Banjul, Gambia (AHN) -- In a continent suffering from a massive AIDS epidemic, the president of the small West African nation of Gambia is taking a more non-conventional approach to tackling the disease.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, a 41-year old former army colonel seized control of his country in a 1994 coup, says his treatment is effective in combating the deadly AIDS virus.

Speaking to reporters in his presidential compound as he prepares to treat more patients, Jammeh says, "Whatever you do there are bound to be skeptics, but I can tell you my method is foolproof," adding that, "Mine is not an argument, mine is a proof. It's a declaration. I can cure AIDS and I will."

Although, Jammeh refuses to disclose specific details of his herbal cure, he does admit the remedy uses seven plants, "three of which are not from Gambia." The treatment begins with President Jammeh closing his eyes in prayer and rubbing a green herbal paste into the ribcage of his patient, followed by gray-colored solution which is splashed on the patient's skin. The patient is then asked to swallow a yellow, tea-like drink, followed by two bananas. The process is repeated several times over the course of a few weeks.

Patients, who receive Jammeh's treatment must agree to abide by a strict diet, live in a secluded compound, and stop taking anti-retroviral medications, a move which worries some health care workers.

Although, President Jammeh has refused to allow samples of his herbs to be taken out of Gambia for international testing, he insists his method will help cure the 1.3 percent of Gambia's population who suffer from HIV/AIDS.

In an effort to prove his claim of a cure for AIDS, Jammeh has arranged for blood samples of the first nine patients to be sent to a lab in Senegal for testing. While, the lab results reveal that of the nine, four had undetectable viral loads, one had a moderate viral load and three had high loads, the Senegal lab technicians warned the results are not conclusive since the blood samples were only taken after the treatment.

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