(Note: All links open in a new tab)

As mentioned on the Home page, in 2009 I was contacted by a Whistle Blower that revealed Novartis had extensively investigated the Active Ingredient (AI) of the seeds and discovered it had potent antiretroviral efficacy against HIV, including resistant strains. It reduces HIV to undetectable levels and HIV is unable to become resistant to the AI.

Shortly after receiving this information, I submitted a second patent application for other possible indications, including for HIV/AIDS. Thereafter, I received the UK Patent Office’s search results relating to my second patent application for other possible indications, which included HIV/AIDS.  This search by the Patent Office is normal practice and is intended to reveal whether what is claimed in a patent novel or prior art, in other words already known.  One document cited was a patent application with title: “Devastating Treatment Against HIV/AIDS With Capsaicin”.  As the title suggests the author proposes Capsaicin may be effective against HIV/AIDS in some way. He has come to his conclusions based on a number of reports, mentioned in paragraphs [0011] & [0012] on page 1 of the main text of this document under the “Background of the invention” section.

In particular in paragraph numbered [0011] is mentioned the story of an AIDS sufferer called Calaph Timmerson.  Writing under the pseudonym Calaph Timmerson, this person published an article titled: “A Few Simple Techniques for Staying Alive: Home Remedies for the A.I.D.S. Holocaust”  in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in 1990.  Therein he explains how his condition went from from advanced AIDS and looking like “grim death” to a healthy and energetic state stretching over a period of 4 years (1986 to 1990) by regularly consuming, in addition to other spices, food high in chili content once every two days. He also mentions others with HIV/AIDS known to him getting some benefit by doing the same. Calaph Timmerson’s article does not mention anything about fresh chilies or whether they were stored in the refrigerator or subjected to any other cold treatment.  His article is more about a holistic diet that also included regular intake of food high in chili content.  This primarily included a Korean pickle know as Kimchi (Kim-Chi).

Being unfamiliar with Kimchi, I looked it up. Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable pickle that dates back over 2 thousand years. There are over 200 varieties of Kimchi. Part of the preparation process involves the pickle being placed in special ceramic vessels which are then buried in the ground during winter to slow the fermentation process. The ingredient common to the most popular varieties is sun dried flakes or powdered Korean red chili pepper, known as Gochugaru. Chili peppers found their way into Kimchi as an ingredient during the 19^th century. Kimchi is considered a national dish of Korea. Korean consume up to 1 Kg of Kimchi per week.

Given how Kimchi is prepared by being buried in the ground during winter, this would provide the perfect condition for the seeds of the chili content to become significantly active with the AI. Together with the eating habit of Koreans these should have resulted in an an exceptionally low prevalence of eczema in Korea. However, when I researched the prevalence of eczema in Korea, I found it was not dissimilar to the prevalence of eczema elsewhere. This did not come as a total surprise, because years earlier when I looked for reports of a lower prevalence of eczema in countries where chilies are consumed regularly, apart from the paper by Indian dermatologists Kanwar and Dhar, I had not found any similar reports about Korea.

The question remained as to why this was not the case in Korea. I looked into the chili ingredient used. I found the variety of red chilies used are referred to as Korean red pepper. These are sun dried and are available as either flaked or powdered, which are called Gochugaru. Korean red peppers are not very spicy, typically rating less than 10,000 SHU. The spice of these peppers that are used to make Gochugaru are further reduced because their seeds and placenta are removed and discarded. As a result, Gochugaru is known to contain little to no seeds. Had Koreans not engaged in such a practice, I have no doubt they would have discovered the efficacy of the seeds of chili peppers for eczema long ago.

Some time later I managed to find and obtain Kimchi from an east Asian outlet. It was served from an open container and was served in a plastic food container. On visually inspecting the content, I could visibly see both whole and broken white chili seeds. This Kimchi was also quite spicy, compared to imported Kimchi I later purchased from the supermarket. It was therefore evident the Kimchi was most likely made locally in the UK using locally available dried chili flakes that contain seeds.

Hence if Calaph Timmerson was consuming Kimchi imported from Korea, that would have had little to no seed content, then his relative recovery had no relation to consuming Kimchi. Judging by the Americanised spelling used in Calaph Timmerson’s article, it is most likely he was from the United States. Given the substantial Korean immigrant population (over 1.5 million) in the USA, it is very likely the Kimchi he was using was made locally using dried chili powder or flakes that contained seeds.

To me it is evident that he was consuming the drug of the seeds in some small amount that resulted in his gradual recovery stretching over a period of 4 years.  He mentions taking AZT, the first and only anti-retroviral drug available at the time. AZT is known to slow down the progress of HIV/AIDS.  However, AZT alone does not totally reverse the progress of HIV/AIDS as Calaph Timmerson had experienced.  HIV is known to become resistant to AZT due to mutation by the virus and this typically happens within 2 years of taking AZT.  Only a very effective drug can totally reverse the adverse symptoms of advanced HIV/AIDS, as Calaph Timmerson had experienced. 

The above mentioned article by Calaph Timmerson confirms the information from the whistle blower.  Most significantly it also demonstrates that HIV was unable to become resistant to the drug of the seeds even at low doses and irregular intake. Therefore if the drug of the seeds is taken in the appropriate amounts it will have a far quicker and more effective impact on HIV/AIDS.