Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - September 9, 2007
Teneshia Naidoo
Critics say that the trial - set to take place next month at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg - to test the efficacy of the Sutherlandia plant or the "cancer bush" on 124 HIV positive volunteers in KwaZulu-Natal - is dangerous.
The plant was chosen as it is used by many traditional healers who claim it is effective in combating infections and diseases.
Provincial co- ordinator for the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in KwaZulu-Natal, Phillip Mokoena, said: "Proper research needs to be conducted for the study before being tested on people. At the end of the day we cannot compromise on people's lives, we don't even know enough about this herb to make these 124 people guinea pigs."
Professor Quinton Johnson, director of the International Centre for Indigenous Phytotherapy Studies (TICIPS), agrees there is little scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of the herb to strengthen the immune system. The study, however, is attempting to rectify this. Importantly, he says, it points to the need for partnerships between medical doctors and traditional healers.
The TICIPS will determine whether the volunteers, who are early stage HIV patients and do not medically meet the mandatory CD4 count level to qualify for anti- retrovirals (ARVs), will benefit from consuming the herb in a tablet or liquid format.
Johnson says the clinical study received approval from conventional and traditional practitioners following its announcement at the first provincial traditional medicine conference held in KwaZulu-Natal recently.
"The research team and those in Edendale are unique in their understanding and approach of traditional medicine, which has allowed them to partner with traditional healers."
Edendale Hospital was chosen to host the drug trials due to the critical role they play in providing healthcare to many patients afflicted with HIV/Aids and the conditions that accompany it.
President of the Traditional Healers' Organisation, Sazi Mhlongo, says while the plant has been used for years and yielded positive results, it could be harmful if mixed with certain chemicals.
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