AIDS may soon have a cure by year-end

[Guest guest]

This claim will surely test our alternative-therapy

boundaries....

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AIDS may soon have a cure by year-end 08/28/2001

The Times of India Copyright © 2001 The Times of

India

HYDERABAD: AIDS disease may soon see a remedy if the

intense " Rashashastra " research going on at the

Government Ayurvedic College situated here, yields

results. The colleges " Rashashashtra " department

claims that it would come up with a therapy to cure

AIDS by the end of the year.

" Already preliminary clinical trials on HIV positive

patients at the college hospital have proved

successful and improved their health condition

immensely, " Government Ayurvedic College vice-

principal Dr Dayanand Rao told The Times of India on

Monday. Rao heads the " Rashashastra " department.

Although the research team, which has been engaged

in the process since May 2000, has identified and

finalised the remedy components. However, the

percentage composition is yet to take a concrete

shape.

Among the requisite raw materials, the important

ones are herbal extracts such as Peepali, Shatawari,

Yashimadhu, Gokhshumi, Bringharaj, Brahmi,Aswagandha,

Draksha, Jatamanasi and Vatsanabhi (Econytum Fersox)

Dayanad Rao informed that apart from the herbal

constituents, there will be metallic constituents also

like " bashma " of mercury, sulphur and gold. " All

these herbomineral constituents when mixed in the

right proportion will help the " Pratilomakshyak " (HIV

positive) patients to regain the immuno-

-deficiency, even if his CD4 count is less than 200

and he is a full blown AIDS (FBA) case, " the vice-

principal explained.

One of the AIDS patients was a full blown AIDS case

and doctors treating him said he would not survive for

more than a week. " We brought the patient here and

started experimenting on him and it is past five

months he has survived proving that our rasayan is

working, " Senior research analyst and professor of the

college Dr Sailesh Nath Saxena said.

The research team has also hired the services of noted

Ayurveda expert Dr RN Sharma, who is a Fellow of

Indian Ayurvedic System to assist it.

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[Guest guest]

Dear eFORUM subscribers,

This is in response to the posting on " AIDS may soon have a cure by year-end "

I've review some of the constituents of the proposed anti-HIV formula. It

may be worth a try and certainly worth evaluating clinically. Information that

is needed includes:

1) What part of the herb was used?

2) How was it prepared? Alcohol, water extract? Etc.

3) How much of each herb/mineral is in the compound?

4) Has the source material been validated for a) correct

identification (using HPLC or some other technology); purity in that

there is no pathogenic bacteria, fungi or heavy metals in the herbs.

When I worked at DAAIR, we had the opportunity to evaluate a similar

compound for purity. The results showed that while there were no pathogenic

bacteria or heavy metals, etc., there was a very high load of yeasts, mold

and other bacteria, suggesting poor storage facilities. Such contaminants

may be extremely problematic for people with HIV.

One might presume that these are listed in the order of greatest to least

concentration, although that may not be the case.

Peepali - pipali - Piper longum, Linn. or long pepper - fruit is used; may

increase pitta (which I'm not so sure is good in the context of an

inflammatory condition like HIV); however, it may enhance absorption of

chemical constituent.

Shatawari - shatavari - Asparagus racemosus Willd. (sometimes A.

sarmetnosus, A. gonoclados, A. adscendens, Roxb.) - a/k/a Hundred Husbands;

root is used; sweet, bitter-cool-sweet); enhances kappha; do not use if

congested.

Yashimadhu, - yashtimadhu - Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. root is used; there

are a few small studies in humans with HIV that show some benefit in

delaying progression (some done in Japanese HIV+ children with hemophilia);

sweet, bitter, cold-sweet; enhances kappha. In some cases, may cause

increased blood pressure or reduction in potassium. Might be good to eat a

banana a day, but really depends on how much is being used.

Gokhshumi, I assume this is also gokshura - Treibulis terrestris Linn. (or

T. lenuginosus, T. aelylanicus); fruit is used. Sweet, bitter-cool-sweet.

Do not use if dehydrated.

Bringharaj - bhringaraj - kesharaja - Eclipta alba Hassk. or Eclipta erecta

Linn. Herbs, roots or leaves may be used. bitter, astringent, sweet, cold.

Herb is alterative, antipyretic, hemostatic, laxative, nervine, tonic.

Roots and leaves are cholagogues. Root is tonic, alterative, emetic,

purgative. Leaf juice is a hepatic tonic and deobstruent.

Brahmi (best type is Than Kuni) - Hydrocotyle asiatica Linn. gotu kola or

Indian Pennywort. Herb is used. Sometimes referred to as Centella asiatica

but I'm not sure if this is the same. Nadkarni refers to Centella asiatica,

Urban as a weed occuring in wet places. H. asiatica referred to as gotu

kola or brahmi; alterative, diuretic, febrifuge, nervine, rejuvenative

actions; for blood purifying, mental disorders, hair loss, immune boost,

liver, bowel disorders. Rejuvenation and brain

Aswagandha - Withania somnifera dunal (Physalis flexuosa) or winter cherry.

Increases pitta; root is used. It is astringent, bitter, sweet, hot; may

exacerbate pitta. Has aphrodisiac, astringent, nervine, rejuvenative,

sedative and tonic properties. Do not take if congested.

Draksha - Vitis vinifera Linn.; grapes. Which variety? Grapes are

demulcent, laxative, refrigerant, stomachic, diuretic and cooling. Juice of

unripe grapes, leaves is astringent.

Jatamanasi - Jatamanashi, is Nardostachys jatamansi; Muskroot, Indian

Spikenard. Rhizome (underground stem) and oil from same is used. Nadkarni

notes bitter, aromatic, antispasmodic, diuretic, emmenagogue, nerve

sedative, nerve-stimulant, tonic, carminative, deobstruent; promotes

appetite and digestion. Substitute for valerian. Used for hysteria,

flatulence, colicy pains, epilepsy, as a tonic, scorpion sting in various

recipes.

Vatsanabhi (Econytum Fersox) - vatsnabh - Aconitum felconeri Stapf. Leaves,

seeds or roots are used. Increases vatta, pitta but decreases kapha. In

small doses, it is anodyne, antidiabetic, antiperiodic, antiphlogistic,

antipyretic, diaphoretic, diuretic. In large doses, it can be poisonous,

sedative, narcotic. Metabolized quickly. Tincture is usually from fresh

leaves and flower tops.

" bashma " of mercury - this is an ash of mercury; four types are known,

including black, white, yellow and red (vermilion) varieties. The black

variety is a sulphide, with mercury and sulphur rubbed together over a fire

(krishna bhasma or rasaparpati). Rasakarpura is the white ash (sveta

bhasma) which is a camphor of mercury. The yellow variety (pitta bhasma)

is prepared with sulphur, mercury, Phyllanthus niruri and Heliotropium

indicum. While the use of mercury may seem deranged from a western

perspective that well understands the intense toxicity of the elemental

substance, these forms appear to be much less toxic. What efficacy they may

have is unknown to me as I have not had the opportunity to investigate

whether clinical studies in humans have been conducted.

sulphur - is significantly depleted in people with HIV (see Breitkreutz R,

Holm S, Pittack N, Beichert M, Babylon A, Yodoi J, Droge W. Massive loss of

sulfur in HIV infection. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2000 Feb

10;16(3):203-9). However, their data suggest that the loss primarily

derives from depletion of the amino acid, cysteine (a precursor to

glutathione).

gold - as gold leaf (sona varak) or gold ashes (sona bahsma). Properties

include nervine, aphrodisiac tonic, resolvant, emmenagogue, alterative.

Used in fevers, consumption, insanity, nervous system diseases and various

other diseases. often used with betel leaf. Used in a variety of combinatins.

Original formula from Dayanad Rao, HYDERABAD: intense " Rashashastra "

research going on at the Government Ayurvedic College

" M. "

E-mail: <gmc0@...>

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