Abstract:
A method of lowering p24 (HIV) antigen to not more than 40 picograms/ml in an HIV positive subject by the administration of a therapeutically active composition is disclosed. The composition includes as an active pharmaceutical an extract of at least one plant of the Asphodelus genus and the tenuifolius species or the chemical equivalent thereof. The plant extract includes an aqueous extract of a woody stem, a root system, a plurality of loculicidal capsules, and a plurality of seeds. The plant extract is admixed with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier such as water.

Description:
The subject matter, in its entirety, of U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,181 (issued Feb. 25, 1992) is incorporated by reference herein. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a method for treating HIV positive subjects. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for treating HIV positive subjects wherein the composition combats the virus. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     To date, there are several widespread diseases that are often fatal and which generally involve a certain type of white blood cell that is responsible for orchestrating the immune system of the body. Among such diseases are adult T-Cell leukemia (ATL) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These diseases not only infect the same type of white blood cell, but further share another crucial feature in that they are all caused by a class of infectious agents known as retroviruses. 
     Retroviruses are viruses that cannot replicate without controlling and exploiting the biosynthetic apparatus of a cell for different purposes. Retroviruses consist of the genetic material of RNA and are capable of reversing the ordinary flow of genetic information (from DNA to RNA to proteins). Additionally, retroviruses carry an enzyme called reverse transcriptase which uses the viral RNA as a template for making DNA. The viral DNA integrates itself into the genome of the host wherein it remains latent until it is activated to make new virus particles. Much attention is being paid to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) retrovirus which causes AIDS due to its rapid transmission, progressive derangement of immune function, and high fatality rate. 
     It appears that the HIV retrovirus enters a cell by binding to a molecule known as the CD4 antigen. The CD4 antigen is found primarily on a specific set of white blood cells of the immune system called T4 lymphocytes or helper T-cells. Accordingly, HIV infection is characterized by the loss of these T-lymphocyte cells which causes a deterioration of the immune system. 
     The T-lymphocyte cell is crucial to the immune system in that, among other functions, it recognizes foreign antigens, markers, or infected cells, and helps to activate another set of lymphocyte white blood cells which multiply and produce antibodies that bind to infected cells. The T-lymphocyte cell further is capable of completely eliminating infected cells. Thus, the loss of T-lymphocyte cells not only seriously impairs the body&#39;s ability to fight most invaders, but also has a severe impact on the defenses against viruses, fungi, parasites, and certain bacteria. 
     In the case of AIDS and some forms of hepatitis and leukemia, it is the secondary infections which are the actual cause of death. My previous patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,181 was directed to the need for treating such immune deficiency-causing diseases by means that would boost the suppressed lymphocyte levels and provide a defense against life-threatening secondary infections. 
     Presently, there is no known cure for AIDS. There are, however, various experimental drugs on the market, including an antiviral substance known as azidothymidine (AZT) which has been shown to prolong the lives of certain AIDS subjects. These drugs are, for the most part, extremely expensive and often difficult to obtain. 
     Thus, although there is no cure for AIDS, early intervention with antiretroviral therapy can substantially decrease the risk of opportunistic infections and may improve the survival of subjects with HIV infection. Accordingly, a procedure to detect the virus itself rather than the immune response to the virus is critical. 
     There are several known diagnostic techniques for detecting HIV infection in adults and children. One such diagnostic technique is the immune-complex-dissociated HIV p24 antigen assay which is a rapid, simple serologic test that may be used to diagnose HIV infection. The p24 antigen of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is sometimes detected before antibody (anti-HIV-1) is detectable in the serum of recently infected persons. This is because the p24 antigen is usually present in the circulation of the HIV-infected subject shortly after infection with HIV-1 and before the development of a humoral response. Thus, the HIV p24 antigen assay reveals the presence of circulating p24 antigen which appears to stimulate the often rapid development of the AIDS virus. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for treating HIV positive subjects to combat the virus. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for treating HIV positive subjects that is easily administered to the subject and which is relatively inexpensive. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for treating HIV positive subjects. 
     The objectives and advantages of the present invention are achieved by providing a method for treating HIV positive subjects by administering an effective amount of a therapeutically active composition to a subject. The composition used in the method has a medicinal application and has resulted in a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a subject that initially tested positive for the p24 (HIV) antigen. Also, the composition used in the method maintained a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a subject that initially tested negative for the p24 (HIV) antigen. 
     The foregoing composition used in the inventive method includes as an active pharmaceutical an extract of at least one edible plant or herb. Specifically, the herb is a Mediterranean and West Asiatic plant known as Asphodelus tenuifolius. The genus Asphodelus describes a hardy, herbaceous stemless plant having white, lily-like flowers in long racemes, fleshy fascicled roots and firm, linear, radical,.tufted leaves. It generally grows as a common weed in the above-cited locations. 
     More specifically, the composition derives from one species of asphodel, a purple-flowering variant of Asphodelus tenuifolius which occurs in Greece and Turkey. This identification is based on R. M. T. Dahlgren, et al&#39;s &#34;The Families of Monocotyledons--Structure, Evolution and Taxonomy&#34;, Springer-Verlag, New York (1985). 
     Minor discrepancies of plant classification are often found between different botanists&#39; works. Therefore, A. tenuifolius has been described as &#34;identical&#34; to A. microcarpus and A. aestivus by some classifiers of the plant (see Bailey, Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, Macmillan Co., New York, 1935), and alternatively as &#34;allied to&#34; A. Fistulosis by others (see Chittenden, Dictionary of Gardening, Clarendon Press Oxford, 1956). These species are closely related. Accordingly, it is expected that asphodel species other than A. tenuifolius will be identified which will yield an equally therapeutic composition. 
     My U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,181 is directed to providing a composition for increasing the white cell levels in subjects by use of an herbal composition. The composition used in that patent is the same as is used in this invention. However, I have also provided the additional composition of using a mixture of the herbal extract of U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,181 with a cortisone. 
     Thus, the inventive method herein involves treating HIV positive subjects with an extract derived from an edible plant known as Asphodelus tenuifolius or its chemical equivalent. The plant is collected in its dry form. A certain methodology has been developed for the extraction process (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,181). This methodology involves using the entire plant in the production of the extract, including the whole woody stem, the root system, the loculicidal capsules, and the seeds. The extract dosage for each subject is approximately 150 mls per dose. The extract is administered orally, twice a day with a 10-12 hour interval in between the doses. The average treatment for high risk cases lasts 30-45 days (i.e., full blown AIDS), and for simple cases the treatment lasts for 10-20 days (i.e., HIV positive). All subjects who underwent treatment were under the supervision of their private doctors. Moreover, it was recommended that the subjects undergo daily non-strenuous, light exercises along with a specific low fat diet program. 
     Prior to the Examples as hereinafter set forth wherein various subjects ingested the extract, the toxicity of the plant extract used in the inventive method was tested in two independent toxicity studies. Each study was directed to examining the behavioral and physiological aspects of laboratory animals which were given the plant extract. 
     The first study involved using five rabbits as models. Animal rooms and cages were cleansed and sanitized prior to initiating the study and then weekly thereafter. The light/dark cycle in the animal rooms and cages was kept on a 12L:12D schedule while the temperature was maintained at 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The normal water supply of the test animals was replaced with the plant extract for a two week period. Thereafter, city quality tap water was again supplied. No irregularities in the animals&#39; behavior subsequent to plant extract consumption were noted. Thus, the non-toxicity of the extract was confirmed. Moreover, two days after returning the animals back to the tap water, a limited gross necropsy was performed on two of the animals to examine any change in the internal organs. No apparent changes were observed in these animals. The rest of the animals were examined again after a two month period and there were still no discernible effects on the animals. The first study lasted approximately two months. 
     A second toxicity study was carried out with a group of ten mice. This study involved varying the concentration of the extract. The variable concentrations were calculated by ratios between parts of the plant weight in grams and solvent volume. Thus, the mice were administered 1 ml doses of plant extract at concentrations of 25%, 50%, and 100%. Again, no adverse reactions were noted. The test animals appeared normal irrespective of dose, supporting a second conclusion of non-toxicity. All animals were kept in accordance with accepted animal care practice. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention contemplates a method for treating HIV positive subjects by administering an effective amount of a therapeutically active composition to a subject. The compositions used resulted in a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a group of subjects who initially tested positive for the p24 (HIV) antigen. Also, the composition used in the method maintains a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a subject that initially tested negative for the p24 (HIV) antigen. 
     Therefore, it is concluded that the composition either neutralizes, destroys or, in some manner, inhibits the HIV virus. 
     My composition is prepared by collecting and washing approximately three or four dry Asphodelus tenuifolius plants. The entire plant is included in the extract, including the whole woody stem, the root system, the loculicidal capsules, and the seeds. Each loculicidal capsule contains from five to six seeds, with the number of seeds on one plant being within the range of 300-500 depending on the plant&#39;s growth. About 40 to about 60 grams (which corresponds to three or four plants of Asphodelus tenuifolius are placed into about 1.5 to 2.5 liters, and preferably about 2 liters of water. The water is then boiled for about twenty minutes during which time the extraction process occurs. Approximately 600 milliliters of the water evaporates during boiling. A residue will form during the extraction process. The residue along with the boiled plant(s) are removed by filtering so that the remaining solution contains only the Asphodelus tenuifolius extract mixed in with the water. The plant extract solution is preferably stored in a dark, cool environment having a temperature of from about 4° C. to about 8° C. About 150 to about 170 mls per dose is ingested by each subject. The plant extract is administered orally, twice a day with a 10-12 hour interval in between the doses. In a preferred embodiment about 50 to about 500 mg of a cortisone product is dissolved in about 150 to about 170 ml dose and this is administered to the subjects for at least 5 days. The average treatment lasts for 10-45 days. This varies depending on the subject. All subjects undergoing treatment were under the supervision of their private doctors. Moreover, it was recommended that the subjects undergo daily non-strenuous, light exercises along with a specific low fat diet program. 
     Nine HIV positive male human subjects were treated by the inventive method. They were between the ages of 30 to 66 years old and were each in the high risk group. However, most of the subjects were asymptomatic. All nine subjects were examined for blood cell counts prior to the plant extract treatment. The subclasses of T-cells (T3, T4, T8) were studied before treatment, sometimes after approximately ten days, and at the end of each treatment. The plant extract was supplied to each subject twice daily in oral dosages of 150-170 ml each. 
     For each subject, one of the doses on each the first and second day there was dissolved about 125mg (a 1/4 of 500 mg tablet) of the cortisone Medrol which is described as 1-dehydro-6-α-methylhydrocortisone by the 10th Edition of Merck Index p. 875 (5984). On each of the 3rd and 4th days there was dissolved 250 mg (1/2 tablet) of Medrol in one of the doses. On the fifth day there was dissolved 500 mg (1 tablet) in one of the doses. One each of the sixth and seventh days I dissolved 250 mg in one of the doses. Finally on each of the eighth and ninth days I dissolved 125 mg in one of the doses. 
     Each of the nine subjects was subjected to the following tests: 
     (a) p24 antigen test (if more than 40 picograms of the p24 antigen was detected in a subject, then that subject was considered as testing positive); 
     (b) T-Cell count; 
     (c) hematological tests (identification of white blood cell types, and blood cell types); 
     (d) biochemical test; 
     (e) blood electrolyte variations; and 
     (f) protein electrophoresis. 
     The following clinical data (below) was compiled for each of the nine HIV positive subjects treated by the inventive method. The units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same for all tests performed for each of the nine subjects. 
     SUBJECT NO. 1 
     Subject No. 1 belongs to the high risk HIV positive group. Subject No. 1 was taking AZT and INTERFERON prior to the extract treatment. Subject No. 1 was treated from Oct. 16, 1992 to Nov. 9, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 16, 1992 tests was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 9, 1992 test was taken after treatment. 
     Subject No. 1 was tested for the p24 antigen (HIV-AG). Table No. 1 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-Cell tests. As shown in the table, Subject No. 1 had a positive HIV-AG before treatment with the plant extract and a negative HIV-AG after less than one month of treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________    OCT                   NOV    16            OCT     9HIV-AG   1992          27      1992T CELLS  POSITIVE      1992    NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %     32            34      35ANL      1472          1258    1365T3%       77            75      81T3       1133          943     1105T4%        7            4       12T4        103           50      163T8%       70            70      66T8       1030          880      900______________________________________ 
    
     Table 2 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types of Subject No. 1 before treatment. The first three columns represent test results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The next four columns represent the changes in the number of white blood cells of the subject during the treatment. As shown in table 2, the lymphocytes increased in number most dramatically during days 10-20 of treatment. Likewise, the neutrophils experienced the largest increase during that same time period. The monocytes were remarkably constant with the exception of a decrease on approximately day 17 of treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 2______________________________________  Oct   Oct    Oct     Oct  Oct   Nov  Nov  14    15     16      21   27    2    9  1992  1992   1992    1992 1992  1992 1992______________________________________WBCTYPESLymphocytes    28      30     32    30   34    35   26Monocytes    23      20     19    24   18     8   21Eisinophils    --      --     --    --   --    --   --Basophils    --      --     --    --   --    --   --Neutrophils    49      50     49    46   48    57   53______________________________________ 
    
     Table 3 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment. Columns 4 to 7 represent tests taken after treatment. As the data in table 3 indicates, there is a general increase in each of the different types of blood cells, with the exception of the white blood cells, the MCH, the LYM, and the NEUT cells which remained more or less constant. 
     
                       TABLE 3______________________________________Oct        Oct     Oct    Oct   Oct  Nov   Nov14         15      16     21    27   2     91992       1992    1992   1992  1992 1992  1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC     5.1    4.3     4.6  3.6   3.7  3.9   3.0RBC     3.13   3.02    3.09 3.16  3.31 3.34  3.4HNb     11.6   11.3    11.5 11.7  12.1 12.8  12.4HCT     35.6   34.4    35.3 36.0  37.7 38.2  38.1MCV     113.7  113.9   114.2                       113.9 113.9                                  114.4 112.1MCH     37.1   37.4    37.2 37.0  36.6 38.3  36.5MCHC    32.6   32.8    32.6 32.5  32.1 33.5  32.5PLT     246    237     234  237   293  287   222LYM %   28.4   30.0    32.2 30.5  33.9 32.2  26.4MID %   22.7   19.6    19.0 23.9  17.9 --    21.5NEUT %  48.9   50.4    48.8 45.6  48.2 --    52.1LYM     1.4    1.3     1.5  1.1   1.3  1.3   0.8MID     1.2    0.8     0.9  0.9   0.7  --    0.6NEUT    2.5    2.2     2.2  1.6   1.7  --    1.6RDW-CV  11.4   11.5    11.3 11.8  12.0 12.6  12.6PDW     12.5   12.5    11.6 12.1  12.3 11.8  12.2MPV     9.9    9.8     9.7  9.6   9.9  9.8   10.1P-LCR   25.5   24.1    23.1 22.9  25.7 24.7  27.0______________________________________ 
    
     Table 4 (below) discloses the biochemical status of Subject No. 1. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns 2 and 3 show results of biochemical tests during and at the end of treatment, respectively. Likewise, columns four and five show the measurements units and the normal values, respectively, of the different biochemical tests. As shown in table 4, many of the biochemical tests (i.e., cholesterol, HDL, LDL, phosphorus) showed increases during treatment of Subject No. 1 whereas, most of the biochemical tests (urea, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides) showed an overall increase only by the end of the treatment. In contrast, the data for creatinine remained the same by the end of the treatment, while data for phosphorus and magnesium showed a slight decrease. There was no data for the calcium level of Subject No. 1 prior to treatment. However, the calcium level data showed a decrease by the end of the treatment. All of the data was within the range of normal values (shown in the fifth column), with the exception of the HDL, LDL, and triglycerides data. 
     
                       TABLE 4______________________________________    Oct     Oct     NovBiochemical    16      27      9             NormalTests    1992    1992    1992  Units   Values______________________________________Urea     30      30      36    mg/100 ml                                  15-55Cholesterol    158     181     180   &#34;       125-260HDL      29      33      31    &#34;       30-65LDL      96      114     107   &#34;        88-188Triglycerides    189     170     212   &#34;        40-160Creatinine    1.2     1.1     1.2   &#34;       0.9-1.5Calcium  --      9.5     9.0   &#34;        8.1-10.4Phosphorus    3.1     3.3     3.0   &#34;       2.5-4.5Magnesium    2.0     2.0     1.9   mEq/1   1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 5 (below) shows changes in blood electrolytes of Subject No. 1. All values are measured in mEq/l. The first column shows the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns reflect data accumulated during and the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column shows normal values for blood electrolyte data. As indicated in the table, all of the values were within the normal ranges. There were increases in the potassium, sodium, chloride, gamma-GT, and Alp electrolytes from prior to treatment to the end of treatment. The trans-Go electrolytes decreased while the trans-GP remained the same. 
     
                       TABLE 5______________________________________       OCT    OCT        NOV       16     27         9    NormalElectrolytes       1992   1992       1992 Values______________________________________K           4.5    5.7        4.8  3.5-5.1Na          138    133        141  136-146Cl          106    102        102   98-107Trans-Go    30     20         25    5-40Trans-GP    20     15         20    5-40γ-GT  24     30         35   10-50Alp         66     83         67    30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 6 (below) shows the results of electrophoresis for Subject No. 1. The first column shows the results before treatment with the plant extract, the second column shows the results during treatment, and the third column shows the results at the end of the treatment. The fourth column shows the normal values. As shown in table 5, most of the protein electrophoresis data (i.e., albumin, a1, gamma) is within the range of normal values by the end of the treatment. The only increases among the data were in the albumin and albumin to globulin ratio. 
     
                       TABLE 6______________________________________       OCT    OCT       NOVProtein     16     27        9    NormalElectrophoresis       1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________ALBUMIN     50.3   54.9      55.5 52-65a1          3.3    3.5       3.3    2-4.5a2          9.1    9.4       8.7  11-15β      16.7   15.3      14.1  6-13γ     20.6   16.9      18.4 10-19Alb/Glob.sup.1       1.01   1.22      1.25______________________________________ .sup.1.Ratio between Albumin to Globulin 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 2 
     This HIV positive and asymptomatic subject was taking AZT primarily and later DDI. Subject No. 2 was treated in the same manner as Subject No. 1. Specifically, subject No. 2 was treated from Oct. 16, 1992 to Nov. 11, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 16, 1992 test was taken prior to treatment, while blood for the Nov. 11, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The units for measurement as well as the standard values are the same as with Subject No. 1. 
     Table 7 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-cell tests. Subject No. 2 was HIV-AG positive before treatment and HIV-AG negative after less than one month of treatment. As the table indicates, the T-cells generally decreased or remained the same over the time period beginning prior to treatment until after the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 7______________________________________    OCT                   NOV    16            OCT     11HIV-AG   1992          20      1992T CELLS  POSITIVE      1992    NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %    35            39      28ANL      840           858     532T3%      77            62      63T3       1192          330     335T4%       5             3       5T4       42            16      26T8%      69            50      55T8       579           266     292______________________________________ 
    
     Table 8 (below) represents specific changes in white blood cell types of Subject No. 2. The first three columns show the test results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The next four columns represent the changes in white blood cells types during the treatment. As the data in the table reveals, the lymphocytes decreased while the monocytes and neutrophils increased. 
     
                       TABLE 8______________________________________  Oct   Oct    Oct     Oct  Oct   Nov  Nov  14    15     16      21   29    5    11  1992  1992   1992    1992 1992  1992 1992______________________________________WBC TYPESLymphocytes    48      40     35    29   39    41   28Monocytes    13      11     10    15   14    18   19Eosinophils    --       1     --    --   --    --   --Basophils    --      --     --    --   --    --   --Neutrophils    39      48     65    56   47    41   53______________________________________ 
    
     Table 9 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns in the table represent tests taken before treatment. Columns four to seven represent tests taken after treatment. Most of the test data (WBC, MCV, MCH, HC, PLT, LYM%, LYM, PDW, MPV, P-LCR) showed an overall decrease over the course of the treatment. However, the data for the white blood cells and the platelets showed an increase during days 10-20 of the treatment but a decrease at the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 9______________________________________Oct        Oct     Oct    Oct   Oct  Nov   Nov14         15      16     21    29   5     111992       1992    1992   1992  1992 1992  1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC     2.4    2.4     2.4  1.6   2.2  3.0   1.9RBC     3.47   3.43    3.55 3.23  3.83 3.69  3.71Hb      11.8   11.7    12.1 10.9  12.3 12.0  11.9HT      36.5   36.0    37.1 33.4  38.6 36.8  36.9MCV     105.2  105.0   104.5                       103.4 100.8                                  99.7  99.5MCH     34.0   34.1    34.1 33.7  32.1 32.5  32.1HC      32.3   32.5    32.6 32.6  31.9 32.6  32.2PLT     166    161     162  165   220  206   160LYM %   48.2   42.3    35.3 28.9  38.7 41.4  28.4MID %   12.9   --      10.1 14.9  13.8 18.0  26.2NEUT %  38.9   --      54.6 56.2  47.5 40.6  45.4LYM     1.2    1.0     0.8  0.5   0.9  1.2   0.5MID     0.3    --      0.2  0.2   0.3  0.5   0.5NEUT    0.9    --      1.4  0.9   1.0  1.3   0.9RDW-    12.1   12.2    11.4 12.1  12.1 12.9  12.8CVPDW     15.4   14.7    14.8 12.6  14.7 13.6  13.6MPV     11.3   11.5    11.4 11.0  11.4 10.9  11.0P-LCR   37.0   37.9    36.8 33.1  36.5 32.3  32.2______________________________________ 
    
     Table 10 (below) represents the biochemical status of Subject No. 2. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns 2 and 3 show data for biochemical tests performed during treatment and at the end of treatment. The fourth and fifth columns reflect the measurement units and the normal values for each of the biochemical tests. As the table indicates, there was an overall increase in the cholesterol, triglycerides, and calcium of Subject No. 2 during the course of treatment. With the exception of the biochemical test for HDL, all of the tests showed data that was within the range of normal values by the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 10______________________________________    Oct     Oct     NovBiochemical    16      29      11            Normaltests    1992    1992    1992  Units   Values______________________________________Urea     29      36      27    mg/100 ml                                  15-55Cholesterol    171     142     172   &#34;       125-260HDL      29      23      29    &#34;       30-65LDL      130     91      130   &#34;        88-188Triglycerides    61      105     68    &#34;        40-160Creatinine    1.2     1.1     1.0   &#34;       0.9-1.5Calcium  3.1     9.1     8.9   &#34;        8.1-10.4Phosphorus    3.2     3.9     3.2   &#34;       2.5-4.5Magnesium    2.0     2.1     2.0   mEq/1   1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 11 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 2. All values were measured in mEq/. The first column represents the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent during treatment and the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column reflects the range of normal values for each of the above tests. As shown in table 11, the various blood electrolytes increased over the course of the treatment, except for the potassium and chloride electrolytes. All of the tests show data within the range of normal values for each of the tests by the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 11______________________________________       Oct    Oct        Nov       16     29         11   NormalElectrolytes       1992   1992       1992 Values______________________________________K           4.4    4.2        4.2  3.5-5.1Na          135    137        144  136-146Cl          107    102        98    98-107Trans-Go    28     30         30    5-40Trans-GP    18     21         38    5-40γ-GT  15     20         40   10-50Alp         48     62         66    30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 12 (below) discloses the results from the protein electrophoresis of Subject No. 2. The first column reflects the data before treatment with the plant extract. The second column shows data during treatment. The third column shows data at the end of treatment. The fourth column indicates the range of normal values. As shown in table 12, increases in data occurred only in Alb and Alb/Glob ratio, with the highest increases being during days 10-20 of the treatment. The data in table 12 also reflects that the protein electrophoresis was within the range of normal values, with the exception of the Alb (which was within the range of normal values only during the middle of the treatment), a2, and gamma. 
     
                       TABLE 12______________________________________       Oct    Oct       NovProtein     16     29        11   NormalElectrophoresis       1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________Alb         46.4   53.1      49.4 52-65a1          2.9    2.2       2.8    2-4.5a2          7.5    6.4       7.6  11-15β      12.9   10.1      12.7  6-13γ     30.3   28.2      27.5 10-19Alb/Glob    0.87   1.13      0.98______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 3 
     Subject No. 3 was suffering from a number of allergies. Subject No. 3 was not on any type of medication other than Ginseng and other herbal serums. Subject No. 3 was treated from Oct. 16, 1992 to Nov. 16, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 16, 1992 test was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 16, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The same type of testing was performed on Subject No. 3 as with the previous subjects. The units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same for Subject No. 3 as with the prior subjects. 
     Table 13 (below) shows another positive result. Subject No. 3 was initially tested for the p24 antigen (HIV-AG) and revealed a positive HIV-AG before treatment with the plant extract and a negative HIV-AG after less than one month of treatment. As shown in table 13, the T3 and T4 cells increased, while the T8 cells remained the same. 
     
                       TABLE 13______________________________________    OCT                   NOV    16            NOV     16HIV-AG   1992          9       1992T CELLS  POSITIVE      1992    NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %     50            30      29ANL      2300          2250    2581T3%       87            85      81T3       2001          1912    2090T4%       19            16      18T4        437           360     464T8%       60            62      60T8       1380          1385    1548______________________________________ 
    
     Table 14 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types of Subject No. 3 before treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns show the test results before treatment. The last three columns represent the changes of white blood types during treatment. As shown in table 14, the lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils decreased, while the increased in number. 
     
                       TABLE 14______________________________________    Oct     Oct     Oct   Oct   Nov   Nov    14      15      16    29    9     16WBC TYPES    1992    1992    1992  1992  1992  1992______________________________________Lymphocytes    44      46      50    50    30    29Monocytes    21      14      17     9     7     6Eosinophils    --       4      --    --     3     3Basophils    --      --      --    --    --    --Neutrophils    35      36      33    41    60    62______________________________________ 
    
     Table 15 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment. Columns four to six represent tests taken after treatment. As shown in table 15, the data for the white blood cells reflects an increase by almost half. Increases were also shown in the red blood cells, the hemoglobin, HCT, MCV, MCH, PLT, LYM%, NEUT%, LYM, NEUT, and PDW. Most of the increases were reflected in days 10-20 of the treatment. The MID% decreased, whereas the MCHC, MID, RDW-CV, MP, and P-LCR remained approximately the same. 
     
                       TABLE 15______________________________________  Oct  Oct      Oct    Oct    Nov  Nov  14   15       16     29     9    16  1992 1992     1992   1992   1992 1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC      4.7    4.7      4.6  7.1    7.5  8.9RBC      4.64   4.54     4.69 5.02   4.64 4.48Hb       13.5   13.5     13.9 15.0   13.9 13.2HCT      41.3   40.5     42.3 45.0   42.2 40.3MCV      89.0   89.2     90.2 89.6   90.9 90.0MCH      29.1   29.7     29.6 29.9   30.0 29.5MCHC     32.7   33.3     32.9 33.3   32.9 32.8PLT      324    322      299  290    344  439LYM %    44.1   44.8     50.1 49.6   30.6 29.5MID %    21.2   19.7     16.8 8.7    12.2 10.2NEUT %   34.7   35.5     33.1 41.7   57.2 60.3LYM      2.1    2.1      2.3  3,5    2.3  2.6MID      1.0    0.9      0.8  0.6    0.9  0.9NEUT     1.6    1.7      1.5  3.0    4.3  5.4RDW-CV   12.9   13.5     12.6 13.1   13.1 12.7PDW      14.7   14.0     13.0 14.1   15.0 14.9MP       11.3   10.6     10.5 10.8   11.2 11.1P-LCR    36.3   31.2     30.1 31.7   35.2 35.0______________________________________ 
    
     Table 16 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 3. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns 2 and 3 show data from biochemical tests during treatment and at the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth and fifth columns list the measurement units and the normal values, respectively. All of the data for the biochemical tests was within the range of normal values. In addition, all of the data reflects increases, except for the HDL and phosphorus. 
     
                       TABLE 16______________________________________    Oct     Nov     NovBiochemical    16      9       16            NormalTests    1992    1992    1992  Units   Values______________________________________Urea     30      25      38    mg/100 ml                                  15-55Cholesterol    141     174     191   &#34;       125-260HDL      42      36      34    &#34;       30-65LDL      92      116     132   &#34;        88-188Triglycerides    86      112     111   &#34;        40-160Creatinine    1.0     1.2     1.3   &#34;       0.9-1.5Calcium  8.7     8.7     9.4   &#34;        8.1-10.4Phosphorus    3.5     3.1     3.2   &#34;       2.5-4.5Magnesium    1.8     1.9     2.0   mEq/1   1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 17 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 3. All values were measured in mEq/l. The first column reflects the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent during and the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. All of the data showed values within the range of normal values. The potassium and sodium electrolytes showed an increase during the treatment but a decrease at the end of the treatment. All the remaining electrolytes reflected a decrease as a result of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 17______________________________________       Oct    Nov        Nov       16     9          16   NormalElectrolytes       1992   1992       1992 Values______________________________________K           4.3    4.6        4.1  3.5-5.1Na          136    137        142  136-146Cl          105    99         102   98-107Trans-GO    32     17         17    5-40Transam-GP  42     12         12    5-40γ-GT  48     13         22   10-50Alp         64     57         59    30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 18 (below) demonstrates the results of electrophoresis. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column shows the results during the treatment, and the third column reflects the results at the end of the treatment. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. All the data was within the range of normal values and showed an increase, except for the gamma and albumin/globulin ratio. 
     
                       TABLE 18______________________________________       OCT    NOV       NOVProtein     16     9         16   NormalElectrophoresis       1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________Alb         45     46.3      45.4 52-65a1          2.5    3.1       3.2    2-4.5a2          9.9    12.3      12.5 11-15β      10.7   9.6       10.8  6-13γ     31.9   28.7      28.1 10-19Alb/Glob    0.82   0.86      0.83______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 4 
     Subject No. 4, along with subjects 5 through 9, was diagnosed HIV positive but tested negative for the HIV antigen at both the beginning and end of the treatment. Subject No. 4 was apparently not taking any drugs, including AZT. Subject No. 4 was treated from Oct. 15, 1992 to Nov. 9, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 15, 1992 tests was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 9, 1992 test was taken after treatment. 
     Table 19 (below) reveals that Subject No. 4 tested negative for HIV-AG before and after the treatment with the plant extract. The T-3 and T-8 cells increased significantly as a result of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 19______________________________________    OCT                   NOV    12            OCT     9HIV-AG   1992          27      1992T CELLS  NEGATIVE      1992    NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %    25             21      23ANL      600           525     563T3       200           378     309T3%      80             72      55T4       42.5           21      23T4%      17             4       4T8       152           346     261T8%      61             66      44______________________________________ 
    
     Table 20 (below) discloses specific changes in white blood cell types of Subject No. 4 before treatment with the plant extract. The first 3 columns show the test results prior to treatment. The next four columns represent the changes in the white blood cells during the treatment. As shown in table 20, the monocytes significantly increased by the end of treatment. The neutrophils increased during the middle of the treatment but remained approximately 8 then decreased by the end of the treatment. The lymphocytes remained approximately the same. 
     
                       TABLE 20______________________________________  Oct   Oct    Oct     Oct  Oct   Nov  Nov  12    14     15      21   27    2    9  1992  1992   1992    1992 1992  1992 1992______________________________________WBCTYPESLymphocytes    10      23     25    22   21    23   18Monocytes    13       3     10    12    4     9   58Eosinophils    20      --      2    --   --    --   --Basophils    --      --     --    --   --    --   --Neutrophils    57      74     63    66   75    68   24______________________________________ 
    
     Table 21 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment with the plant extract. Columns four to seven represent tests taken after treatment, and the last two columns represent the range of normal values and the unit measurement. Most of the data showed an increase. The MCHC, PLT, and LYN% increased during the treatment but decreased or remained the same by the end of the treatment. The MCV, MCH, NEUT%, and NEUT data showed a decrease. 
     
                                           TABLE 21__________________________________________________________________________Oct      Oct Oct Oct Oct                   Nov Nov12       14  15  21  27 2   91992     1992        1992            1992                1992                   1992                       1992__________________________________________________________________________Blood                          Normal                               UnitsCellsWBC   2.5    2.5 2.4 2.6 2.5                   3.6 3.3                          4.8- K/ul                          10.8RBC   3.8    3.98        3.93            3.87                3.95                   4.22                       4.12                          4.4- M/ul                          5.8HNb   8.7    8.9 9.0 8.9 8.9                   9.4 8.9                          13.9-                               g/dl                          17.5HCT   28.1    29.2        28.7            27.8                28.2                   30.1                       28.7                          42.0-                               %                          52.5MCV   73.9    73.4        73.0            71.8                71.4                   71.3                       69.7                          80.5-                               fl                          98.5MCH   22.9    22.4        22.9            23.0                22.5                   22.3                       21.6                          25.5-                               pg                          34.5MCHC  31.0    30.5        31.4            32.0                31.6                   31.2                       31.0                          31.5--                               pg                          36.5PLT   464.0    481 207 480 215                   492 192                          150- K/ul                          350LYM % 20.6    23.5        23.0            22.1                23.0                   21.0                       18.0                          20-45                               %MID % 52.2    2.8 --  --  -- --  58.3                          1-15 %NEUT % 27.2    73.7        --  --  -- --  23.7                          45-80                               %LYM   0.5    0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6                   0.8 0.6                          1.0- K/ul                               4.0MID   1.3    0.1 --  --  -- --  1.9                          0-1  K/ulNEUT  0.7    1.8 --  --  -- --  0.8                          2.6- K/ul                               9.0RDW-CV 15.1    15.6        16.0            15.8                16.2                   16.0                       15.3                          11.0-                               %                               16.0PDW   -- --  --  --  -- --  -- 9.0- $                               17.0MPV   -- --  --  --  -- --  -- 9.0- fl                               13.0P-LCR -- --  --  --  -- --  -- 13-43                               %__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     Table 22 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 4. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns 2 and 3 show data for biochemical tests taken during treatment and at the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth and fifth columns list the measurement units and the range of normal values, respectively. The data from the tests showed that the cholesterol and triglycerides increased, with the highest value of the triglycerides being in the middle of the treatment. All other biochemical tests were within the range of normal values, except for the HDL and triglycerides. 
     
                       TABLE 22______________________________________    Oct     Oct     NovBiochemical    12      27      9             NormalTests    1992    1992    1992  Units   Values______________________________________Urea     36      34      36    mg/100 ml                                  15-55Cholesterol    87      100     102   &#34;       125-260HDL      29      34      29    &#34;       30-65LDL      52      62      51    &#34;        88-188Triglycerides    152     312     212   &#34;        40-160Creatinine    1.2     1.0     1.2   &#34;       0.9-1.5Calcium  --      9.8     8.8   &#34;        8.1-10.4Phosphorus    --      3.4     2.9   &#34;       2.5-4.5Magnesium    --      1.9     1.8   mEq/1   1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 23 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 4. All values were measured in mEq/l. The first column reflects the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent during and the end of the treatment, respectively. The fourth column shoes the range of normal values. As shown in table 23, all data was within the range of normal values by the end of the treatment. Also, there was an increase in the sodium, gamma-GT, and Alp electrolytes. 
     
                       TABLE 23______________________________________      OCT    OCT       NOV      12     27        9Electrolytes      1992   1992      1992 Normal Values______________________________________K          --     5.2       5.0  3.5-5.1Na         --     134       140  136-146Cl         --     103       102  98-107Trans-Go   35     29        23   5-40Trans-GP   18     17        18   5-40γ-GT 12     16        22   10-50Alp        63     89        84   30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 24 (below) reflects the results of protein electrophoresis. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column reflects the results during treatment. The third column shows the results at the end of the treatment. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. As indicated by the table, all the values were outside of the normal range by the end of the treatment, except for the a1 data. Moreover, the only increases in data were in the a2 and gamma data. 
     
                       TABLE 24______________________________________        OCT    OCT       NOVProtein      12     27        9    NormalElectrophoresis        1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________ALBUMIN      45.4   43.9      42.3 52-65a1           3.5    3.3       3.3    2-4.5a2           9.4    10.1      10.7 11-15β       14.4   12.1      13.1  6-13γ      24.3   30.6      30.6 10-19Alb/Glob.sup.2        0.83   0.78      0.73______________________________________ .sup.2 Ratio between Albumin to Globulin 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 5 
     Subject No. 5 was also from the HIV positive asymptomatic group and was taking AZT before treatment with the plant extract. Subject No. 5 was treated from Oct. 21, 1992 to Nov. 9, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 21, 1992 tests was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 9, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The same tests were performed on Subject No. 5 as were performed on the previous subjects. Moreover, the units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same as those used for the preceding subjects. 
     Table 25 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-cell tests. Subject No. 5 had a negative HIV-AG before and after treatment, and a negative HIV-AG after less than one month of treatment. The T-3 and T-8 cells increased significantly over the course of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 25______________________________________         Oct       Nov         21        9HIV           1992      1992T CELLS       NEGATIVE  NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %         32        43ANL           1312      1548T3%           82        93T3            1075      1439T4%           7.5       8T4            98        123T8%           72        84T8            944       1300______________________________________ 
    
     Table 26 (below) represents changes in the white blood cell types of Subject No. 5 before treatment with the plant extract. The first two columns show the test results before treatment. The next two columns represent the changes of white blood cells during the treatment. As shown in the table, the lymphocytes and monocytes increased as a result of the treatment, whereas the neutrophils decreased. 
     
                       TABLE 26______________________________________        Oct    Oct        Nov  NovWBC          19     21         5    9TYPES        1992   1992       1992 1992______________________________________Lymphocytes  28     32         40   43Monocytes     1      9         11   12Eosinophills --     --         --   --Basophills   --     --         --   --Neutrophils  71     59         49   45______________________________________ 
    
     Table 27 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first two columns represent tests taken before treatment. Columns three and four represent tests taken after treatment. As indicated in table 27, there was an overall increase in most types of blood cells with only a few exceptions. The white blood cells, PLT, NEUT%, NEUT, and RDW-CV decreased, while the MCHC and MID remained approximately the same. 
     
                       TABLE 27______________________________________       Oct    Oct        Nov  NovBlood       9      21         5    9Cells       1992   1992       1992 1992______________________________________WBC         6.0    4.1        4.7  3.6RBC         2.98   3.01       3.35 3.47Hb          11.4   11.5       13.0 13.3HCT         33.9   34.3       38.2 39.6MCV         113.8  114.0      114.0                              114.0MCH         38.3   38.2       38.8 38.3MCHC        33.6   33.5       34.0 33.6PLT         245    221        220  219LYM %       28.5   31.9       37.9 43.0MID %       2.3    9.2        --   12.3NEUT %      69.2   58.9       --   44.7LYM         1.7    1.3        1.8  1.5MID         0.1    0.4        --   0.4NEUT        4.2    2.4        --   1.7RDW-CV      12.5   12.5       11.3 12.4PDW         13.3   11.9       13.2 14.5MPV         10.4   10.3       10.4 10.8P-LCR       28.8   26.7       28.9 31.3______________________________________ 
    
     Table 28 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 5. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column reflects the data from the biochemical tests at the end of the treatment. The third and fourth columns show the range of normal values and the measurement units, respectively. As indicated by the table, the data is generally within the range of normal values and reflects increases only in the tests for urea, HDL, and magnesium. 
     
                       TABLE 28______________________________________     Oct      NovBiochemical     21       9      NormalTests     1992     1992   Values   Units______________________________________Urea      24       26     15-55    mg/1000 mlCholesterol     192      160    125-260  &#34;HDL       31       33     30-65    &#34;LDL       129      98      88-188  &#34;Triglycerides     161      149     40-160  &#34;Creatinine     1.0      1.0    0.9-1.5  &#34;Calcium   9.5      9.2     8.1-10.4                              &#34;Phosphorus     3.6      3.6    2.5-4.5  &#34;Magnesium 1.9      2.1    1.7-2.4  mEq/1______________________________________ 
    
     Table 29 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 5. All values are measured in mEq/l. The first column reflects the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column represents the end of the treatment. The third column shows the range of normal values. All the data is within the range of normal values. Moreover, the data reflects an increase in potassium, sodium, trans-GP, and alp electrolytes. 
     
                       TABLE 29______________________________________      Oct         Nov      21          9      NormalElectrolytes      1992        1992   Values______________________________________K          4.1         4.9    3.5-51Na         131         142    136-146Cl         105         103    98-107Trans-GO   27          23     5-40Trans-GP   31          32     5-40γ-GT 31          30     10-50Alp        77          90     30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 30 (below) demonstrates the results of protein electrophoresis. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column reflects the results at the end of treatment. The third column shows the range of normal values. All of the data was within the range of normal values. There was an increase in the data for the beta, gamma, and albumin/globulin ratio. 
     
                       TABLE 30______________________________________       Oct        NovProtein     21         9       NormalElectrophoresis       1992       1992    Values______________________________________Alb         59.7       59.3    52-65a1          3.0        3.0       2-4.5a2          11.3       11.0    11-15β      10.3       10.9     6-13γ     15.7       15.8    10-19Alb/Glob    1.48       1.46______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 6 
     Subject No. 6 belonged to the HIV positive and asymptomatic group. Subject No. 6 was taking AZT up until a few days prior to treatment with the plant extract. Subject No. 6 was treated from Oct. 19, 1992 to Nov. 18, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 19, 1992 test was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 18, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The same tests were performed on Subject No. 6 as were performed on the previous subjects. The units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same as with the previous subjects. 
     Table 31 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-cell tests. Subject No. 6 showed a negative HIV-AG before and after treatment. The T-cells showed no significant change. 
     
                       TABLE 31______________________________________     Oct                  Nov     19            Oct    18HIV-AG    1992          29     1992T-CELLS   NEGATIVE      1992   NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %     24            26     27ANL       1656          --     --T3%       72            71     72T3        1192          --     --T4%        4             4      3T4        66            --     --T8%       67            66     65T8        1109          --     --______________________________________ 
    
     Table 32 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types of Subject No. 6 before treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns show the test results prior to treatment. The next four columns represent the changes in white blood cells during the treatment. As shown in the table, the overall number of lymphocytes decreased, while the monocytes increased and the neutrophils remained approximately the same. 
     
                       TABLE 32______________________________________  Oct   Oct    Oct     Oct  Oct   Nov  Nov  15    16     19      24   29    4    18  1992  1992   1992    1992 1992  1992 1992______________________________________WBC TypesLymphocytes    26      28     24    19   26    23   14Monocytes     1       4      1     2    4     1   13Eosinophils    --       2     --    --    2    --   --Basophils    --      --     --    --   --    --   --Neutrophils    73      66     75    79   68    76   73______________________________________ 
    
     Table 33 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment. Columns four to seven represent tests taken after treatment. As shown in the table, almost all of the blood cell types reflected increases during days 10-20 of the treatment. This increase occurred despite a general decrease in the data by the end of the treatment in many of the blood cells. 
     
                       TABLE 33______________________________________Oct        Oct     Oct    Oct   Oct  Nov   Nov15         16      19     24    29   4     181992       1992    1992   1992  1992 1992  1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC     8.2    7.0     6.9  7.6   8.4  8.6   6.7RBC     3.98   3.91    3.88 3.76  4.13 4.35  3.90Hb      12.9   12.6    12.7 12.0  13.4 14.3  12.6HCT     38.8   38.3    37.8 36.9  40.8 42.5  37.7CV      97.5   98.0    97.4 98.1  98.8 97.7  96.7MCH     32.4   32.2    32.7 31.9  32.4 32.9  32.3MCHC    33.2   32.9    33.6 32.5  32.8 33.6  33.4PLT     159    153     133  110   186  146   178LYM %   26.3   28.7    24.5 18.9  26.7 23.5  14.0MID %   2.7    7.2     2.9  2.4   7.5  2.7   13.1NEUT %  71.0   64.1    72.6 78.7  65.8 73.8  72.9LYM     2.2    2.0     1.7  1.4   2.2  2.0   0.9MID     0.2    0.5     0.2  0.2   0.6  0.2   0.9NEUT    5.8    4.5     5.0  6.0   5.6  6.4   4.9RDW-CV  12.5   12.1    12.8 12.4  13.0 13.5  13.3PDW     13.0   12.9    13.8 14.3  13.0 14.5  11.4MPV     10.4   10.5    10.4 11.5  10.1 11.0  9.8P-LCR   29.3   28.5    28.7 38.4  26.6 33.1  23.7______________________________________ 
    
     Table 34 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 6. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns two and three reflect data from biochemical tests during and at the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth and fifth columns show the measurement units and the range of normal values for each biochemical test, respectively. As the table shows, the data for the urea and cholesterol tests increased and was especially high during the middle of the treatment. Likewise, the data for the LDL, creatinine, and calcium tests was particularly high during the middle of the treatment. The data for the HDL, triglycerides, calcium, and phosphorus showed a decrease by the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 34______________________________________    Oct     Oct     NovBiochemical    19      29      18           NormalTests    1992    1992    1992  Units  Values______________________________________Urea     23      49      28    mg/100 ml                                 15-55Cholesterol    208     328     216   &#34;      125-260HDL      29      28      25    &#34;      30-65LDL      131     228     131   &#34;       88-188Triglycerides    341     331     301   &#34;       40-160Creatinine    0.9     1.4     0.9   &#34;      0.9-1.5Calcium  8.8     9.2     8.4   &#34;       8.1-10.4Phosphorus    4.2     3.8     3.6   &#34;      2.5-4.5Magnesium    2.0     2.0     2.0   mEq/1  1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 35 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 6. All values were measured in mEq/l. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent during and the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. As the table shows, all of the data is within the range of normal values, except for the alp data which is only within the range during the middle of treatment. Furthermore, there was an increase in the data during the middle of treatment for the potassium electrolytes, and both during and at the end of treatment asa shown by the trans-GP, gamma-GT, and alp data. 
     
                       TABLE 35______________________________________   Oct  Oct        Nov   10   29         18   1992 1992       1992   Normal______________________________________K         4.4    4.2        4.5  3.5-5.1Na        137    134        133  136-146Cl        104    98         101    98-10.7Trans-GO  28.2   28.0       28.1  5-40Trans-GP  16.1   27.0       20.5  5-40γ-GT     15.48  23         12.71                            10-50Alp       28.0   32         29.7  30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 36 (below) represents the results of protein electrophoresis. Column 1 shows the results before treatment. Column two shows the results during the treatment, and column three shows the results at the end of the treatment. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. As the table indicates, only the a1 and a2 data is within the range of normal values. Moreover, the table shows that there was an overall increase in the a1, a2, beta, and gamma data. 
     
                       TABLE 36______________________________________        Oct    Oct       NovProtein      19     29        18   NormalElectrophoresis        1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________Alb          43.2   42.3      39.4 52-65a1           2.8    3.0       3.3    2-4.5a2           10.2   11.5      11.2 11-15β       13.2   13.0      14.4  6-13γ      30.6   30.2      31.7 10-19Alb/Glob     0.76   0.73      0.65______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 7 
     Subject No. 7 was taking AZT prior to treatment with the plant extract. Subject No. 7 was treated from Oct. 15, 1992 to Nov. 9, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 15, 1992 tests was taken prior to treatment, and blood for the Nov. 9, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The same tests were performed on Subject No. 7 as with the previous subjects. Likewise, the units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same for Subject No. 7 as with the previous subjects. 
     Table 37 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-Cell tests. Subject No. 7 tested negative for HIV-AG before and after treatment. As the table indicates, the number of T-cells decreased by the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 37______________________________________     Oct                  Nov     15            Oct    9HIV-AG    1992          29     1992T-CELLS   NEGATIVE      1992   NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %     19            19     17ANL       627           --     --T3%       69            71     62T3        432           --     379T4%        8             5      4T4        50            --     24T8%       58            62     50T8        363           --     306______________________________________ 
    
     Table 38 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types of Subject No. 7 before treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns are the test results before treatment. The next three columns represent the changes in white blood cells during the treatment. As shown in table 38, there was an overall decrease in the lymphocytes and monocytes. In contrast, there was an increase in the neutrophils. 
     
                       TABLE 38______________________________________    Oct     Oct     Oct   Oct   Oct   Nov    13      14      15    21    29    9WBC Types    1992    1992    1992  1992  1992  1992______________________________________Lymphocytes    20      20      19    17    19    17Monocytes    12      13       9    14     7     8Eosinophils    --      --       5    --    --    --Basophils    --      --      --    --    --    --Neutrophils    68      67      67    69    74    75______________________________________ 
    
     Table 39 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment, while the remaining columns represent tests taken after treatment. As the table shows, most of the blood cells increased as a result of the treatment and included the greatest increases generally during the middle of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 39______________________________________    Oct.   Oct.     Oct. Oct.   Oct. Nov.    13     14       15   21     29   9DATES    1992   1992     1992 1992   1992 1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC      2.9    3.3      3.3  3.4    4.7  3.6RBC      4.31   4.34     4.24 4.29   4.35 4.41Hb       12.0   12.3     12.0 12.0   12.3 13.0HCT      38.1   38.3     37.5 37.3   37.8 39.4MCV      88.4   88.2     88.4 86.9   86.9 89.3MCH      27.8   28.3     28.3 28.0   28.3 29.5MCHC     31.5   32.1     32.0 32.2   32.5 33.0PLT      98     111      97   102    149  141LYM %    19.9   19.9     15.4 17.0   19.0 16.8MID %    12.4   13.5     --   13.7   7.3  8.2NEUT %   67.7   66.6     --   69.3   73.7 75.0LYM      0.6    0.7      0.5  0.6    0.9  0.6MID      0.4    0.4      --   0.5    0.3  0.3NEUT     1.9    2.2      --   2.3    3.5  2.7RDW-CV   15.0   14.1     15.1 14.3   14.4 15.5PDW      25.3   --       20.7 --     25.7 --MPV      13.5   --       13.7 --     13.6 --P-LCR    52.3   --       53.8 --     52.7 --______________________________________ 
    
     Table 40 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 7. The first column reflects the test data from the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns two and three show the data from biochemical tests taken during and at the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth and fifth columns list the measurement units and the range of normal values, respectively. As shown in table 40, the data was within the range of normal values by the end of the treatment. Moreover, there was an overall increase in the data, with the exception of the triglycerides, creatinine, and calcium. 
     
                       TABLE 40______________________________________     Oct     Oct     NovBiochemical     15      29      9            NormalTests     1992    1992    1992  Units  Values______________________________________Urea      47      36      52    mg/ml  15-55Cholesterol     142     142     158   &#34;      125-260HDL       24      24      30    &#34;      30-65LDL       82      92      105   &#34;       88-188Triglycerides     210     207     116   &#34;       40-160Creatinine     1.2     1.2     1.1   &#34;      0.9-1.5Calcium   9.7     8.9     9.2   &#34;       8.1-10.4Phosphorus     3.9     4.0     4.1   &#34;      2.5-4.5Magnesium 2.0     1.9     2.1   mEq/l  1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 41 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 7. All values are measured in mEq/l. The first column shows the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent the during and end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. Subsequent to treatment, all data was within the normal range of values, except for the gamma-GT data. Moreover, there was an overall increase in the data for the sodium, trans-GO, trans-GP, and gamma-GT by the end of the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 41______________________________________      Oct    Oct        Nov      15     29         9    NormalElectrolytes      1992   1992       1992 Values______________________________________K          5.6    4.3        4.2  3.5-5.1Na         108    140        138  136-146Cl         102    101        101   98-107Trans-GO   27     28         28    5-40Trans-GP   17     27         22    5-40γ-GT 48     20         61   10-50Alp        97     88         86    30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 42 (below) shows the results of protein electrophoresis. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column shows the results during the treatment and the third column shows the results at the end of the treatment. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. As the table indicates, the data was within the range of normal values. Furthermore, there was an overall increase in the albumins, a1 data, a2 data, beta data, and albumin/globulin ratio. 
     
                       TABLE 42______________________________________        Oct    Oct       NOVProtein      15     29        9    NormalElectrophoresis        1992   1992      1992 Values______________________________________Albumins     59.4   61.2      59.9 52-65a1           2.5    2.4       2.8    2-4.8a2           11.0   11.5      11.1 11-15β       11.1   10.8      12.2  6-13γ      16.0   14.1      14   10-19Alb/Glob     1.46   1.58      1.49______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 8 
     Subject No. 8 was not taking any AZT or DDI but was ingesting some herbal remedies such as, for example, gingseng. Subject No. 8 was treated from Oct. 21, 1992 to Nov. 16, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 21, 1992 tests was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 11, 1992 tests was taken after treatment. The same tests were performed on Subject No. 8 as on the previous subjects. The units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same with Subject No. 8 as for the previous subjects. 
     Table No. 43 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-Cell tests. Subject No. 8 tested negative for HIV-AG before and after treatment. The T4 cells increased significantly due to treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 43______________________________________     OCT                  NOV     21            NOV    16HIV-AG    1992          3      1992T-CELLS   NEGATIVE      1992   NEGATIVE______________________________________ANL %     56            49     48ANL       2360          --     2400T3%       83            86     79T3        1900          --     1896T4%       25            36     31T4        575           --     744T8%       53            48     47T8        1219          --     1128______________________________________ 
    
     Table 44 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types prior to treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns reflect the test results before treatment. The next four columns represent the changes in the White blood cells during treatment. As shown in the table, the neutrophils increased while the lymphocytes and monocytes remained approximately the same. 
     
                       TABLE 44______________________________________    Oct 19  Oct 21  Oct 26                          Nov 3 Nov 12                                      Nov 16WBC TYPES    1992    1992    1992  1992  1992  1992______________________________________Lymphocytes    51      56      28    45    49    48Monocytes    10      12      5     11     9     8Eosinophils    --      --      2     --    --    --Basophils    --      --      --    --    --    --Neutrophils    39      32      5     44    42    44______________________________________ 
    
     Table 45 (below) shows various blood test results taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first three columns represent tests taken before treatment. Columns four to six represent tests taken after treatment. As shown in the table, there was an overall increase in the RBC, HNb, HCT, PLT, NEUT%, and NEUT data, with the most significant increases often being during days 10-20 of treatment. Likewise, the data for the MCV, MCH. MCHC, MID%, LYM, and MID remained approximately the same but did include increases during days 10-20 of treatment. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the LYM% and RDW-CV data. 
     
                       TABLE 45______________________________________  Oct  Oct      Oct    Nov    Nov  Nov  19   21       26     3      9    16  1992 1992     1992   1992   1992 1992______________________________________BloodCellsWBC      4.8    4.2      7.1  4.5    5.9  5.0RBC      6.48   6.47     6.54 6.19   6.57 6.61HNb      12.5   12.7     12.7 12.3   13.0 12.9HCT      39.7   39.5     39.7 37.6   39.6 40.1MCV      61.3   61.1     60.7 60.7   60.3 60.7MCH      19.4   19.9     19.4 19.9   19.8 19.5MCHC     31.5   32.2     32.0 32.7   32.8 32.2PLT      259    251      265  321    346  282LYM %    51.2   55.6     28.2 45.3   48.6 48.3MID %    10.5   12.0     7.9  11.1   9.3  8.1NEUT %   38.3   32.4     63.9 43.6   42.1 43.6LYM      2.5    2.3      2.0  2.0    2.9  2.4MID      0.5    0.5      0.5  0.5    0.5  0.4NEUT     1.8    1.4      2.0  2.0    2.5  2.2RDW-CV   16.8   16.7     15.1 15.1   15.0 15.6PDW      --     --       --   --     --   --MPV      --     --       --   --     --   --P-LCR    --     --       --   --     --   --______________________________________ 
    
     Table 46 (below) shows the biochemical status of Subject No. 8. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. Columns two and three show data from the biochemical tests during and at the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth and fifth columns reflect the measurement units and the range of normal values, respectively. As the table shows, most of the data was within the range of normal values at the end of treatment, except for the HDL and triglycerides data which were slightly outside of the range. In addition, increases were reflected in the data for cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, calcium, and phosphorus. 
     
                       TABLE 46______________________________________Biochemical   Oct 21   Nov 3    Nov 16        NormalTests   1992     1992     1992   Units  Values______________________________________Urea     48      40        36    mg/100 ml                                   15-55Cholesterol   141      113      182           125-260HDL      32      17        28    &#34;      30-65LDL     112      78       126    &#34;       88-188Triglycerides   135      118      161    &#34;       40-160Creatinine   1.5      1.0      1.4    &#34;      0.9-1.5Calcium 9.4      9.6      9.7    &#34;       8.1-10.4Phosphorus   3.5      3.6      3.8    &#34;      2.5-4.5Magnesium    2       2.1      2.0    mEq/l  1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 47 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 8. All values were measured in mEq/l. In the first column, the data reflects results before treatment with the plant extract. The second and third columns represent during and the end of treatment, respectively. The fourth column reflects the range of normal values. As the table indicates, all the data is within the range of normal values by the end of the treatment. Moreover, there is an increase in the sodium, chlorine, and alp electrolytes. 
     
                       TABLE 47______________________________________Electrolytes   Oct 21 1992             Nov 3 1992                       Nov 16 1992                               Normal Values______________________________________K       4.4       4.5       4.3     3.5-5.1Na      133       137       144     136-146Cl      100       102       103     98-107Trans-GO   23        19        22      5-40Trans-GP   17        12        12      5-40γ-GT   23        18        14      10-50Alp     51        69        60      30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 48 (below) represents the results of protein electrophoresis. The first column shows the results before treatment with the plant extract, the second column shows the results during treatment, and the third column shows the results at the end of treatment. The fourth column shows the range of normal values. As shown in the table, most of the data shows an overall decrease by the end of treatment, except for the beta and alp data. However, a majority of the data (a1, a2, gamma, and alp) show a significant increase during days 10-20 of the treatment. By the end of treatment, data for a1, a2, and gamma are not within the range of normal values. 
     
                       TABLE 48______________________________________Protein                              NormalElectrophoresis    Oct 21 1992              Nov 3 1992                        Nov 16 1992                                Values______________________________________Albubines    54.8      50        53.6    52-65a1       1.6       2.5       1.8       2-4.5a2       6.8       9.6       7.0     11-15β   9.3       9.4       11.0     6-13γ  27.5      28.5      26.6    10-19Alb/Glob 1.21      1.00      1.16    --Alp      51        69        60       30-125______________________________________ 
    
     SUBJECT NO. 9 
     Subject No. 9 was HIV positive and asymptomatic. Subject No. 9 was infected by the virus in 1982 and was taking AZT prior to treatment with the plant extract. Subject No. 9 was treated from Oct. 21, 1992 to Nov. 9, 1992. Blood for the Oct. 21, 1992 test was taken prior to treatment and blood for the Nov. 9, 1992 test was taken after treatment. The same tests were performed on Subject No. 9 as were performed on the previous subjects. The units for measurement, as well as the standard values, are the same as with the previous subjects. 
     Table 49 (below) shows the results of the HIV-AG and T-Cell tests. Subject No. 9 tested negative for HIV-AG before and after treatment with the plant extract. Moreover, the T-3 and T-8 cells increased due to the treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 49______________________________________HIV          Oct 21 1992                  Nov 9 1992T-Cells      Negative  Negative______________________________________ANL %        27        42ANL          1539      2184T3 %         80        92T3           1231      2009T4 %         24        26T4           370       567T8 %         52        63T8           800       1375______________________________________ 
    
     Table 50 (below) represents specific changes in the white blood cell types before treatment with the plant extract. The first two columns show the test results before treatment. The next two columns represent the changes in white blood cells during treatment. As shown in the table, the lymphocytes increased while the monocytes and neutrophils decreased. Moreover, the highest increases occurred during days 10-20 of treatment. 
     
                       TABLE 50______________________________________WBC TYPES    Oct 19 1992              Oct 21 1992                        Nov 5 1992                                Nov 9 1992______________________________________Lymphocytes    32        27        46      42Monocytes     5         6         3       2Eosinophils     2         2        --       1Basophils    --        --        --      --Neutrophils    61        65        51      55______________________________________ 
    
     Table 51 (below) shows various blood tests taken before, during, and at the end of the treatment with the plant extract. The first two columns represent tests taken before treatment. The next two columns represent tests taken after treatment. As shown in the table, most of the blood cell types increased (WBC, RBC, Hb, CT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, PLT, LYM%, LYM), with the highest increases falling within the 10-20 day period of treatment. The data for the PDW, MP, P-LCR remained substantially the same but included large increases during days 10-20 of treatment. Other data included RDW-CV which remained generally unchanged and the MID%, NEUT%, MID, and NEUT data which showed decreases. 
     
                       TABLE 51______________________________________Blood Cells    Oct 19 1992              Oct 21 1992                        Nov 5 1992                                Nov 9 1992______________________________________WBC      5.5       5.7       6.6     5.2RBC      4.79      4.64      5.21    5.08Hb       14.9      14.8      16.7    17.3CT       44.9      43.6      49.4    48.3MCV      93.7      94.0      94.8    95.1MCH      31.1      31.9      32.1    34.1MCHC     33.2      33.9      33.8    35.8PLT      180       188       188     192LYM %    32.9      27.8      46.5    42.2MID %    8.2       9.3       3.0     4.5NEUT %   58.9      62.9      50.5    53.3LYM      1.8       1.6       3.1     2.2MID      0.5       0.5       0.2     0.2NEUT     3.2       3.6       3.3     2.8RDW-CV   11.7      12.0      11.6    11.7PDW      14.1      13.2      15.7    13.5MP       11.2      10.7      11.4    10.7P-LCR    34.9      31.6      35.8    31.5______________________________________ 
    
     Table 52 (below) describes the biochemical status of Subject No. 9. The first column represents the status of the subject prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column shows the data from the biochemical tests at the end of treatment. The third and fourth columns list the measurement units and the range of normal values, respectively. As shown in the table, all of the data is within the range of normal values, with the exception of the triglycerides. There was an increase in the cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. 
     
                       TABLE 52______________________________________Biochemical                          NormalTests    Oct 21 1992              Nov 9 1992                        Units   Values______________________________________Urea      23        22       mg/100 ml                                15-55Cholesterol    152       200       &#34;       125-260HDL       35        41       &#34;       30-65LDL      110       125       &#34;        88-188Triglycerides    164       170       &#34;        40-160Creatinine    1.0       1.0       &#34;       0.9-1.5Calcium  9.7       9.2       &#34;        8.1-10.4Phosphorus    4.0       3.8       &#34;       2.5-4.5Magnesium    2.1       2.0       mEq/l   1.7-2.4______________________________________ 
    
     Table 53 (below) shows changes in the blood electrolytes of Subject No. 9. All values were measured in mEq/l. The first column shows the results before treatment with the plant extract. The second column represents the results by the end of treatment. The third column shows the range of normal values. As the table shows, all the data was within the range of normal values. Moreover, there was an increase in the potassium, sodium, trans-GO, trans-GP, and gamma-GT data. The chlorine data remained the same and the alp data decreased. 
     
                       TABLE 53______________________________________Electrolytes     Oct 21 1992 Nov 9 1992                           Normal Values______________________________________K         4.3         4.5       3.5-5.1Na        136         141       136-146Cl        103         103       98-107Trans-GO  19          21        5-40Trans-GP  10          18        5-40γ-GT     16          30        10-50Alp       46          37        30-125______________________________________ 
    
     Table 54 (below) shows the results of protein electrophoresis. The first column shows the results prior to treatment with the plant extract. The second column shows the results at the end of the treatment. The third column shows the range of normal values. As shown in table 54, the data is within the range of normal values, except for the a2 and gamma data. Moreover, there were increases in the data for alb, beta, and the alb/glob ratio. 
     
                       TABLE 54______________________________________Protein Electrophoresis       Oct 21 1992                  Nov 9 1992 Normal Values______________________________________Alb         55.7       58.3       52.65a1          3.7        3.1          2-4.5a2          11.6       10.1       11-15β      9.4        9.9         6-13γ     19.6       18.6       10-19Alb/Glob    1.26       1.40______________________________________ 
    
     It will now be appreciated that the present invention provides a method for treating HIV positive subjects. The method apparently destroys, neutralizes or at least inhibits the HIV virus. This is evidenced by the fact that the p24 antigen is substantially destroyed or reduced by administering an effective amount of our therapeutically active composition to a subject. The composition used in the method has a medicinal application and results in a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a subject that initially tested positive for the p24 (HIV) antigen. Alternatively, the composition used in the method maintains a negative reading for the p24 (HIV) antigen in a subject that initially tested negative for the p24 (HIV) antigen. The composition used in the inventive method includes as an active pharmaceutical an extract of a Mediterranean and West Asiatic plant known as Asphodelus tenuifolius. 
     As the data from the nine HIV positive subjects demonstrates, the administration of the Asphodelus tenuifolius plant extract to HIV positive subjects resulted in negative readings for the p24 antigen in those subjects that initially tested positive for the antigen and also maintained negative readings for the p24 antigen in those subjects that initially tested negative for the antigen. Furthermore, the administration of the plant extract to the subjects increased the number of WBC-PMN, lymphocytes, monocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes, especially between 10-20 days of treatment with the plant extract. Moreover, in many instances, the subclasses of T-Cells increased, particularly between 10-20 days of treatment. 
     In addition to the foregoing, toxicity studies support the conclusion of the plant extracts&#39; non-toxicity. 
     Therefore, it should be recognized that, while the invention has been described in relation to a preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art may develop a wide variation of structural details without departing from the principles of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalents falling within the true scope and spirit of the invention.