There is insufficient evidence to show that herbal medicines are effective in fighting AIDS, say researchers at the University of Tromso in Norway.
Herbal medicines are used widely in developing countries, where AIDS-fighting drugs often are not affordable.
The researchers reporting in the July issue of The Cochrane Library examined nine clinical trials in concluding herbal medicines appear to have little anti-viral benefits but may decrease symptoms associated with AIDS.
"There may be several reasons for this," lead author Jianping Liu told Washington-based Health Behavior News. "One is that the different trials used different herbs. Only one herbal preparation was tested more than once."
A second factor is that different trials treated different types of patients, Liu said.
While three compounds did show some positive results, Liu said there were problems with the designs of those trials.
"We suggest that these compounds be studied further in large, well-designed trials," Liu said.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
