Media release

NEPAD/SANBio hosts African scientists to discuss progress on herbal remedy for HIV/Aids

31 July 2007

Sondashi, who presented his formula - concocted from a Zambian indigenous plant - to the scientists, all members of the Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio) more than 10 months ago, will be presented at the meeting. He claimed that through his remedy he had successfully treated opportunistic infections in more than 1000 patients with HIV/Aids in Zambia. SANBio - an initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) - entered into two contractual agreements for collaboration with Sondashi, consulted several authorities in Zambia and took up validating Sondashi's remedy as a flagship project for SANBio. The CSIR's bioprospecting research team led by Dr Vinesh Maharaj investigated medicinal properties and effectiveness of the herbal remedy.

Professor Luke Mumba, director of SANBio which is hosted by the CSIR and shares a building with CSIR Biosciences, said the purpose of the meeting was for the two teams who have been independently conducting studies on herbal remedies to gather and share results and experiences.

"SANBio has commissioned background studies on herbal remedies for HIV/Aids and opportunistic infections. The findings will be presented and discussed at this meeting. More importantly the meeting will identify areas of collaboration where NEPAD and its international partners can add value to the initiatives of the CSIR, National AIDS Council, traditional healers and other institutions in Zambia and South Africa, and agree on a strategy and time frame for pursuing a joint programme."

The meeting begins today and ends tomorrow Wednesday 1 August.