African Potato Tuber (Hypoxis Hemerocallidea)

[Mushroom]

My mother, bless her, has recently been suggesting I try extract of African Potato Tuber (Hypoxis Hemerocallidea, sold under the trade name Simba), to help with various medical problems I've had (including eczema and what is currently being described as chronic fatigue syndrome), and I was wondering if there was any evidence for its efficacy.

I'm generally skeptical of herbal medicine but I'm aware that some of it can have effects (like St. John's Wort) so I'm not entirely ready to dismiss it as quackery just yet.

However there are a few warning signs that have attracted my suspicion:

Firstly, it seems my mum initially got the suggestion from an article by a columnist for The Sunday Times who is apparently a registered spiritual healer and reiki master.

Secondly, apparently it's quite widely used in the South of Africa as an 'alternative' treatment for AIDS, amongst other things, which sets alarm bells ringing.

Thirdly, its price - more than £25 for a month's supply, which seems fairly ludicrous. It might be worth it if it actually worked, but it seems a sizeable gamble to take.

I realise none of these things disprove its efficacy, but they made me suspicious enough of it to seek advice about it on here. Having googled the extract in question, I can't seem to find many articles on its efficacy that I can trust, but maybe I don't know where to look.

Does anyone have any pointers or experience about this product?

 

[quixotecoyote]

I've never heard of it, but you have a good skepti-sense.

It's highly unlikely an AIDS cure is going to cure eczema.

And speaking as someone who was also diagnosed with it, you are aware the CFS is just another way of them saying "We have no idea what the **** is wrong with you."?

 

[Toke]

The only things I have heard of African Potato Tuber is that it accelerate some virus infections in cats. The people pushing it as a cure for HIV were a bit disappointed.

 

[Mushroom]

And speaking as someone who was also diagnosed with it, you are aware the CFS is just another way of them saying "We have no idea what the **** is wrong with you."?

Yes, that's why I said "currently being described as" rather than "diagnosed with", since it's a diagnosis of exclusion.
I realise I have to be careful with my wording on a skeptics forum when some people seem to deny the syndrome exists at all.

The only things I have heard of African Potato Tuber is that it accelerate some virus infections in cats. The people pushing it as a cure for HIV were a bit disappointed.

I hadn't heard that. I've found one study that suggests it might have slightly hypoglycemic effects, and one study that suggests it might act as a bronchial relaxant in guinea pigs, but nothing about the supposed effects it's meant to have on the immune system.

 

[Megalodon]

I realise I have to be careful with my wording on a skeptics forum when some people seem to deny the syndrome exists at all.

I think that quixotecoyote was not denying the syndrome or the diagnosis, but merely pointing out that it's difficult to search for a cure when the disease's cause is actually unknown.

A diagnosis of exclusion might jumble up different unknown causes with the same symptoms, which would make a universal "cure" virtually impossible.

 

[Toke]

I hadn't heard that. I've found one study that suggests it might have slightly hypoglycemic effects, and one study that suggests it might act as a bronchial relaxant in guinea pigs, but nothing about the supposed effects it's meant to have on the immune system.

It was in an article poking fun at the South African government and their woo attitude to HIV. The journalist may have misunderstood or exaggerated the report, it sounded good that the only research showed a negative effect.

 

[Mushroom]

I think that quixotecoyote was not denying the syndrome or the diagnosis, but merely pointing out that it's difficult to search for a cure when the disease's cause is actually unknown.

A diagnosis of exclusion might jumble up different unknown causes with the same symptoms, which would make a universal "cure" virtually impossible.

Sorry for not being clearer - I didn't mean to imply that that's what quixotecoyote was saying either, just that I assumed the condition could be treated with some suspicion on a forum like this.

I think your latter point is almost certainly correct.

 

[Megalodon]

Sorry for not being clearer - I didn't mean to imply that that's what quixotecoyote was saying either, just that I assumed the condition could be treated with some suspicion on a forum like this.

I think your latter point is almost certainly correct.

No problem, and welcome to the forum

 

[luchog]

And speaking as someone who was also diagnosed with it, you are aware the CFS is just another way of them saying "We have no idea what the **** is wrong with you."?

This is not strictly true anymore. CFS is now a fairly well-established constellation of symptoms; for which multiple eitiologies are being researched. Recent studes show that up to 60% of CFS cases share an common eitiology as a post-viral autoimmune response. Others show strong similarities to It is still something of a catchall, particularly among lazy diagnosticians; but that is changing.

 

[BenBurch]

Actually, St. John's wort appears to be valueless. Not that there are not some things that have an effect. Digitalis (foxglove,) for example.