hankyoreh

By Kim Yang-joong, medical correspondent

A study showed three South Koreans to have survived more than 20 years with HIV taking red ginseng in lieu of antiretroviral drugs.

A team from the microbiology laboratory of University of Ulsan led by medical professor Cho Young-gul announced on Dec. 12 that the study, based on joint research with a Los Alamos National Laboratory team in the US led by Brian T. Foley, had been published on Dec. 2 in an international AIDS journal. The results included DNA analysis findings for three South Koreans who had not developed AIDS despite being HIV-positive for 20 to 25 years and taking no medication besides red ginseng.

One case of an Australian surviving for 29 years without taking AIDS medication had previously been reported.

According to the study, the three individuals were respectively diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1987, 1988, and 1992. They subsequently consumed 12 capsules (500mg each) of red ginseng daily without taking any antiretroviral drugs.

The findings mean that at least one person diagnosed with HIV in 1987 has yet to exhibit any symptoms of AIDS after 25 years.

Cho said the reason appeared to be that red ginseng inhibits the symptoms by causing defects in the genetic code for the AIDS virus.

“An analysis of the DNA for the AIDS virus in these three people and 18 other HIV-positive people who took red ginseng over a long period of time showed a difference of about 7.5% from the standard for the overseas form of the virus,” he explained.

With the three individuals still showing no signs of any symptoms or ailments, Cho’s team is cautiously predicting that some people may live healthily for more than 30 years without taking AIDS medications.

“It may not be a bad idea for the people who are taking AIDS medication to try the ginseng treatment too,” Cho said.

But a professor of infectious diseases at one university hospital advised caution in changing treatment methods.

“The people who are not experiencing severe symptoms with their current AIDS medication need to stick with that regime,” the professor said. “It could cause problems if they suddenly change their treatment approach.”

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