Consumption of Sutherlandia frutescens by HIV-Seropositive South African Adults: An Adaptive Double-Blind Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial

Study answer

What this study found

Sutherlandia frutescens did not improve HIV disease markers and did not show a clear safety advantage over placebo. CD4 count and viral load declined over time in both groups, with no significant between-group interaction effects for CD4 (P = 0.632) or viral load (P = 0.829). The burden of infection was higher in the Sutherlandia arm, with mean BOI 9.0 versus 5.0 days for placebo (P = 0.045), and two serious adverse events occurred in the Sutherlandia arm. The main conclusion was that up to 2,400 mg daily did not meaningfully alter CD4 count or viral load, but a possible interaction with…

Study & population

This was a two-stage, adaptive, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in HIV-seropositive adults from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Intervention

Sutherlandia frutescens dried leaf powder was given as oral capsules at 1,200 mg twice daily for 24 weeks, for a total daily dose of 2,400 mg.

Key limitation

The active-arm sample was modest and the treatment period was only 24 weeks, limiting power to detect smaller effects and longer-term safety signals.

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Original abstract