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African potato hinders AIDS treatment - study

    JOHANNESBURG

    Herbal remedies such as the African potato may significantly weaken the power of anti-AIDS drugs, suggests a new study in 'AIDS', a leading medical journal.

    A series of tests on the effects of African potato capsules, tablets and teas, found that the effectiveness of AIDS drugs was inhibited to such an extent that "extreme caution" is recommended to HIV positive people.

    According to a local newspaper, The Sunday Tribune, researchers said that if tests were not carried out on herbal remedies, there could be "poisonous drug interactions, treatment failure and resistance to antiretrovirals".

    The potato is among remedies like garlic, onions, beetroot and virgin olive oil, that South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has repeatedly advocated as immune system boosters for HIV-positive people.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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