AIDS

In the beginning of the eighties, on patients with severe immune deficiencies a new virus was found by showing that most of these patients had antibodies against this virus. Nowadays this virus is known in two types, called Human Immunedeficiency Virus Type 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) of which the first type is more common in the western world.

It belongs to a subgroup of the Retrovirus-Class, the Lentovirus-Group, which lead only slowly to disease after infect their host, such causing a persisiting infection which remains inactive for a long time. The symptomeless stage may take 10 Years or more, which an aproximate maximum of 15 years after which most patients show symptoms of mortal immune-deficiency.

The virus’ genom consists of RNA which is copied to a complementary RNA-string by the enzyme Reverse Transcriptase. After the first flu-like acute infection in which a high virustiter can be seen, the virus has killed and infected many CD4-T-Cells and macrophages. The immunic reaction consists of antibodies, CD-4-Helpercells and -inflammative cells, as well as of cytotoxic CD-8-Cells. After this acute phase the blood is effectively frred from the virus with a few circulating CD-4-Cells carrying one copy of the inactive genome of the virus.

Although the peripheral blood contains no viruses during the inactive phase, the virus reproduces itself actively in the lymphatic tissue, brain, and some other regions. this chronic infection gradually destroys the CD-4-T-Cells I

n a not yet completely explained way. After almost all CD-4-T-Cells are destroyed, i.e. if their count is below 200 per µl, the imunedeficiency stage is reached, and the syndrome is called AIDS. Gradually lymphatic folliculary dendritic cells are damaged leading to a loss of lymphatic follicles and thereafter a complete destruction of the lymphatic tissue. A similar process destroys the thymusstroma.

If a new acute infection with HIV-1 or HIV-2 is suspected or early enough detected, several antivirus herbs from Chinese Medicine can be prescribed to secure a low infection rate. Since the toxicity of some is very low, they can be used even as a preventive measure in order to keep the virus from spreading. One promising candidate among them is "zi hua di ding" or viola yedoensis ( Pls. refer to the following table ).

*LD50 is given in the doses of chemical essences of the herb.

**LD50 is given in the doses of alcohol extract, IV injection.

***LD50 is given dependent on the herb produced in China; in some countries this herb is very toxic (Geissman, 1964).

There are 20 herbs listed in Table 1. The antiviral spectrum and toxicities of each herb are given. Thirteen of them have inhibitory effects on the HIV. Some others have antivirus effects on other viruses. The HIV-Virus’ ability to avoid immunity response has much in common with some of these viruses:

The permanent and latent infection is also seen in the Eppstein-Barr-Virus and the Herpes Simplex Virus; the antigene variation by mutations can be found as well in Trypanosomes, the influenza virus and some Streptococcus kinds. The induction of an immune-supression shares the HIV-Virus with some Staphylococcus kinds and the Mycobacterium leprae.

From an allopathic view, it may not be proper to list these herbs until they have been tested in vivo against the HIV virus; however, from a TCM view, if certain herbs have been proven effective against a certain virus in clinical trials, the same mechanism may work against another virus in the human body. TCM holds that any herb or drug taken into the body must first affect the body's metabolism so that it can more effectively fight the pathogen. Although the concept of an antivirus is an allopathic approach, TCM's principle of treating febrile infectious diseases (qing re jie du, heat-clearing-and-toxin-eliminating) with herbal remedies can give this approach a new meaning.

The toxicity of these herbs is very low, so they can be used safely for a long period, even over a lifetime, by HIV-infected persons or, as mentioned before as a preventive measure.

The 13 herbs which showed inhibitory effects on HIV in vitro may also contribute to the treatment of various complications of AIDS. These patients are known to be subject of opportunistic infections and some kinds of cancer. Those are caused by organisms which usually can be controlled easily by the immune system, like Pneumocystis carinii causing pneumonia, as well as e.g. Toxoplasma, the Cytomegaly virusand some Mycobacteria like M. tuberculosis and even some normally harmless kinds like M. avium. The functioning of the cellular defese is necessary for an effective control of these microorganisms. Some patients (about 20%) is also affected by organisms, which are usually controlled by the humoral defense system like Haemophilus influenzae.

Therefore most important are probably those herbs which stimulate the growth of the T-lymphocytes as listed below:

asparagus (root)

atractylodes, white (rhizome)

coix (seed)

coriolus (sclerotium)

epimedium (leaves)

ganoderma (whole)

lentinus (whole)

ligustrum (fruit)

ginseng (root)

phaseolus, white (bean)

huang-jing (rhizome)

Besides AIDS-Patients are liable to develope tumors like the Karposi-Syndrome, a usually slowly developing proliferation of bloodvessel cells, and to tumors of the B-Cells, the non-Hodgekin-Lymphomes and such of the brain. This might be explainable by a lacking T-Cell response against tumor cells or a chronic stimulation of the B-cells, another feature of HIV-infections.

Since many herbs in Chinese Medicine have been proven to stimulate the immune system or some parts of it, these herbs can also be used in any stage of the HIV infection, i.e. when an opportunistic infection occurs or generally to stimulate the immune system. Pls. refer to list 2 below: