Dementia Herbal Remedies

Dementia

Clinical Considerations
➤ General comments
– Mental functional disorders present with unspecific symptoms such as headaches, vertigo, insomnia, lack of concentration, and depression. The later reduction of cognitive and perceptive abilities as well as a loss of intellectual abilities, an impaired sense of time and space, and changes in personality develop as the disease progresses. In the final stages, these patients exhibit affective disorders, lack of motivation, impaired social behavior, and mental confusion.
– Primary dementia
• In around 80 % of cases, the death of nerve cells (usually cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain) or the destruction of synaptic junctions (Alzheimer’s dementia) is the underlying cause of primary dementia. Multi-infarct dementia (10 %) and mixed types of dementia (10 %) are less common causes.
• Increased oxidative stress due to increased generation of oxygen radicals during ATP production from glucose is a possible cause of nerve cell loss. The radicals lead to lipid peroxidation and sodium-potassium-ATPase inhibition. This, in turn, causes pathological changes in the cell’s electrolyte distribution and, ultimately, cell death. In Alzheimer’s dementia, β-amyloid is deposited in nerve cells, the role of which is still discussed. At least 30 % of persons over 80 years are affected.
• Multi-infarct dementia is characterized by the increasing recurrence of lacunar infarcts and damage to the cerebral medulla near the lateral ventricle. The high level of platelet-activating factor (PAF) activity is of pathogenetic importance. The increased activity results in increased platelet aggregation, microcirculatory impairment, increased vessel permeability and, ultimately, edema formation.
– Secondary dementia occurs as a result of cardiovascular diseases, hormone changes, infections, and poisoning (e. g., drug poisoning).

➤ Clinical value of herbal medicine
– Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have recently been adopted in the treatment of dementia. These herbal remedies should always be administered under the watchful eye of a physician. The effectiveness of so-called nootropic drugs such as piracetam is debated.
– The efficacy of ginkgo extract for symptomatic treatment of all types of primary dementia has been demonstrated in various clinical studies.
– Treatment of primary dementia must be started in the early stages in order to slow down the progression of the disease. A psychometric test should be conducted after 3 months of therapy to assess treatment success.
– In secondary dementia, eliminating the underlying cause is the primary goal of treatment.

Recommended Herbal Remedies on Dementia(Overview)

Symptomatic Treatment
➤ Ginkgo leaf (Ginkgo bilobae folium).
– Action, dosage, commercial products: Ginkgo bilobae folium.

Posted in: Cardiovascular Diseases Herbal Remedies