Herbal medicine in the management and treatment of HIV-AIDS - A review of Clinical trials

HIV is a retroviral disease of the immune system that leads to decreased immunity via reduced CD4+ T-helper cells (CD4 cells) and increased susceptibility to infections, and ultimately AIDS. Currently it is an epidemic in parts of Asia such as southern Yunnan, China and regions of southern Africa. Herbal medicines are widely used by patients with HIV especially in developing countries due to the high cost of pharmaceuticals and also cultural factors. In these countries herbal medicines are often used for primary care and treatment of opportunistic infections, whereas in developed countries they are used along with conventional modern medicine as ‘complementary medicines’. Herbal medicines are also commonly used in HIV-AIDS treatment, in line with growing evidence suggesting the utility of herbal medicines to be beneficial for immune support, anti-oxidant status and anti-retroviral activity. There are concerns about the safety of some herbs and about false claims of efficacy. We reviewed clinical trials of her al medicines employed in the treatment of HIV-AIDS using clinical trials from PubMed data and Google Scholar from 1995-2013. Our review clearly suggests that herbal medicines are being used in the management of HIV-AIDS primarily for immune support to maintain immunological parameters. However, further extensive clinical studies are required to establish the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies in the treatment of HIV-AIDS.