Asili Research Alliance

What Asili Research Alliance does

Asili Research Alliance is a California-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation (EIN 82-5248095) founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Carlos, CA, with operational presence in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The organization's mission is to research traditional medicine and deliver plant-based treatments, with a flagship supplemental HIV treatment derived from a root-based herbal formula developed over decades in collaboration with traditional healers in Tanga, Tanzania. The formula has been used to treat over 2,000 HIV patients in rural East Africa and has undergone pre-clinical safety trials, with in vitro analysis demonstrating potent anti-HIV activity (IC50 of 0.05 µg/ml) and antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC 14.0). It is positioned as a complement to, not a replacement for, antiretroviral therapy, addressing the population of HIV patients who lack access to, cannot afford, or prefer not to use ART.

The organization operates a small team (1–10 employees) across clinical research, ethnobotany, laboratory science, IT, finance, and outreach. Its technology and product portfolio comprises three core offerings: the Supplemental HIV Treatment, the Global Covid-19 Medicinal Plant Project (an open-access survey-based research initiative), and Covid-19 Prevention Packages (face masks, hand sanitizer, and Swahili-language educational materials) distributed in high-risk rural areas around Dar es Salaam. Distribution bypasses the hospital system through healthcare workers and traditional healers to preserve patient privacy. The organization adheres to the Nagoya Protocol, WHO Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), and the International Society of Ethnobiology Code of Ethics, anchoring its bioprospecting work in international compliance frameworks.

The business model is donation-driven: as a tax-exempt nonprofit, Asili Research Alliance receives charitable contributions and provides treatments at minimal or no cost to patients. Key institutional partners include the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Dar es Salaam, the Tanga Aids Working Group (TAWG), Bombo Regional Hospital, LHRO (a local Tanzanian NGO), CRS, Hesperian Health Guides, Jaguar Health, and the New York Botanical Gardens. The advisory board includes Dr. Steven R. King (ethnobotanist behind the first FDA-approved oral botanical drug, crofelemer) and Dr. Jacob P. Lalezari (HIV clinical trial PI since 1989), lending clinical-development credibility to the program.

Name

Asili Research Alliance

Legal name

Asili Research Alliance

Website

https://asiliresearchalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Asili Research Alliance is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit that researches traditional medicine and delivers plant-based HIV treatments and preventive health packages to underserved communities in Tanzania, primarily through partnerships with traditional healers, healthcare workers, and local research institutes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Medicine Research

NAICS

Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Global Programs (HIV/TB/Malaria/NTDs) (HLAJAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Communicable Disease Prevention & Control (HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, NTDs) (BPADAIAA), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Traditional medicine research
• Plant-based HIV treatment
• Ethnobotany research
• Herbal supplement development
• Nonprofit health research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Carlos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a California nonprofit public benefit corporation under IRS code 501(c)3, the organization operates primarily through donations. Treatments are provided at minimal or no cost to patients in East Africa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Asili Research Alliance develops, validates, and distributes a plant-based Supplemental HIV Treatment derived from traditional medicine used by traditional healers in Tanga, Tanzania, with over 2,000 patients treated. The organization conducts ethnobotanical research and phytochemical analysis to validate traditional remedies, runs the Global Covid-19 Medicinal Plant Project (a survey of plant-based pandemic responses), and distributes COVID-19 prevention packages (face masks, hand sanitizer, and Swahili fact sheets) to rural Tanzanian communities.

Product overview

Asili Research Alliance operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of plant-based health treatments and research initiatives. The core offerings include the Supplemental HIV Treatment (a traditional medicine-derived supplement for HIV patients), the Global Covid-19 Medicinal Plant Project (a worldwide survey and research initiative on plant-based COVID-19 treatments), and the Covid-19 Prevention Package (preventive supplies including masks, sanitizer, and educational materials). These products work together to address infectious diseases impacting East African communities through culturally-accepted traditional medicine while advancing global ethnobotanical research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supplemental HIV Treatment A plant-based HIV treatment derived from traditional medicine used by traditional healers in Tanga, Tanzania. Used to treat over 2,000 patients with HIV symptoms, particularly in rural areas where antiretroviral therapy is unavailable or unaffordable. Bridges gaps in ART adherence while preserving patient privacy; dispensed outside the hospital system through healthcare workers and traditional healers. Pre-clinical safety trials completed; in vitro anti-HIV activity (IC50 of 0.05Hg/ml) and antibacterial activity (MIC of 14.0 against S. aureus) demonstrated.
• Global Covid-19 Medicinal Plant Project A worldwide research initiative surveying how different regions respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through plant-based treatments. Data is compiled into an open-access academic research publication to advance global ethnobotanical knowledge of pandemic responses.
• Covid-19 Prevention Package Free COVID-19 prevention care packages distributed to high-risk rural Tanzanian communities, including locally-made CDC-approved face masks (produced by Traditional Women's Collectives), hand sanitizer produced at NIMR, and Swahili-language fact sheets and illustrated posters developed with CRS and Hesperian Health Guides.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 HIV patients treated using traditional medicine formula
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LHRO (Local Tanzanian NGO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with a local Tanzanian NGO for HIV treatment outreach and community engagement in Tanzania.
• Tanga Aids Working Group (TAWG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with TAWG for HIV research and traditional medicine development. Dr. Justin Omolo has been involved with projects in collaboration with TAWG as part of his PhD studies.
• Bombo Regional Hospital (Tanga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical observation at Bombo Regional Hospital in Tanga identified patients with HIV who were improving faster when supplementing with traditional herbal tea, leading to development of the HIV treatment formula.
• CRS (Catholic Relief Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with CRS to distribute COVID-19 fact sheets and illustrated posters emphasizing prevention measures.
• Hesperian Health GuidesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create COVID-19 fact sheets in Swahili appropriate for healthcare workers, distributed to communities.
• National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Justin Omolo serves as Head of Department of The Institute for Traditional Medicine Research at NIMR in Dar es Salaam. Hand sanitizer is produced locally at NIMR for COVID-19 response.
• Traditional Women's CollectivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local women's collectives to create CDC-approved face masks for COVID-19 prevention distribution.
• Jaguar HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Steven R. King serves as chief of sustainable supply and ethnobotanical research at Jaguar Health, bringing expertise in botanical drug development.
• New York Botanical GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJennifer Woltz conducted research with the New York Botanical Gardens on medicinal tree conservation. Dr. Steven King was the first fellowship student in the Institute of Economic Botany at NYBG.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Large international humanitarian agency running HIV care and prevention programs in Tanzania and globally. Already a partnership counterpart of Asili on COVID-19 fact sheets, and operates a comparable community-led health model in the same East African geography.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Major international medical humanitarian organization running HIV/AIDS treatment programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable target population (rural, underserved East African communities with HIV) but operates at vastly greater scale with biomedical rather than traditional medicine approach.
• Partners in Health: Large global health nonprofit delivering HIV and infectious disease care in resource-poor settings, including East Africa. Comparable mission of providing healthcare access where Western infrastructure is unavailable, though at much greater scale and with broader disease focus.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Global health organization working to expand access to HIV treatment and medicines in low-income countries, with significant Tanzania presence. Comparable focus on closing ART access gaps, though pursuing pharmaceutical market-shaping strategies rather than traditional medicine.

Direct peers

• AMREF Health Africa: Africa's largest health NGO, headquartered in East Africa, working on HIV, communicable diseases, and community health. Comparable nonprofit structure, geographic focus on East Africa, and emphasis on community-based delivery of culturally appropriate health solutions.
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation: Leading global nonprofit dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV/AIDS and supporting HIV-positive families. Directly comparable focus on HIV treatment access in underserved populations, though working primarily through biomedical/ART distribution rather than traditional medicine.
• Jaguar Health: Public pharmaceutical company developing plant-derived (botanical) prescription medicines from rainforest sources, with an advisor overlap (Dr. Steven R. King). Closest direct comparable as a botanical drug developer sourcing from traditional knowledge, though focused on gastrointestinal conditions rather than HIV.

Emerging players

• Hesperian Health Guides: Nonprofit publisher of community health guides widely used in low-resource settings. Already a partnership counterpart on Swahili COVID-19 fact sheets and shares Asili's community-led, low-cost health information distribution model.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asili-research-alliance

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asili Research Alliance