Date: 17 Jan 1996 00:03:49
From: FRSHAW@delphi.com
Subject: SPV-30 = Bad Medicine


W. Fred Shaw, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist
frshaw@delphi.com

THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS ARE EXCERPTED FROM
AN ARTICLE REGARDING THE IMMUNOLOGICAL EFFECTS
OF HERBS in HIV DISEASE. 

THIS SECTION DEALS WITH SPV-30 (BOXWOOD):

Some herbal steroids are known to interfere with the body's natural  
production of critical cytokines (immune chemical messengers), such as  
interleukin-2 (IL-2). Cell-mediated immune cytokines such as gamma- 
interferon, IL-2 and IL-12 are essential to the body's defense against  
opportunistic infections (3,4). The reduction of the body's natural  
secretion of IL-2 is associated with severe immunodeficiency.  
 
One example of such herb-induced immunosuppression is the Boxwood  
evergreen tree, which is marketed as SPV-30 by it's French manufacturer  
Arkopharma. Arkopharma has made false claims about other natural  
products in the past, which has resulted in FDA action. SPV-30 appears  
to follow this pattern of false claims by Arkopharma, since it is being  
marketed (or hyped) as a "natural AZT". Although the immunosuppressive  
effects of SPV-30 were disclosed by Arkopharma (5), the marketing  
campaign for SPV-30 has completely downplayed the fact that SPV-30's  
steroidal alkaloids were strongly suppressive of IL-2 production. SPV-30  
continues to be promoted as a substance that increases CD4 T-cells - but  
not in a beneficial way. SPV-30's steroids have been compared to  
cyclosporine (5), a strong immunosuppressant that is used to prevent  
transplant rejection and has been shown to increase CD4 T-cells. SPV-30,  
like cyclosporine, simply interferes with the natural process of  
apoptosis, or natural cell death. The resulting increase in CD4 T-cells  
is an illusion, since the increase is made up of useless "zombie" cells. 
 
In early 1995 I published a review that exposed SPV-30 as an ineffective  
and dangerously immunosuppressive treatment. Typical of the desperate  
"drugs-into-bodies" mentality (which substitutes drug availability for  
proof of effectiveness), I was harshly criticized and personally  
attacked by SPV-30's promoters for "slandering" the product and it's  
promoters. A few months later, one of the loudest HIV+ advocates (and  
earliest user of SPV-30) suffered severe near-death disease progression,  
including an overgrowth of Kaposi's Sarcoma, wasting and severe  
diarrhea. That individual is no longer using SPV-30 and no longer  
recommends its use. While Boxwood was traditionally used in Europe as a  
purgative by causing diarrhea (5), the SPV-30 promoters consistently  
denied that this symptom was seen in their "study" group. SPV-30 is an  
immunosuppressive treatment of no proven benefit that should be avoided  
by persons with HIV disease.