Chijioke Iremeka
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is not curable at the moment and those seeking to cure the infection with herbal mixtures may end up with kidney and liver damage, infectious disease experts and pharmacists have warned.
They cautioned that while the world is moving towards developing a vaccine against the virus, HIV can only be managed by using antiretroviral therapy to suppress the viral load.
Experts, who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in different interviews, were reacting to the case of four HIV patients who died in Gombe State after using herbal mixtures as a form of treatment.
They said unless a newly developed medicine undergoes clinical trials and is certified fit for consumption and for the treatment of HIV, using such for treatment could worsen a patient’s health situation.
Recall that the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, Gombe State Chapter, recently announced that four of its members died after allegedly using herbal HIV medicine as a form of cure.
The Programme Officer of the Association, Mr Muhammad Ibrahim, speaking at an event to commemorate the 2023 World AIDS Day, said using herbal therapy for HIV treatment in the state had been a source of concern, stressing the need for the government and stakeholders to check the circulation of alternative HIV treatment.
He said a lot of HIV-positive patients, who are desperately searching for cure are opting for herbal remedies, noting that many have died as a result of using medication.
“A lot of our members are subscribing and using herbal medicine. It is based on the information being spread by the hawkers of traditional medicine. These hawkers are everywhere in Gombe.
“These people are openly advertising and claiming that they have discovered the treatment of HIV. As a result, a lot of our people are buying the medicine. There is no scientific proof that the herbal treatments are real. So we want the government to look into this and do the needful.
“Anybody that claims to have found treatment for HIV should be identified and invited by the government to verify his claims. And then certify it before public sales and use,” Ibrahim said.
Sequel to this, a Professor of Infectious Disease Control and Policy at the College of Medicine, Ebonyi State University, Ulu Ogbonnaya, said while no medical doctor would discredit herbal medicine completely, the bogus claims by the developers that these medicines cure all manner of illnesses is the major problem.
He said, “No doctor will tell you that there is no usefulness in herbal medicine because even the majority of orthodox medicines come from herbs. But the problem with herbal medicine is the bogus claims that they make which the media is giving them the space to.
“In orthodox medicine, when you discover any active ingredient for a potential medicine, you have to separate the ingredients from other elements. If you don’t separate it, it may contain other elements that could be harmful to the body.
“For instance, a Nigerian doctor came from Japan and discovered some active ingredients on the bark of dogonyaro tree (Azadirachtin indica) that were useful for producing antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients. Remember that dogonyaro leaves are potent in the treatment of malaria.
“So, he took it out of other elements and produced antiretroviral drugs in Nigeria. He was able to separate the things that could be harmful to the body to make the drug. Unfortunately, the big pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria got the government to stop the drug and the man went back to Japan out of frustration.
“So what I am saying is that when the herbal mixtures are not properly separated, the needed ingredients may mix with harmful ones and this will be harmful to the human. So, after this discovery, there will be a clinical trial to ascertain the safe quantity to be taken and its duration.
“So, the toxicity may have killed the people. We have called on alternative medicine practitioners so that we can work together to develop these medicines, but they are not interested. They will tell you that they got the skills from their ancestors. So, you can’t standardise it. These are the major challenges of alternative medicine.”
Corroborating him, former Secretary General, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Jonah Okotie said, “There is a need for research into alternative medicine. I may not necessarily say that herbal medicines are not effective; however, it may be administered at fatal doses.
“In conventional medicine, there is what is called an effective dose. In that effective dose, there is also the safety margin. In the safety of that medication, the effective dose may be around 50mg but I can still take up to 100mg and nothing harmful will happen to me.
“So, based on the studies, the minimum dose from 50mg to 100mg may be set. If that safety margin is 100mg, if I take 120mg, I have entered the danger line. So, if there is no standardisation, you will not know at what point you are operating at the danger level, which is the major issue with our herbal medicines.
“There was a time when people were taking bitter leaf water. They said it was used to lower blood sugar. But at what dose? At that time, people were drinking bitter leaf water. Before you knew it, they were coming down with kidney problems.”
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