of energy and assist in weight gain. What is most important is that these plants can be grown on our doorsteps and in our back yards, said Hutchings. To my mind this has to be the way to go. ( Source : Daily News, 30 October 2002)

Reports from one KwaZulu-Natal provincial hospital, where herbal medicine has become part of the routine medical service, show significant improvements in health in many patients opting for traditional care. Presenting a personal and scientifically-based perspective on indigenous herbal medication to healthcare workers at a Medical Research Council HIV/Aids forum meeting in Durban on Tuesday, ethno-botanist and natural healer Anne Hutchings described work being done at the Ngwelazane Hospital near Empangeni in Zululand. She said more than 400 patients, after initial assessment, had undergone treatment with remedies, many of which had their roots based in century-old African tradition. Among the findings on 211 patients who had visited the hospital's natural treatment clinic, 50 percent showed steady weight gains, while 17 percent remained in a stable condition. In another study, observed over three months, 67 out of 89 HIV patients boasted weight gains and an improved health status while on a regimen of natural medication combined with standard antibiotics and a special diet plan. Indigenous plants which have been introduced as remedies in various forms - from creams to tablets - include Sutherlandia, Warburgia and African Ginger, all of which have therapeutic qualities beneficial to those with HIV. Many of them are natural antibiotics with properties that are known to relieve thrush, chronic pain, bronchitis, nausea, night sweats,diarrhoea and swollen glands. Others help with loss of energy and assist in weight gain. What is most important is that these plants can be grown on our doorsteps and in our back yards, said Hutchings. To my mind this has to be the way to go. (Source: Liz Clarke, Daily News, October 30 2002)