The Effects of Long-Term Herbal Treatment for Pediatric AIDS

Abstract

This paper presents our long-term (1992–2000) treatment of pediatric Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients (maximum 100 children, last three years 65) using native herbal remedies in a voluntary medical assistance program in Constanta, Romania. We primarily report the progress of 10 children at a facility called the "House of Tomorrow" and three other facilities. The long-term (8 years and 8 months) treatment contributed to a drop of the amount of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Ribonucleic Acids (HIV-RNA) below the measurable level for 9 out of 10 patients at the "House of Tomorrow." Furthermore, the treatment led to preservation and increase of the cluster of differentiation (CD4) count, a remarkable decrease in mortality rate, as well as the maintenance of a good quality of life. It took one to three years for the beneficial effects of the treatment to emerge. No side-effects were recognized either clinically or biochemically, nor was there any emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV as seen with anti-HIV chemical treatments. This paper also refers to which herbal remedies were used and their general mechanism of action.