Zhonghua Shi Yan He Lin Chuang Bing Du Xue Za Zhi. 1999 Sep; 13(3): 291-4.

[The therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on HIV patients]

Zheng W, Pi G, Xu K.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Tumor Hospital, Shenzhen 518057.

OBJECTIVE: To study the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on HIV patients. METHODS: We adopted the combined Chinese medicinal herbs for treatment, its chief component is to enhance human immunity and the complementary part is suited for lightening the clinical synptoms. The clinical aspects, the CD4, CD8 lymphocyte numbers and the plasma viral load of the patients were compared before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Of 28 patients exemined, they all had different degrees of body weight increasing, averagely increased 5.4 kg after treatment. 7 cases having a long-time fever, 4 cases of diarrhea, 2 cases of large scale skin ulcer and 1 case of skin rash all had their synptoms disappeared ofter one month treatment. 10 cases, who had lymph nodes enlargement, after treated five months with Chinese medicinal herbs, 3 of them the swelling lymph nodes disappeared, 7 of them the lymph nodes diminished or decreased in number. CD4 lymphocytes increased in 42.9% and 50.0% patients and viral load decreased in 71.4% and 80.0% patients after two months and five months treatment with Chinese medicinal herbs respectively. Taking clinical symptoms and laboratory indexs into consideration, the total effective rate of Chinese medicinal herbs reached 94.0%. CONCLUSION: The Chinese medicinal herbs can obviously improve the clinical symptoms, increase CD4 lymphocytes and decrease serum viral load of the HIV patients, thus provides evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbs can be used for control of HIV infection and treatment of AIDS patients.