Herbal Remedies for Neurodegenerative Disorders: Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the main healthcare challenges of the twenty-first century, not only affecting millions of people's quality of life but also increasing the burden on the medical community, families, and society. It is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by learning and cognitive dysfunction, behavioral turbulence, and memory loss and is a major cause of dementia, contributing to 50-60 % of dementia cases in patients above the age of 65. The major pathophysiological changes include accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques (Aβ), highly phosphorylated tau protein, neuroinflammation, GABA neurotransmission disruption, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuronal damage due to free radicals, and decreased concentration of acetylcholine (ACh) and butyrylcholine (BCh)[1]. We synthesize findings from pre-clinical and clinical studies involving key botanicals such as Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monnieri, and Curcuma longa, salvia officinalis Crocus sativus Withania somnifera, Panax ginseng stablishing the potential of these phytomedicines to offer novel, multi-target therapeutic strategies for AD management.[2]