Chinese Herbs & HIV Disease

For many people living with HIV disease, Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is a popular complementary therapeutic option. Standard HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) treatment for HIV disease can cause unpleasant side effects, and preliminary evidence suggests some CHM remedies may help improve quality of life for patients on HAART regimens and may also themselves have anti-viral properties.

• Shitake mushrooms may be effective in inhibiting HIV-1 replication

Significance

• According to AVERT worldwide statistics, more than 30 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS.

Features

• Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is an ancient and continually evolving health care system that employs an holistic and preventative approach to human health and illness.

Types

• Some CHM remedies used by HIV patients include reishi, shitake and maitake mushrooms and Qian-Kun-Nin, a Chinese herbal formulation.

Considerations

• Although the Cochrane Collaboration cautions that more rigorous research into the safety and efficacy of treating HIV illness with CHM is needed, pilot and small-scale studies with Chinese herbs show potential for improving patient quality of life, reducing some of the negative side effects of standard HAART therapies and inhibiting HIV replication.

Effects

• According to the November 2007 "Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology," Qian-Kun-Nin (Scutellaria baicalensis) was effective at reducing gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by the HIV drug Ritonavir in rats.

  Additionally, the journal "Life Sciences" reported in November 2003 that a protein isolated from shitake mushrooms demonstrated effectiveness at inhibiting replication of the HIV-1 virus.