What are some herbal remedies for dementia?
• Caprylic acid
It’s the active component of Axona®, a “medical food” sold as Ketasyn (AC-1202). Caprylic acid is a medium-chain triglyceride (fat) obtained from coconut or palm kernel oil processing. When the body breaks down caprylic acid, it turns into a “ketone body.” The ketone bodies formed from caprylic acid, according to the idea behind Axona, provide an alternative energy source for the brain cells that lost their capacity to use glucose (sugar) as a result of Alzheimer’s. The brain’s primary energy source is glucose.
According to imaging studies, glucose usage decreases in Alzheimer’s brain areas. Some Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers have resorted to coconut oil as a low-cost, over-the-counter source of caprylic acid. Although a few people have reported that coconut oil benefits someone with Alzheimer’s, there has never been any clinical study of it for Alzheimer’s. There is no scientific proof that it helps.
• Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba is a plant extract that contains numerous chemicals that may benefit brain and body cells. Ginkgo biloba has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and the ability to protect cell membranes and regulate neurotransmitter activity. Ginkgo has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for a long time. It is also being used in Europe to help people with various neurological conditions improve their cognitive abilities.
However, a primary, multinational Phase 3 clinical research performed by many divisions of the National Institutes of Health revealed that ginkgo was no more effective than a placebo in preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s disease.
The Ginkgo Evaluation and Memory (GEM) Study involved 3,000 people aged 75 and more who did not have dementia or only had minor cognitive impairment (MCI). They randomly gave those who took part in the study either a placebo or 120 milligrams of extract from ginkgo Biloba twice a day. For six years, researchers checked them every six months. According to the researchers, there was no statistically significant change in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease rates between the ginkgo and placebo groups. Learn more about the GEM research findings.
• Huperzine A
People in China have been taking Huperzine A (pronounced HOOP-ur-seen) from moss for a long time. It exhibits features comparable to cholinesterase inhibitors, an Alzheimer’s drug approved by the FDA. As a result, it is being advertised as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) was the first large-scale clinical study in the United States using huperzine A as a therapy for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Participants who took huperzine A saw no higher benefit than those who took a placebo.