A Retrospective Study of an Ayurvedic Herbal Combination in the Management of HIV/AIDS.

55 HIV positive patients were treated with an Ayurvedic Herbal Combination during 1999-2004. All Opportunistic Infections were treated with appropriate modern drugs. Regular clinical assessment was conducted and laboratory investigations were done as possible. The overall results proved the Ayurvedic medicine to be highly effective as anti-viral and immuno-stimulant, and safe on long-term use. A nutritious diet, Ayurvedic baseline therapy, timely allopathic treatment of Opportunistic Infections and regular counselling support appears to be an ideal combination in the management of HIV / AIDS patients.

Introduction:

The Ayurvedic Herbal Combination (AHC) comprises eleven different herbs in different dosage strengths, based upon their respective potencies, reported anti-viral and immunomodulatory properties, and their traditional usage according to Ayurvedic principles of medicine.3-5

The constituents of AHC with their respective dosages are as follows:-
Terminalia arjuna: 250 mg., Zinziber officinale: 250 mg., Phyllanthus niruri :1 gm.,Glycyrrhiza glabra:1 gm, Withania somnifera:1gm.,Eclipta alba: 250 mg.,Centella asiatica: 250 mg.
Boerhavia diffusa: 250 mg.,Emblica officinalis: 250 mg.,Tinospora cordifolia: 250 mg.
Rubia cordifolia: 250 mg.

This AHC was dispensed in a combined dose of 5 gms. t.i.d. , to be taken with water after meals. Aqueous herbal extracts of all the medicines were used, in tablet form.

Therapeutic outcome was assessed by overall clinical examination, change in Karnofsky score, change in weight, occurrence and response to O.I., and change in CD4 and Viral Load values.

Results:

The overall age-wise distribution of patients was as follows:-
20-29 years, n = 23(42%), 30-39 years, n = 21 (38%), 40-49 years, n = 10 (18%), 50-59 years,       n = 1 (2 %)

The most striking effect of the Ayurvedic medicines was on the Viral Load and CD4 counts. Because of financial constraints, only 15 patients (27 %) agreed to do either the Viral Load or the CD4 count, or both. In most patients, there was a definite and steady decrease in the Viral Load, and an increase in the CD4 cell counts.

Conclusion:

The retrospective study of 55 HIV positive adult patients treated with an Ayurvedic Herbal combination from April 1999 to November 2004 proved the Ayurvedic medicines to be considerably effective as anti-viral and immuno-stimulant,and safe on long-term use. A nutritious diet, Ayurvedic baseline therapy, timely allopathic treatment of Opportunistic Infections and regular counselling support appears to be an ideal combination in the management of HIV/ AIDS patients.

Reference:

A. A. Mundewadi, Bombay Hospital Research article on “A retrospective study of an Herbal Combination in the management of HIV/AIDS.”, Bombay Hospital Journal.