By Shapi Shacinda

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia has launched clinical trials of herbal medicines for AIDS, and early signs are hopeful they could help boost the body's defenses, a government health official said on Wednesday.

Dr Patrick Chikusu, principal investigator of clinical trials of traditional herbal remedies, said three herbal drugs had been selected for the trials, including a remedy mixed by former Works and Supply Minister Ludwig Sondashi, a lawyer.

"We have started clinical trials for three products on human beings. The process has undergone extensive research by our team and we have met World Health Organization (WHO) specifications," Chikusu told a news conference.

"The drugs show they are able to reduce the viral load and increase CD4 cells, which defend the body, and that is why we have proceeded with further trials. We have been using WHO 2003 guidelines on herbal remedies," Chikusu said. "They are also safe," he added.

CD4 cells are the front line of the body's immune system.

One in five Zambians is infected with HIV or is living with AIDS. The country has 10 million people.

Chikusu, a medical doctor, said 14 natural remedies were initially submitted for preliminary tests, but only three had made it to the final stage of clinical trials.

Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said the three drugs had been checked thoroughly to ensure they were not toxic.

"It is a momentous occasion for Zambia which establishes a partnership between conventional medicine and traditional medicine," Masebo told reporters at the same news conference.

Chikusu said 25 patients had been placed on the three herbal remedies on a three-month trial basis.

He identified the remedies as the Sondashi Formulation invented by the former minister, the Mailacin Formulation, which was developed by a school teacher, and the Mayeyanin Formulation.

Doctors say that despite some price rebates to poor countries and limited government assistance, Western-made life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs cost as much as $500 per monthly dose in Zambia, well beyond the reach of many poor people with HIV.

Like most countries across southern Africa, Zambia has been grappling with ways to reduce HIV infections. The country's treasury says AIDS is killing qualified professionals faster than it is able to train replacements.