A of the present day promising bot...

A of the present day promising botanical therapy for Alzheimer's disease.

A recent botanical extract has become available through the past year that promises to exhibit a natural alternative to unsalable articles used for Alzheimer's disease. This appendix called huperzine A, is an extract from the unite in a club moss Huperzia serrata, and has been used for centuries in Chinese folk medicine.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a progressive deterioration in mental functioning, first described by the agency of Alois Alzheimer in 1907, affects more than 4 million Americans. The assault most commonly starts in one's 80 although it has been known to start as early as age 30 common of the major cognitive enigmas associated with AD is the inability to acquire modern knowledge. Loss of the sensation of smell is common, and the mental deterioration ensues to affect language and motor skills.

In Alzheimer's disease, there is a shortage of acetylcholine, the brain chemical involved in memory and learning. For many years, doctors have prescribed a remedy called tacrine that elevates flats of acetylcholine by blocking the activity of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks it down.

The action of huperzine A is similar to tacrine. It also has the ability to inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase. on inhibiting this enzyme, more acetylcholine becomes available to stimulate neuron Several studies have been done above the past few years with huperzine A, the one and the other in China and the United States.

These studies have shown that huperzine A:

* Is many times more effective and selective than tacrine (a pharmaceutical drug) in inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.

* Is beneficial in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists at Zhejiang Medical University, in Hangzhou, China, administered, for a period of eight weeks, 02 mg of huperzine A to 50 participants with Alzheimer's disease, and compared the follows to a group which received placebo pills. The contemplation was done in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized manner. The accrues showed about 58 percent (29 revealed of 50) of the patients treated with huperzine A had improvements in memory, cognition, and behavioral functions, whereas sole 36 percent of those upon the placebo improved. No chaste side effects were found. The researchers say, "Huperzine A is a promising unsalable article for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease."

Huperzine A was discussed, in 1997 in the Journal of the American Medical Association as a possible botanical treatment option for Alzheimer's disease.

* Benefits older the community with dementia, as seen in a double-blind consideration on 56 patients with multi-infarct dementia (multiple small strokes) and 100 patients with senile memory disorders (Zhang, 1991) The intra-muscular dose used for multi-infarct dementia was 005 mg twice a day for four weeks, whereas that for senile memory disorders was 003 mg twice a day for sum of two units weeks. Only a few patients felt slight dizziness, further this did not affect the therapeutic effects

Availability. Huperzine A is sold either on itself in dosages of 005 mg or in lower dosages combined with other nutrients that enhance memory and mental function. Daily dosage is about 005 to 01 mg a day, taken in the morning.

Recommendations. Huperzine A appears to be a promising alternative to acetylcholinesterase-inhibitor unsalable articles used in Alzheimer's disease. Patients who take huperzine A have reported feeling slightly more alert and focused. Until we learn more about this botanical extract, I approve its use in the therapy of Alzheimer's disease, and solely under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner.

Editor's Note: The safety and efficacy profile of huperzine A, to date, intimates cognition and memory benefits applicable to the general population.

REFERENCES

Cheng, DH Ren H and XC Tang. "Huperzine A, a novel promising acetylcholinesterase inhibitor," Neuroreport. 20;8(1):97-101 1998

Skolnick, A.A. "Old Chinese herbal medicine used for agitation yields possible new Alzheimer disease therapy [news]" JAMA 12;277(10):776 1997

Xu S et al. "Efficacy of oral huperzine-A forward memory, cognition, and behavior in Alzheimer's disease," Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao 16(5):391-5 1995

Zhang, RW et al. "Drug evaluation of huperzine A in the treatment of senile memory disorders," Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao. 12(3):250-2 1991

Ray Sahelian, MD is the bestselling author of volumes on Kava, Creatine, 5-HTP, Melatonin, DHEA, Glucosamine, Pregnenolone, Saw Palmetto, and CoQ10 recently made known books include The Common raw Cure and The Stevia Cookbook behold his web site www.raysahelian.com for the latest updates forward natural therapies, herbs, hormones, and supplements

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