The Sunday newspaper Sunday Independent reported that the special mixture prescribed by SA Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to fight HIV/AIDS, could be a recipe for disaster. The African potato, with a mixture of garlic, onions and virgin olive oil, was advocated by the minister as an immune-boosting combination for people living with HIV and Aids. The minister's prescription was widely disparaged in the medical and media fraternity alike.
A new study published this month by Aids, one of the world's leading HIV journals, said that the African potato might significantly weaken the power of anti-HIV medicines (antiretroviral or ARVs) by altering their concentration in the bloodstream.
