A homeopathic experiment gives hope for treatment of AIDS

Various research studies will be presented at the two-day World Homeopathy Summit to be held at Mumbai from April 11

A homeopathic experiment with snake venom on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has given rise to excitement among scientists to work on a possible relief to AIDS and Ebola patients, according to Global Homeopathy Foundation (GHF) managing trustee Sreevalsa Menon.

GHF, founded by a group of homeopathic activists, is a non-government non-profit making organisation.

Research by doctors at the Hyderabad-based JSPS Government Homeopathic Medical College and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), it is stated to have shown that homeopathic medicine from snake venom, Crotalus Horridus, can arrest the multiplication of HIV.

In another two-year long study, Mumbai-based homeopath Rajesh Shah has developed a new medicine for AIDS patients, sourced from HIV itself. The drug has been tested on humans for safety and efficacy and the results are encouraging. Shah’s scientific paper for debate has just been published in Indian Journal of Research in Homeopathy (IJRH), the official publication of the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) in its online edition.

These and other research studies will be presented at the two-day World Homeopathy Summit to be held at Mumbai from April 11. Scientists and doctors from across 25 countries have confirmed their participation at the summit being organised by GHF, Menon stated in a press release here on Thursday.

“Our experiment entails that the homeopathic drug has the capacity to act on HIV, etc,” said Praveen Kumar, head of Department of Practice of Medicine at JSPS College. He, however, pointed out that “it is too early to declare anything big, but our work has certainly opened the floodgates of advanced research and clinical testing.”

Prathama S Mainkar, fellow QRS Division of Natural Products Chemistry at IICT, said her team experimented with homeopathic dilutions as well but found that the medicine made out of snake venom was the most useful.

For years, homeopathy is stated to have been using the process of converting snake venom and poison from scorpions, spiders and wild bees into medicinal substances by transforming them into nano-particles that have proved safe and effective for patients.

GHF has invited conventional doctors as well to participate in the meet and update themselves on the “significant” research that has been going on for the past 15 years, Menon said.

The summit will also focus on the need to integrate both the systems of medicine to meet challenges posed by various diseases because mono-therapy may not work for all patients, he added.