Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5179
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A recent study indicated that a combination of five herbs may help treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease:
Herbal medicine Davaie Loban in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: A 12-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial
Davaie Loban (DL) contains Cyperus rotundus L., Zingiber officinale, Acorus calamus L., Piper nigrum L., and Boswellia carterii.
DL can improve memory in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease without any adverse reaction.
It seems that the main mechanisms of action of DL in Alzheimer’s disease are cholinergic effect, antioxidant activity and reduction of amyloid toxicity.
Interventions
This included patients older than 50 years with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease according to ADAS-cog (Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale; ADAS ≥ 12) and the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB; CDR ≤ 2). Twenty-four patients completed the study in DL group and 20 in placebo group.
Results
At 4 weeks and 12 weeks there was significant difference in mean (SEM) ADAS-cog scores between DL and placebo groups and it was lower in DL group [probability value of less than 0.001]. At baseline, no significant difference was seen regarding mean (SEM) scores of CDR-SOB between DL and placebo groups (p = 0.096). However, at 4 and 12 weeks there was significant difference in mean (SE) CDR-SOB scores between DL and placebo groups and it was lower in DL group [probability value of less than 0.001]
ConclusionOur findings suggest that DL may be effective in improvement of memory in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
http://www.complementarytherapiesinmedicine.com/article/S0965-2299(15)00100-4/abstract
The first two herbs are particularly good peroxynitrite scavengers:
Cyperus rotundus (common nut sedge)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174672
Zingebere officinale (ginger)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14572883
Find the right combination of herbs and/or essential oils and you have a chance to effectively treat Alzheimer's disease. Indeed so far they are the only substances which have partially reversed Alzheimer's disease in human beings.
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Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5179
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Methoxyphenols are likely the key to treating Alzheimer's disease. Here is some important information on zingerone in ginger.
Zingerone is present in a significant amount of about 9.25% in ginger. It is a member of Methoxyphenol family and its related derivatives. They have a basic phenolic ring with a methoxy group attached to benzene ring...Also, it [zingerone] inhibits the reactive nitrogen species [including peroxynitrites] which are important in causing Alzheimer's disease and many other disorders.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4461790/
Cyperus rotundus contains ferulic acid another methoxyphenol that effectively scavenges peroxynitrites.
Here is the chemical explanation of why methoxyphenols are such good antioxidants.
The orthomethoxy group can form an intramolecular hydrogen bond with the phenolic hydrogen, making the H-atom abstraction from the orthomethoxyphenols surprisingly easy [18]. The H abstraction from these groups is responsible for the remarkable antioxidant activity of curcumin [if only curcumin entered the bloodstream better].
The donation of hydrogen atoms partially reverses oxidation and is needed for the scavenging of peroxynitrites. The scavenging of peroxynitrites produces water which is a de-nitrating agent. And almost all the damage done to the brain in Alzheimer's disease is the result of either oxidation or nitration (reduced synthesis and release of neurotranmitters involved in short-term memory, sleep, mood, social recognition, and alertness, reduced blood flow and glucose transport in the brain which can lead to apathy, wandering and delusions, impaired neurotransmissions and decreased transport of nutrients, the end to the regeneration of neurons, and the death of neurons).
We probably know the primary oxidant (peroxynitrite) that causes Alzheimer's disease and the types of compounds (methoxyphenols) that most effectively treat this disease. A few more successful clinical trials using methoxyphenols to treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and Alzheimer's disease as we know it today will probably no longer exist.
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Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5179
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One of those rare gems of wisdom: ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: Pharmaceutical Drugs vs Medicinal Plants Markets, Competitors and Opportunities : 2015-2020 Analysis and Forecasts At the moment, unfortunately, there is no cure available to impede the severe-type of AD, and only symptomatic treatment is applicable for the moderate and mild-types, which often lasts about 2-3 years.
Modern treatment strategies typically comprise of anticholinesterases, antioxidants, alpha and beta-secretase inhibitors, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists. But none of the current AD pharmaceutical drugs has demonstrated a disease modifying effect or is very efficacious at slowing progression. And next-generation treatments capable of slowing the disease progression will not reach the market for 3-5 years.
Further exacerbating the problem, the pharmaceutical industry is facing serious challenges as the drug discovery process for neurodegenerative diseases is becoming extremely expensive, riskier and critically inefficient. Also, a significant shift from a single-target to a multi-target drug approach, especially for chronic and complex disease syndromes, is taking place. Because of the complexity of chemical content (in terms of both diverse classes and multiple analogues within any class) and variety of bioactivities, medicinal plants offer the prospect of the kind of built in poly-pharmacology that is increasingly apparent for orthodox drugs.
Also, medicinal plants can serve as chemopreventive agents, which induce therapeutic outcomes that modulate the aggregation process of beta-amyloid, and provide measureable cognitive benefits in the aging process. As a result, medicinal plants may be particularly relevant to long-term, potentially prophylactic use against AD by providing neuroprotection.
This report provides an estimate of global Alzheimer's disease pharmaceutical drug production, as well as estimates for several medical plants production that are useful in treating and preventing AD. A detailed analysis of current and future drug offerings is given, along with the companies producing and doing R&D on them. Additionally, a detailed analysis of medicinal plants that have been clinically evaluated for treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease is provided.
It does not look like I can gain access to the entire report but here is the table of contents regarding plants for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease:
MEDICINAL PLANTS AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
- Background
- Healthy Brain Aging
- Pharmaceutical Approach Is Not Working
- Phytochemical Approach
- Plant Extracts and Compounds Have Been Extensively Reviewed
- Cognitive Function
- Natural Products Derived From European Plants
- Galantamine
- Sage
- Lemon Balm
- Periwinkle
- Natural Products Derived from Traditional Chinese Medicines
- Ginkgo
- Ginseng
- Huperzine
- Other Traditional Chinese and Japanese Herbal Medicines
- Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms
- Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
- BPSD as a Whole
- Agitation
- Alzheimer's Disease Prevention/Stabilization
- Conclusions
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Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5179
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Yet another gem of wisdom:
Herbal Medicines: Great Applause and Less Clinical Use
Many researchers in different fields of pharmaceutical research
have been searching among the rich dictionaries of traditional
medicine for potential natural drugs. Actually numerous herbal
medicines and herbal compounds have been proven to be highly
efficient and safe for the treatment of many diseases, and this
was proven experimentally in vitro, in vivo and through clinical
studies. For instance Davaie Loban [1], resveratrol [2] and many
other natural plants have shown many auspicious results towards
the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease... Many other examples
can be found easily through reading scientific papers published
in different journals published worldwide, in different medicinal
fields about different ailments and diseases.
Although all the promising findings about herbal medicines,
they are still not provided for the patients as a treatment. That is
why I encourage and recommend that scientific researchers and
pharmaceutical companies should focus more on establishing the
full pharmacological and toxicological profiles of potential natural
compounds, and on conducting more clinical studies on these
auspicious candidates, in order to provide the patient, as quick
as possible, with an effective, yet safer drug, which could help the
patients to promote their health state, and help further leading to
positive economical and social impact globally.
http://medcraveonline.com/MOJI/MOJI-02-00055.pdf
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Joined: 9/13/2013
Posts: 112
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Thanks for the thread, Lane.
Interesting too that ginger and turmeric are categorized in the same family, Zingiberaceae, along with cardamom (White 2007)(Leal 2003).
We have more clinical trials with turmeric for AD, maybe about time to pay attention to its family members like ginger which has been popularly tested for cancer and arthritis.
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