Panafrican News Agency - December 13, 2001
The Blair Research Institute said it had found that herbal medicines used by traditional healers to treat HIV and AIDS patients had properties which protected sufferers from developing psychiatric disorders.
From a study carried out 1996-1998, the institute concluded that suicidal cases of people suffering from AIDS were lower in people under-going traditional herbal treatment compared to conventional medicine, but noted that in all cases the treatment only removed symptoms.
The research involved 200 volunteer AIDS sufferers, who were given treatment of a variety of herbal remedies over a two-year period to determine how they responded.
Researchers said other herbal medicines were found to be effective in boosting immunity, but all failed to reduce the viral load in the patients.
Several traditional healers in Zimbabwe have claimed to cure AIDS, forcing the Ministry of Health to conduct medical research into their claims.
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