BACKGROUND: Mortality and morbidity from malaria is still high in Africa, and may further increase as resistance to antimalarial drugs spreads. Many people rely on herbal medicines as the first line of treatment. Yet there has been very little clinical research into their effectiveness. METHODS: Patients being treated for malaria at a herbalists' clinic in South-West Uganda were followed up and their response to a particular herb, 'AM', was monitored. Eighty-eight patients were enrolled; 72 were followed up for at least 2 days, and were questioned about side-effects. Nineteen patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum had initial parasite counts sufficiently high for parasite clearance to be assessed. RESULTS: No severe adverse reactions were observed, although about 50 per cent experienced minor side-effects. Although complete parasite clearance was achieved in only one case, the geometric mean of parasite counts had declined significantly by day 7. There was also a marked symptomatic improvement in 17 of the 19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: AM appears safe, although it is not always well tolerated. Significant symptomatic improvement and a reduction of parasite counts were observed in patients taking AM. There is a need for further research, such as a randomized controlled trial, to assess the efficacy of this treatment.
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