WHAT IS A-ZAM TREATMENT FOR HIV ?
WHAT IS A-ZAM TREATMENT FOR HIV ?
Treatment of HIV Infection with a
Herbal Mixture, A-ZAM, Among
Clients seeking (discovering) Herbal Remedy in Nigeria (country in west Africa).
A-ZAM :
- Nigeria is the third country in the world with largest population of people infected with HIV infection.
- The use of herbal remedies for terminal illness is very common and the fact that HIV infection had no cure prompted many to seek for traditional medicines and spiritual solutions.
- Α- Zam is an herbal remedy used for HIV infection in Nigeria.
- α-Zam is a mixture of many herbal materials and is used as alternative therapy to Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART).
- The study was to determine the effectiveness (CD4 count and viral load) of a safe herbal concoction, α-Zam used by clients seeking herbal remedy for treatment of HIV infection in Nigeria.
- A -ZAM is an herbal remedy that has been in use as alternative therapy for HIV infection in Nigeria for about a decade( 10 year duration).
- This study focussed on safety of the α- Zam using animal models.
- This study was to determine the effectiveness (CD4 count and viral load) of a safe herbal mixture, α-Zam used by clients seeking herbal remedy for treatment of HIV infection in Nigeria.
- Since the discovery of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) linked with HIV as the causative agent in early 1980s, Nigeria was not excluded from the scourge of this dreadful infection.
- The use of herbal remedies for terminal illness is very common and the fact that HIV infection had no cure prompted many to seek for traditional medicines and spiritual solutions.
- Thus Nigerians living with HIV infection since 1987 when the first case was reported in the country resulted to super-natural solutions.
- Despite the widely availability of non-expensive Highly Active Antiretroviral therapy (HAART), many HIV patients in Nigeria are desperately looking for quicker solution to the existing problems of long duration therapy by patronising herbal .
- Regular visits were paid to the patients after commencement of the α-Zam to assess the side-effects, drug interactions, toxicity and effectiveness of the herbal remedy.
- There was a statistical significance (P<0.05) between pre-treatment and post-treatment CD4 count.
- 4 (7.8%) of the patients had average increase in CD4 count of 262±16 cell/µL, 23 (45.1%) patients with average increase 310±16 cell/µL, 16 (31.4%) patients with average increase 456±25 cell/µL and 8 (15.7%) patients with average increase 510±36 cell/µL( %) were at WHO staging I , II, III and IV respectively within 4 months on herbal therapy.
- There was very marked reduction in viral (HIV-RNA) load with 41 (80.4%) and10 (19.6%) HIV infected patients had undetectable viral load and <1000 copies/ml respectively after the therapy.
- All symptoms and signs associated with HIV infection in all patients fully subsided within 4 weeks of commencement of α-zam therapy and there was no evidence of negative drug interaction in those HIV patients using both the herbal and highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART).
- The effectiveness of herbal remedies in HIV infection is not doubtful. There are many herbal remedies that have been found to inhibit one or more steps in HIV replication.
- Alkaloids derivatives herbal remedies (e.g. Ancistrocladus korupensis) from tropical liana plant inhibit reverse transcriptase and HIV induced cell fusion.
- Pentosan poly-sulphate, a carbohydrate derivate inhibits HIV tat regulatory protein (p14) that strongly activates transcription of proviral DNA.
- A coumarin herbal remedy in form of canolides from tropical forest tree (Calophyllum lanigerum) was rated as non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor in potency.
- Despite the fact that sero-deconversion is very rare with HAART, some herbal remedies (e.g. Chinese medicines) have been documented in serodeconversion of HIV infected patients .
- However, many HIV patients taking herbal remedies denied when asked by medical practitioners.
- The possible negative drug interaction between orthodox medicine and herb had been a major concern.
- Herbal derived vitamins and garlic were documented to have caused negative drug interaction with anti-HIV drugs in some HIV patients.
- However, many herbal medicines decreased drug resistance associated orthodox anti-retroviral drugs. Coumarins in combination therapy with nevirapine (component of HAART) decreased resistance due to HIV mutation.
- There are many herbal remedies that are effective against HIV infection in Nigeria.
- Many of these documented herbal remedies act on the opportunistic infections caused by micro-organisms.
- Baissea axillaries Hua, a popular herbal remedy in Nigeria used to treat many diseases was also effective in bacterial caused opportunistic infections in HIV patients
- However, neem leaves that are widely distributed in Nigeria increased the CD4 count and general well being significantly in HIV patients.
- Thus there is a need to investigate the level of effectiveness of α-Zam, an herbal remedy used by many HIV patients in Nigeria in patients taking it as alternative or complementary therapy.
- Materials and Methods for A-ZAM
- Is a safe herbal concoction that contained saponins (titerpene glycosides), tannins, cardenolides, alkaloids and possibly anthraquinones.
- The adult table-spoon (about 10ml) of the concoction was diluted with about 50ml of warm water. The dosage was reduced to 5ml for paediatric patient. Each freshly constituted diluted medication was taken three times daily before food and normally for three months by patient at home (out-patient)
- Patients were the HIV infected patients seeking herbal remedies as alternative or complementary therapy to HAART at α-Zam therapist herbal centres.
- Herbal centre:
- Herbal therapist confidence was gained and consent sought for using his patients and herbal remedy for this study.
- All the new patients coming for treatment on out-patient were recruited into the study after counselling and gaining their consents. The herbal therapist recruits patient via well treated ‘former HIV patient’ and their relatives.
- The herbal therapist dispensed a monthly α-Zam dosage in 1litre container for patient to come back for monitoring and review (out-patient). Each patient's contact and address was taken for monitoring, bi-monthly visits and repeat of medical and laboratory examinations when necessary.
- Patients' selection:
- Power calculation was used to determine the sample size for this study. The pilot study was done. The patients were selected based on HIV positive test result from the diagnosed orthodox hospitals (government and private) however, only 51 patients that were confirmed (Western blot) at LAUTECH teaching hospital and Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and completed their herbal therapy within 5 months between September 2008 and December 2009 were considered for this study.
- Patients:
- Blood sample for HIV confirmatory test in Nigerian Government owned tertiary institution laboratory (LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo and Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital, Zaria) were done on all the patients in this study. All the samples were sent for laboratory analysis in teaching hospitals on out-patient basis. The viral (HIV-RNA) load was done at research centre via the LAUTECH teaching hospital while the CD4 count and other laboratory tests were done at both teaching hospitals used for this study. The study conducted preliminary examinations (laboratory and medical) using World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention staging criteria and identified associated opportunistic infections or systemic diseases. The patients taking HAART with α-Zam as complementary therapy were noted.
Furore over black seed, honey cure for HIV
- Mixture made predominantly with black seed (Nigella sativa) and honey provide the much sought after cure for the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)?
- Study by researchers from the University of Ibadan (UI)/University College Hospital (UCH), published in Journal of Herbal Medicine concluded: “This study concluded that the herbal remedy (α-Zam/Nigella Sativa and honey) is effective in the treatment of HIV infection based on a significant improvement in both the clinical features and laboratory results of HIV infection. However, a longer follow-up is suggested to ensure that the observed improvement is sustained. In addition, a large population study is needed to confirm our observation in this cohort of people.”
- According to the study, six patients taking this herbal concoction as an alternative therapy for HIV infection were recruited into the study and monitored for four months. All six patients were infected by HIV, as confirmed by Western blot analysis in the nearest teaching hospital, that is Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) teaching hospital or Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, before commencing preliminary clinical and laboratory examinations using World Health Organization (WHO) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria.
- The researchers noted: “The patients were contacted daily and visited regularly after commencement of herbal medications to assess the efficacy (disappearance of presenting signs and symptoms associated with HIV infection), side-effects, drug toxicity, and compliance. The symptoms and signs associated with HIV infection disappeared within 20 days of commencement of herbal therapy with significant difference (p < 0.05) before treatment and at periodic intervals on α-Zam therapy. Body weight increased from an average of 53 ± 2 kg to 63 ± 2 kg, viral load (HIV-RNA) decreased from 42,300 ± 1500 copies/ml to an undetectable level (≤50 copies/ml), and CD4+ count (a marker for the immune system) increased from an average of 227 ± 9 to 680 ± 12 mm3/μL at four months post-therapy. This study concluded that the herbal remedy (α-Zam) is effective in the treatment of HIV infection based on a significant improvement in both the clinical features and laboratory results of HIV infection. However, a longer follow-up is suggested to ensure that the observed improvement is sustained. In addition, a large population study is needed to confirm our observation in this cohort of people.”
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