Executive President of the Centre of Awareness has said despite the high efficacy of COA FS, it should be taken as a food supplement and not a substitute for the anti-retroviral drug.

.Dr Ato Duncan's admonishing comes on the back of reports that the high efficacy of COA FS in boosting the immune system has led to some persons living with HIV/AIDS ditching their anti-retroviral therapies.

Although Dr  Duncan notes that the veracity of the claim is questionable,  he indicates that it was important for the Centre of Awareness to clear the air of any misconception.

“We have no doubt that an over-zealous member of staff or agent might have given a wrong impression that the COA FS has therapeutic ability; but at no time has the Centre deliberately, officially or otherwise informed the public that the COA FS could be used for therapeutic purposes,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

COA FS is fast gaining grounds both in Ghana and abroad as a “miracle product” following testimonies that it has brought relief to persons living with various sickness, including cancer, diabetes, and kidney complications.

The product had been registered with the Food and Drugs Authority and has undergone rigorous scientific laboratory analysis by internationally recognised research institutions including the Akuapem-Mampong Centre for Plant Medicine.

Photo: Dr Ato Duncan has said the Centre for Awareness will come out with a cure for HIV/AIDS, however, the COA FS was currently not a cure

Dr Duncan said the product’s secret at tackling various health problems stems from its effectiveness at boosting a person’s immune system.

“If your immune system is strong, your body can fight every sickness”, he said.

Dr Duncan said he has been compelled by calls from both local and international clients to explain and set the records straight on the matters arising from some unfavourable media publications about COA FS.

He said being a purely herbal extract that comprised over 113 organic compounds, notably the triterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycoside, reducing sugars and vitamins, COA FS had the ability to fight infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites to prevent inflammatory disorders and improve metabolic pathways.

He explains that maintaining a good immune system was crucial for the prevention of diseases and the restoration of damaged body organs and tissues, adding that everybody was at risk of immunodeficiency disorders.

He said circumstances such as aging, lack of sleep and illnesses including HIV and diabetes resulted in the weakening of the immune system such that they could no longer protect the body.

Dr Duncan, therefore, advised all his clients who were on other orthodox medications not to substitute them with the COA FS, but to consult their medical physicians on how to combine both products.

Dr Duncan said COA, which was a locally established vibrant social non-governmental organisation in the Central Region, was committed to serving humanity irrespective of their colour, race, position, political or religious affiliation.

It was also, among other objectives, to research and develop drugs that could treat and cure many deadly diseases that affected humanity and threaten their existence.

Some clients, who had benefited from the use of the COA FS, were at the press conference on Thursday to testify to how the product had helped in improving their individual conditions and had now become the product's ambassadors.