07 May,2009 01:01 PM IST | | PTI
An Australian plant bioactive substance Melaleuca Alternifolia Concentrate (MAC), which had been proved to have effective antibacterial and antiviral activities, will now undergo clinical trial on adult AIDS patients in India.
MAC (in capsule form of different dosage) is from the plant Melaleuca Alternifolia and has also shown to stimulate immune system response. Therefore, the trial will be carried out at Joshi Research Institute in collaboration with Australia's Griffith University, which discovered the product.
This plant has been used for hundreds of years by aboriginals of Australia. The bioactive substance was isolated and tested for its efficacy and toxicity and proved to be safe for human use and is undergoing clinical trials for several viral diseases and cancer in different parts of the world.
The product simply kills the virus or bacteria, Professor Max Reynolds, Director, Australian Botanical Medicine for Population Health, Griffith University, who discovered MAC seven years back said at a conference at the Haffkine Institute yesterday.
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"In India we are collaborating with Dr Harendra Joshi of Joshi Research Institute to undertake trials of MAC on up to 1,000 adult AIDS patients some time next week," Reynold said.
