International News

South Africa: HIV "Cure" on Our Web Site Not a Problem -- African National Congress

June 23, 2009

Advertisements for an herbal supplement for HIV/AIDS patients have been running on the bottom of the Web site for the African National Congress Party's Youth League. However, ANC representatives say they outsourced the advertising and that site visitors can best evaluate such claims.

On June 18, a Revivo advertisement on the Youth League Web site read "Herbs that may kill HIV," inviting users to click on the ad to learn more. The Revivo Web site itself claims the supplement contains "the safest and most effective" of herbs that destroy "more than 95 percent of the virus," concurrent with a disclaimer that the product is not being sold as a "cure, treatment or remedy for AIDS or HIV."

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Comment by: musicman (Durban South Africa) Fri., Jul. 10, 2009 at 12:48 pm EDT
Dear Freelancer,
If the product is well-researched, then post a link to enable educated people to read the published research!! - if it exists.
The world-renowned medical research scientist Dr Bouic from Cape Town/Stellenbosch in SA did a 6 year scientifically controlled study on the use of "tradtional" african plant 'Sutherlandia Frutescens' which is an immune modulator and which gives significant relief from the side-effects of ARV drugs. He ran a huge educational programme to educate rural blacks on how to grow, harvest, and sell the plant to processors - and it was sold in capsule and tablet form. He published ALL his results on a website !!. Needless to say, he eventually gave up in despair due the ignorance and arrogance of ANC health officials who were more interested in how THEY could make money out of the project than in helping as many people as possible.
I have been HIV+ since Dec 1988, started ARVs with CD4 of 85 and VL of 3million in 1998 and am still well due to the fact that I also exercise regularly, take the recommended vitamin supplements, and maintain a positive attitude.
The WWW is full of CONFLICTING information on the benefits of herbal medicines.
I tried every herbal product on the market: anti-oxidants, plants sterols/sterolins, african potatoe, garlic extract, mushroom extract, beetroot juice, aloe vera, lemon juice and olive oil etc. etc. - a waste of time and money.
Anti-retrovirals work - full stop! The side-effects have to be managed either with allopathic medicines and/or herbal medicines if you think they will help you - but each individual has to find out through trial and error what works for them.
Believe me it is a long and arduous road to travel.
If Freelancer wants to really understand the ANCYL then perhaps he should come and do some community work in our rural health clinics, or offer the product he says is so good for free to the millions of infected people in our prisons

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Comment by: Arthur Gittleman (Bella Vista, AR) Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 at 3:26 pm EDT
From what I remember Revivo is not a bad supplement. But neither is HAART a good or bad treatment but it may belong life. It is misunstead that HIV is really not a slow immune disease when at least 1/2 the immune system in the gut is destroyed in 17 days. Too call that a slow progressing disease is just a start of the problem in understanding the disease. How do you cure a disease which has already destroyed a good part of you immune system? You could endup like a bubble boy with little or no immune system. And the system is not going to grow back.

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Comment by: LEYLA (UK) Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 at 2:40 pm EDT
Yes indeed.
Very unethical and irresponsible of them to do so.
With such a serious and life threatening virus you shouldn't be complacent.
In my opinion this also highlights the need and hope for more research into natural ways of dealing with hiv.
As much as we should all be thankful for hiv meds, I am constantly shocked and appalled by how natural remedies are dismissed as useless and ineffective.
Nature is no fool and there are many examples of medicines that were derived from natural substances. I really wish there were more serious research into this. I'm not saying we can beat hiv with garlic or what have you, but we shouldn't leave any stones unturned.
If so many people were interested does it not prove that we long for a natural approach? Maybe because we hope in less side effects, or because it would be cheaper, but how can we know it doesn't work if we haven't even checked properly?

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Comment by: freelancer (madison, wIsconsin) Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 at 11:54 am EDT
Confused by musicman's comments. The ad in question has NOTHING to do with promoting human parts nor does ANC have anything to do Mbeki's or Tshba.-Msi.s' ignorances. The ad promotes a well researched herbal product that advertises it will help HIV patients, but also clearly states it is NOT a cure for HIV. Much more dubious HIV products are advertised on the site where the article condeming the Revivo product appears!!

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Comment by: musicman (Durban South Africa) Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 at 2:52 am EDT
Shocking and disgusting.The response from ANCYL is typical of their arrogant and ignorant attitude, but not suprising when you consider the head of the organisation is an uneducated big-mouthed moron. There are NO ethical values in the ANC - money rules OK? Our Health System is in a shambles thanks to Thabo Mbeki and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. Recently there has been investigation into inceasing number of albinos who have been murdered for their bones and organs - to be used in "traditional" remedies made from plants and animal and human parts!! And in the same breath they try to tell us "CIVILISATION" began in South Africa and Zimbabwe. I hope everyone of them rots in hell for ever.

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