It has been suggested that in the
Kagera region of Tanzania, about 80% of HIV-infected patients
receive medication from a traditional healer.2−4 In Tanga, a
northeastern region on the Tanzanian coast, German doctors
working in a district hospital noted that medication prescribed
by traditional healers did prolong the life of HIV-infected
patients.5 The physicians informed the health authority in the
Tanga region about the existence of an herbal remedy that
showed promising potency in fighting opportunistic infections
or by slowing HIV replication in patients with confirmed HIV/
AIDS infection. On the basis of these findings, a working group
comprising traditional and modern health practitioners was
formed to provide a new strategy for health care by using the
promising herbal drug for HIV/AIDS patients. The team thus
organized themselves into a nongovernmental organization
with the name “The Tanga AIDS Working Group” (TAWG),
which was registered in 1994 in Tanzania for the purpose of
providing health care services to people living with HIV and
AIDS.