Alternative medicine in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is known to have the highest HIV/AIDS

rate in the world. To this day, there is still a high demand
for drugs for the HIV/AIDS virus, which may decrease
depending on the affordability of these drugs
manufactured by multibillion-dollar companies (Bloom).

Just like some people in the Far East believe in the

healing power of Chinese medicine, there are definitely a
significant number of people in Africa who equally believe
in the power of African traditional medicine (Sebit et al.;
Zachariah et al.).

The holistic nature of traditional medicine in Africa can be

described as communication with the world of spirits and
the use of plant and animal products in religious rituals.
This holism addresses the spiritual, the physical and the
socio-psychological problems that affect people's daily
lives (Makhubu). In this paper we shall not directly look at
traditional African medicine with a religious / spiritual
aspect, but analyze the herbology with specific interest in
alternative treatments for the HIV/AIDS virus.

Despite the readily available antiretroviral drugs, the

general use of complementary and alternative medicine
among HIV/AIDS patients seems fairly widespread, even
in the West (Duggan et al.). It is known that in some
African nations, the health ministries encourage the use
of traditional medicine herbs in order to treat HIV/AIDS,
whether it is in combination with prescription drugs or not
(McPhail et al.; Morris; “Ghana...").

Hypoxis hemerocallidea is a species of the family

Hypoxidaceae and has a long history of medicinal use on
the African continent. Among its many names, it is also
known as the African potato. The South African primary
health care community is currently using Hypoxis as an
immunostimulant for patients with HIV/AIDS. It is said
that there are sterols and sterolins that have the
potential to enhance immunity, which are found in the
root of the Hypoxis. Zulu traditional healers for centuries
have used the Hypoxis root in the treatment of urinary
infections, heart weakness, internal tumors, and nervous
disorders (Mills et al.). In Europe, specific extracts of the
Hypoxis hemerocallidea are used to treat prostrate
problems, due to the extracts' anti-inflammatory activity.
These extracts also assist in lowering cholesterol levels
and stabilizing of membranes (Hostettmann et al.).

Another herb that also has a relatively long history of

effectiveness in southern Africa is Sutherlandia
Frutescens. It is said to have been used in the treatment
of cancer, influenza, tuberculosis, diabetes, HIV infection
and many other conditions (Mills et al.; Dalvi).
“Sutherlandia seems to assist the body in mobilizing its
own resources to cope with diverse physical, mental and
chemical stresses."(Dalvi). According to Mills et al.
(2005), a US patent registered in 1988 claimed that 95%
of HIV-infected lymphocytes were selectively destroyed in
vitro. Sutherlandia is also said to help in reducing wasting
in cancer and AIDS patients. Sutherlandia “appears
mainly to assist in weight gain in patients with a catabolic
(self-destructive) metabolism, not in those with a normal,
anabolic metabolism...[Thus, Sutherlandia] should be of
strong interest to healthcare providers using anabolic
agents (to increase muscle mass) and drug appetite
stimulants (Dalvi).

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