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166 Hartwig Schulz
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4 Nervous System Disorders Including
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Different Forms of Stresses and
Alzheimer’s Disease
Zahra Ayati
1
Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of
1,2
*, Maryam Nikoosokhan3, and Seyed Ahmad Emami
1,4
Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; 2NICM Heath Research Institute, Western Sydney
University,Westmead, Australia; 3Science and Technology Park of the University of
Tehran, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran;
4
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of
Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
Neuro-system conditions including neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders are a common and growing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. e currently available pharmaceuticals are of limited ecacy and associated with a range of adverse side eects. Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) including Persian herbal medicine, which has been used for various neuro-system disorders over centuries, can oer alternative viable options. Moreover, Persian herbs can serve as a potential and rich source for identifying novel pharmacologic interventions. In this chapter, some of the com monly used herbal medicines for nervous system disorders mentioned in Canon of Medicine are dis­cussed and the evidence of their eectiveness from preclinical and clinical studies is reviewed. Based on the current ndings, these herbs have demonstrated therapeutic potential for the treatment of nervous disorders; however, more research is needed to conrm their clinical ecacy and to establish the underlying mechanisms of action.
-
Special Advantages of Traditional
Persian Medicine in the Treatment
of Nervous System Disorders
Nervous system disorders are pervasive and functionally disabling conditions that create considerable challenges for individuals and
*Email: z_ayati@yahoo.com.au
© CAB International 2023. Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Persian Medicine (eds. H. Schulz, Seyed Ahmad Emami and Farsad Nadjafi) DOI: 10.1079/9781800621671.0004 167
tions for many nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are generally lack­ing. While a range of pharmaceutical agents are currently available to alleviate these condi­tions, the clinical outcomes are usually limited to modest symptomatic relief and many of
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these interventions cause a range of undesir­able side effects. As such, other novel treat­ments, as adjunctive or alternatives to existing medications, are urgently warranted for pa­tients with neuro-system dysfunction.
Complementary and traditional medi­cine is a valuable source of medical knowledge that provides potentially feasible interven­tions which can lead to finding novel phyto­pharmaceuticals. Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) has been wildly practiced in vast geo­graphic areas including Persia and India for more than 12 centuries (Sigerist, 1987; El­good, 2010). Combining the traditional know­ledge of ancient Iran and Greece as well as ar­chaic civilizations such as India and China, and through clinical observation and practice over many centuries, TPM has evolved into a holistic and comprehensive medical system with its own scientific theories (Gorji and Ghadiri, 2001). Herbal medicine, a key modal­ity of TPM that uses medicinal plants in sim­ple and compound formulations, has been used for the prevention and treatment of nu­merous diseases including nervous system disorders. Canon of Medicine is a well-known ancient literature that belongs to Avicenna, the famous philosopher and physician of the 11th century . This chapter will provide an overview of the scientific evidence for the commonly recommended medicinal herbs used for the management of nervous system disorders in Canon of Medicine. It is worth not­ing that TPM including Canon of Medicine has a holistic approach to the treatment/manage­ment of nervous system disorders and herbal therapy is often combined with lifestyle modi­fication (such as diet therapy) and psycho­therapy (Ahmadian-Attari et al., 2014).
The bioenergetic basis for neurotrans­mission and energy consumption specific to neuronal functioning is mostly provided by deriving approximately 20% from glucose. Most communication between neurons by synapse transmission is a highly energy­demanding process. Unlike the skeletal mus­cles, the brain is always highly metabolically active and has minimal energy reserves, and is therefore dependent on the regular supply of energy substrates from the circulation through the blood–brain barrier. When glu­cose, the major energy fuel for the brain, is reduced, the brain can use alternative energy
substrates such as lactate, medium-chain triglycerides, and ketone bodies. As the brain continuously consumes a considerable amount of energy, even in the absence of any particular task, it means that intrinsic elec­trochemical activity occurs continually, even during sleep and mental work, thus only add­ing a small increment (less than 5%) to the basal neural activity. Under sustained, in­tense mental processing, a measurable de­crease in circulating levels of glucose and oxygen takes place. The brain consumes ap­proximately 3.5 ml of oxygen per minute and per 100 g of tissue. When oxygen delivery is damaged, not only cognitive and physical performance decline, but also fatigue and tiredness are perceived. Fatigue and per­ceived psychological or cognitive difficulties are faced. Therefore, a selection of balanced foods and medicinal plants with hot and cold temperament based on TPM has several ef­fects on some metabolic parameters and may play an important role in modifying brain function and/or delaying the onset of differ­ent types of dementia, particularly among those who are at high risk for the disease (Tardy et al., 2020).
From the viewpoint of Avicenna, med­ical rationalism is an important part of medi­cine. From the 1990s, medical practice based on observation and experience became more important. The rationalism of Persian phys
­icians resulted from an experimental-based educational method and clinical experiences in different historical periods passed from generation to generation. Rationalism as a complementary method can further improve the performance of physicians rather than relying solely on evidence from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, etc. For ex
­ample, in the field of neurology, Avicenna was the first physician to differentiate be­tween central and peripheral facial palsy by clinical examination (Ghaffari et al., 2022).
The brain and nervous system
disorders in the view of Canon
According to traditional theory, mental, psy­chiatric, and physical dimensions are affected by temperament as the interplay between
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essential body elements. A sanguine or bloody character is a person with cordiality, authorita­tive and dashing character, is self-confident and not depressed. A phlegmatic person has a lot of secretion in phlegm, is lazy and not ac­tive, and has slight irritability. A bilious or choleric person is associated with a fiery tem­per and irritability, and nervousness. A black bile character is a depressed person associated with longing depression and sadness. Further­more, there are some distinct properties con­sidered for brain temperament identification.
Avicenna mentioned that the brain es­sence is created cold to moderate. There are various theories for brain temperament cre­ation. The first, describing the cold ten­dency, is the brain’s willingness to endure a lot of work, which includes: (i) controlling the strong movements of body organs and many different actions and various func­tions in daily life that have a direct relation­ship with memory, thinking, and imagination; and (ii) the reactions of the five senses, which receive inspiration and orders from the brain. The soul is warm, comes from the heart to the brain, and needs to become cold. If the brain were not naturally created with a cold and moist temperament, it would suffer from excessive heat and dryness despite the huge amount of information entered into it and its processing.
The second theory says that, compared with other organs, the brain has a less cold temperament, which means it is near to a balanced temperament or a moderate temperament.
According to yet another view for brain temperament estimation, sensory actions, motor movements, thinking, and cerebra­tion are performed in the brain, which is done with heat. According to this theory and some clinical evidence of brain tempera
­ment, the brain should be warm. It seems that nature adjuncts fat and brain tissue with each other and moves the brain away from the center of the body, placing it near the cold nature organ, like skeletal bones, to act in the direction of balancing the brain tissue (Attarfar and Ashrafzadeh, 2014).
The central nervous system (CNS), liver, and heart are mentioned as cardinal organs that need special care in both preventive and treatment approaches. The health of the
CNS is affected by the healthy functions of other cardinal organs.
Most of what results in forgetfulness is due to cold and dampness, especially cold, and it may be due to brain inflammation or may be a symptom with health problems that warns of brain diseases, such as epi­lepsy and stroke. In addition to the principles of the traditional theory of body composition and resultant quality (tempera­ment) therefrom, which help to know the conditions of the brain, some other indices are also considered like sensory actions, degree and quality of movement, thinking, remembrance, imagination, hallucination, the power of illusion, motor and spiritual ac­tions, eye color and condition, and hair (con­sidered cold to moderate), its curliness, growth rate and fall, and color (black, blonde, or red, and prone to graying). The state of sleep and wakefulness, the largeness, small­ness, heaviness, and lightness of the head, smells, nasal discharge, psychic function, speech communication, and expressive style also could reveal the brain temperament and related functions. When the brain becomes cold, its optimal performance and ability are diminished. People with a cold and moist type of dementia have increased posterior nasal discharge, lacrimation, intensified deep sleep, and drowsiness. The signs of cold phlegmatic substances are perceptible cold, prolonged injury, lack of redness in the face and eyes, heavier phlegm, laziness, dull
-
ness, lethargy, and forgetfulness.
In cold and dry temperament of the brain, the most important clinical manifest­ations are loss of power of expression by speech, insomnia or hyposomnia, and dry nasal discharge. Some conditions are re­vealed during clinical examination, and they clearly show the state of the brain. Other conditions are hidden, whose action will ap­pear in the brain later. For example, sadness and a lot of avoidance by people indicate mel­ancholy or epilepsy, which is about to happen and will appear soon. Getting angry for no reason is followed by epilepsy, hot melan­choly, or mania. Laughing without any rea­son is an alarm of the deterioration of the mind and the weakness of the brain. Confu­sion of thought may also occur in diseases of cold brain temperament. The temperament
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of elderly people is usually cold and dry and the temperament of the main body organs is cold. According to physiological changes dur­ing senile ages, and regarding TPM, their main organs, such as CNS, tend to be dry. However, their gastrointestinal tract tends to be cold and wet due to abnormal moisture and phlegm accumulation in it. Paying atten­tion to mental health is necessary in older adults because they are more susceptible to stress and anxiety. The following are some in­dices for brain temperament identification.
Warm brain temperament is indicated by thick, dark colored, and fast-growing hair, but premature hair loss. Cold brain temperament is indicated by light colored, slow-growing, weak, and thin hair. Baldness has a direct relationship with warmness and wetness of the brain. Wet brain tempera­ment has thin, slow-growing, light, and sparse hair. Curliness is the sign of dry hairs. Premature hair loss decreases in wet temperament.
According to Avicenna’s theory, the op­timal brain temperament is cold and wet. Warm and dry brain dystemperament causes insomnia. Light and short sleep is due to warm brain temperament. Severe insomnia is a sign of dry temperament. In cold brain temperament sleepiness is too much. In wet brain temperament, laziness and lethargy are excessive and deep sleep is obvious. The patients nap all the time, not having deep and pleasant sleep (Feyzabadi et al., 2014).
Dementia is not a single disease but is a clinical syndrome characterized by impair­ment of several brain functions. Cognition skills such as thinking, memory, calculation, learning, language, and judgment change. Personality and social interactions and emo­tional abilities are also severely changed (Geldmacher and Whitehouse, 1996).
Alzheimer’s disease or AD is the most common type of degenerative dementia and is estimated to account for 50–60% of de­mentia cases in persons over 65 years of age. The elderly population growing rapidly worldwide and care of the gray population causes significant psychological, social, and financial burdens. The incidence of AD is ex­pected to accelerate over the next 30 years, especially in developing countries. There is
currently no cure for most forms of demen­tia. Pharmacotherapy has been suggested as a useful plan for the management of AD and chronic disease, focused on symptomatic benefit and slowing disease progression (Taheri-Targhi et al., 2019).
Although AD has not been defined as a distinct illness in the past, it has existed as long as the history of human beings. In 1907, Alois Alzheimer, the German phys­ician, differentiated it from the general term “dementia” for the first time (Ahmadian­Attari et al., 2020). Explanation of different types of dementia had never been linked with the concept of modern medicine before, but common symptoms such as tremors, re­duced memory, and cognition destruction have always been affirmed. The most com­monly recognized risk factors are midlife hypertension, low educational skills, dia­betes mellitus, tobacco use, physical inactiv­ity, obesity, unhealthy diets, and harmful use of alcohol, as well as midlife depression, social isolation, and cognitive inactivity (WHO, 2018).
Nesyan in Persian means forgetfulness and dementia is the syndrome of cognitive disorders accompanied by forgetfulness and memory problems and cognitive inability. Avi­cenna considered mental disorders and men­tal damage as fisad-ol-zekr (a corruption of memory), fisad-ol-fekr (the corruption of thinking), and fisad-ol-takhayol (the corrup­tion of imagination). Generally, memory problems are categorized as the result of brain cold/moist or cold/dry dystemperament.
Fisad-ol zekr (memory corruption) is one type of memory disorder. The memory, in the posterior part of the brain, is responsible for retention, reproduction, and recognition of past experiences, which has been damaged in this case. All five senses of a person are in optimal condition, and all the things they hear and see are accurate. The objects in dreams are correct and real-world, but the problem is that everything that has been seen and heard does not remain in mind. In cold and dry brain temperament, the patient is sleepless, remembers events in the past but cannot recall recent events. If brain tem­perament becomes cold and wet, the person experiences moderate or excessive forgetfulness ,
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the predominance of sleep, and can identify past events but cannot keep and recollect current events to mind. If healthy individ­uals suffer from forgetfulness, there is a risk for severe brain disorders like epilepsy, stroke, and meningitis.
Another type of memory disorder is fisad-ol-fekr (thinking corruption). In this kind of cognition disorder, an inability to distinguish between wrong and right exists, so patients of this type are incapable of distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. As a consequence they often fail to explain exactly what they have seen or heard.
To be distinguished from this is fisad- ol-takhayol (imagination corruption). Here, patients are unable to fully process the im­pressions they perceive, they sleep less, and forget very quickly. Avicenna believed that this could be the result of brain atrophy.
Melancholia in the View of Canon
Depressive and anxiety disorders ranked among the top 25 leading causes of bur­den worldwide in 2019. This burden of the two most disabling mental disorders was high across the entire lifespan, for both sexes, and across many locations. More interestingly, since 2019 there has been no reduction in the global preva­lence or burden of either disorder (San­tomauro, 2021).
Neuropsychiatric disorders are dis­cussed precisely in the Canon of Medicine. Melancholia means “blackness of the bile”, from (melan-, “black, dark, murky”) and (khol, “bile”), which comes from the ancient Greek word, melankholía.
Today, melancholia describes unspeci­fied major depressive episodes (MDE), de­fined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Text Revision Fourth Edition (DSM-IV-TR) as a mild form of depression today. Pure melancholics and atypical depressives take an intermediate position, being very similar in many charac­teristics. Therefore, this means that depressive disorders and melancholia have different types (Angst et al., 2007).
At the first stage of melancholia, suspi­cion, fear with no reason, and anger are indi­cated. Typical clinical manifestations are guilty feelings, sadness, sleep disturbance, agitation or retardation, irritation, anor­exia, and weight loss.
Avicenna wrote more than 23 books in the field of psychology and was the first physician who introduced the concept of hal- lucinations and delusions (Yarhosseini and Arbabi, 2019).
Even though Avicenna lived in the Mid­dle Ages, he avoided introducing slang or seemingly scientific beliefs in explaining psy­chiatric issues. In the case of delirium, he mentioned the disease crisis in a person who wants to pick up something that does not exist, Avicenna believed this phase is danger­ous and prone to the patient dying. Accord­ing to traditional medicine, the melancholic disorder results from excess black bile in the brain due to moist burning in this organ. In the simple cold and wet brain distempera­ment, black bile humor is produced system­atically and spread all over the body, it enters the brain and makes the temperament of the brain pathologic. When black bile is formed in the brain, due to the material cold and damp abnormal temperament, in addition to the signs of simple upset, there are symp­toms due exclusively to the humor. In melan­cholic dry and cold brain detuning, there is no thirst, but dryness and a stinging sensa­tion in the nose, and insomnia is more pro­nounced (Salmannegad et al., 2016).
Another type of melancholia is maraqi, where black bile accumulates in organs like the stomach, liver, spleen, and maraq (in TPM, the extraperitoneal layer of the abdo­men is referred to as maraq). By the accumu­lation of black bile in any of these organs that the body organ cannot expel, flatulence occurs in maraq (therefore, this disorder is known as melancholia-l-maraqi), while pri­mary substances exist in the brain (Yousof­pour, 2015).
Pathologic black bile in melancholia sometimes comes from the phlegm or blood humor that had been converted to normal black bile humor.
Mania is a complicated type of melan­cholic disorder due to ehteragh or black bile
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burning. In the view of Avicenna, mania manifests as anxiety, immorality, uncon­trolled physical actions, and aggression, but melancholia is accompanied by fear, corrup­tive thinking, and problem-concentrating, and they are usually pessimistic.
Avicenna was the first physician who extensively explained the clinical descrip­tion and appropriate treatment of the “love disorder” known as adjustment disorder today. Clinical descriptions are weak, ill, and disabled patients with prolonged fever. When the beloved one arrives, the patient suddenly returns to life. Adjustment dis­orders are characterized by an emotional re­sponse to a stressful event. Typically, the stressor involves financial issues, a medical illness, or a relationship problem, and the symptom complex may involve anxious or depressive affect or may present with a dis­turbance of conduct (Sadock et al., 2017).
Depression and the heart
in the view of Canon
According to the Canon of Medicine, the vari­ous mental and emotional states such as fear, sadness, and anger emanate mainly from the heart and the brain. Avicenna was also the first physician to explain the role of the heart in melancholia and to assume the origin of the spirit there. Thus he postulated the following relationships: when the heart temperament changes and becomes sodawi due to black bile, the temperament of the vital spirit in the heart is also changed. It reaches the brain, and the psychic soul is al­tered in the brain after that, making it mel­ancholic. Abnormal humor in the brain reaches the heart through the vessels and raises an abnormal heart rate, causing sad­ness, wrong thinking, and depression. Therefore, Avicenna believed that it would be impossible to treat melancholia without considering participation of the heart.
In the book by Avicenna on cardiovascu­lar drugs, Kitab al-Adviyt-ol-Qalbiye, which was translated into Latin under the title Medicamenta cordialia, drugs associated with psychiatric and cardiovascular diseases are
mentioned for the first time. Although main prescriptions related are cardiologic drugs, they also have a meaningful role in the treat­ment of depression (Khodaei et al., 2017).
Non-pharmacologic depression
treatment in Canon
Many years ago, Avicenna recognized that life­style change was an important factor in redu­cing sources of inflammation and the risk of depression. Inflammation and free radicals are mediating pathways for both risk and neuro­progression in depression (Berk et al., 2013).
Melancholic patients are mostly sad­dened by the events that happen to them or are afraid of something for no reason. In any case, preventing them from thinking by keeping them engaged in work is the main cure for this disease. Demanding work, stay­ing awake, sorrow, fear, and anger prone the person to melancholia. A melancholic pa­tient should have some entertainment, whatever it is. In all the stages necessary to create joy and happiness, other treatment plans include hearing soft and pleasant sounds, seeing beautiful sights, being in fresh and moderate air, humidifying the air in the house, wearing soft and cotton clothes, showering before meals with mod­erately warm water for relaxation, eating and drinking delightful foods having the wet and mild warm temperament like sweet and greasy foods, and always smelling pleasant essential oils and scents that today is known as aromatherapy. Such interventions amuse the patient and prevent them becoming en­gaged in deep thoughts, and reinforce the brain. Furthermore, sleep is one of the most evolving treatments for melancholic pa­tients. Avicenna mentioned that pleasure re­sults from understanding the perfections of the five senses. They are obtained from inner satisfaction, such as the feeling of sweetness, smelling pleasant for the sense of taste and smell, and feeling revenge for the power of anger. Nothing is worse than lone­liness for these patients because they soon start thinking about unforeseen events characterized by hopelessness and sadness.
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Pharmacologic depression treatment
in Canon
Currently, a useful first-line therapy for the treatment of depression is pharmacother­apy or psychotherapy, as indicated in clinical guidelines. Various types of psychosocial stressors can stimulate the pro-inflammatory cytokine network and increase levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Depression is usually as- sociated with a chronic low-grade inflammator y response, activation of cell-mediated immunity and the compensatory anti-inflammatory reflex system (CIRS), which is characterized by negative immunoregulatory processes (Berk et al., 2013).
When melancholy is due to extreme cold and dryness, medicines known as mo- farreh or cardiotonics are helpful, depending on the individual temperament of the pa­tient. Generally, any factor that reduces sad­ness, anxiety, anger, and fatigue improves mental faculties and keeps the mind bright, produces joy, and improves alertness (Kamaneh et al., 2019).
Venesection is also useful when black bile spreads throughout the body, and the effect is significant when black bile “burns” (ehteragh). Larj as a strong laxative and Itrifel with Cuscuta epithymum have been ex- tensively tested by Avicenna in various prac­tical applications. The use of liquid dosage forms and warm tempered medicinal oils with energizing abilities such as dill and chamomile are also recommended in this context. They strengthen the head and make the patient feel good. The combination of rose water and saffron, known as “medicinal jollab”, is the famous traditional syrup in TPM. Rose water and essential oil of saffron, in the form of syrup, are quickly and effect­ively absorbed through the mucous mem­brane of the tongue and may be one of the most effective treatments for depression. It also acts as a cardiotonic according to Avi­cenna’s treatment approach for depression. This drink could also be classified as a func­tional drink (nutraceutical) today and mar­keted accordingly. Nutrition in general is known to contribute to psychopathology, especially in the two most common mental
disorders (depression and anxiety), as it affects immune function and the level of systemic inflammation, which in turn pre­disposes to depression.
If the discharges have been blocked from menstruation or through the bowels, these discharges should flow and be ex­pelled. Evacuation should be done once a week using softening laxatives, which are medium and mild. Nymphaea alba, Cyperus
rotondus, Terminalia chebula, Echium amoe­num, Centaurea behen, Nepeta menthoides, Lavandula angustifolia, Citrus medica, Oci­mum basilicum, Crocus sativus, Salix aegyptia­ca, Melissa officinalis, Cinnamomum zeylani­cum, Curcuma zedoaria, Cinnamomum cassia, Sedum spurium, and Rosa × damascena are
among the most used medicinal plants in formulations for melancholia treatment.
Herbal Medicines for
Neuro-System Health
Herbal medicines have been used in TPM for thousands of years in the form of mono- or augmentation therapies to promote nervous system health and treat various nervous sys­tem disorders such as dementia, epilepsy, migraine, and Parkinson’s disease. In the Canon of Medicine, various herbal plants such as Piper nigrum, Brassica nigra, Zingiber offici-
nale, Cinnamomum verum, Boswellia sp., and Crocus sativus are recommended for nervous
system health.
1
Tables 4.1 and Table 4.2 pro-
vide an overview of the main bioactive con­stituents, their pharmacological activity, and the mechanisms of action of these herbs.
Brassica nigra seed (black mustard) has been used in therapeutic preparations for centuries in different parts of the world and is recommended in TPM for the treatment of various neurological disorders (Mehri and Shojaii, 2013). B. nigra possesses cognitive­enhancing, anti-Parkinson, and antimigraine properties. Its key constituents include phenolic compounds, glucosinolates, fla­vonoids, and brassinosteroids (Kumar and Andy, 2012). The neuroprotective effects of B. nigra were revealed in several studies. The intraperitoneal administration of hydroalcoholic extract of B. nigra seed
174 Zahra Ayati et al.
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Table 4.1. Scientific and traditional names, plant parts, and preparations of commonly used herbs in
Canon of Medicine for treatment of neuro-system disorders.
Scientific name
Brassica
English name Arabic name Family Plant part
Mustard Khardal Brassic
nigra
Cinnamomum
Cinnamon Dars ini Lauraceae Bark Oral
 
verum
Crocus
Saffron Za‘faran Iridaceae Stigma Oral (tablet
sativus
Lavandula
stoechas
Melissa
French
Ustukhuddus Lamiaceae Aerial
lavender
Lemon balm Badranjbuyah Lamiaceae Leaves Oral (infusion,
officinalis
Phyllanthus
Emblic, amla Amulaj Phyllanthaceae Fruit Oral (ma’joon) Dementia
emblica
Piper nigrum Black
Folfol aswad Piperaceae Fruit Oral
pepper
Syzygium
Clove Qaranful Myrtaceae Flower,
aromaticum
Terminalia
chebula
Zingiber
Black
Halilaj Combretaceae Fruit Oral (jam,
myrobalan
Ginger Zanjibīl Zingiberaceae Rhizome Oral (jam and
officinale
a
Semisolid traditional topical dosage form.
b
A warm mixture of plants for topical administration.
c
Combined traditional paste.
aceae
Seeds,
oil
parts
bud
Route of administration
Oral, topical
(oil,
zemada, komadb)
c
(ma’joon
,
decoction)
and ma’joon), smoke,
zemad
Oral
(decoction), inhalation
ma’joon)
(ma’joon), topical (zemad), sneezing agent
Oral
(ma’joon), topical (zemad, komad)
sachet, and
ma’joon)
ma’joon), komad
Main indications
Dementia,
migraine, Parkinson’s disease, stroke
Dementia,
Parkinson’s disease
Paralysis,
dementia, depression
Dementia,
migraine, Bell’s palsy, epilepsy, stroke, anxiety, depression
Dementia,
anxiety, OCD
Bell’s palsy,
paralysis, dementia, migraine
Paralysis,
dementia
Bell’s palsy,
paralysis, dementia, epilepsy, stroke
Bell’s palsy,
dementia, paralysis
Table 4.2. Pharmacologic actions and mechanisms of action of commonly used herbs in Canon of
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Medicine for neuroprotective protection.
Possible neuro­Scientific name
Brassica
nigra
bioactive
compound(s) Pharmacologic action
Phenolic
compounds (quercetin, gallic
Memory improvement,
analgesic effect, anti-Parkinson
Suggested mechanism(s)
DPPH and OH radical scavenging,
protease inhibition
acid, ferulic acid, rutin, caffeic acid), phytic acid
Cinnamomum
verum
Proanthocyanidin,
cinnamaldehyde
Memory improvement,
anti-Parkinson
NO, inhibiting amyloid fibril
formation, antioxidant, anti­cholinesterase, MAO, upregulation of Parkin and DJ-1
Crocus
sativus
Crocin, safranal,
crocetin
Memory improvement NO level and caspase-3 activity,
oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory effect, inhibiting Aβ fibrillogenesis, inhibiting AChE
Antidepressant, anxiolytic,
anti-OCD
Reuptake inhibition of
monoamines (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin), GABA-α agonism, NMDA receptor antagonism
Lavandula
stoechas
Linalool, linalyl
acetate, perillyl alcohol, 1,8-cineole,
Memory improvement,
anticonvulsant
Antidepressant, anxiolytic
Antioxidant, antiapoptotic activities,
VEGF expression
GABAergic and cholinergic
modulation, dopamine
aromatic phenol
Melissa
officinalis
Flavonoids, volatile
oils, triterpenes
Anti-dementia,
anticonvulsant
Stimulation of acetylcholine
receptors, AChE inhibitory activity, inhibition of MMP-2, anti­inflammatory, antioxidant
Anxiolytic, antidepressant,
MAO, GABA
anti-insomnia
Phyllanthus
emblica
Piper nigrum Piperine,
Ascorbic acid,
emblicanin A, emblicanin B
piperettine, piperettyline
Anti-dementia,
antiepilepsy
AChE inhibitory activity, antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, attenuating amyloid pathologies
Anti-dementia DPPH radical-scavenging activity,
Aβ aggregation inhibition, anti-cholinesterase, NMDA blocker
Syzygium
aromaticum
Terminalia
chebula
Eugenol Neuroprotective, memory
improvement, antinociceptive
Ascorbic acid,
quercetin, tannins
Anti-dementia,
anticonvulsant,
NO production, IL-1β, TNF-α,
and PGE inhibition of Aβ, AChE inhibitory
, induces BDNF,
2
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
AChE inhibitory
anti-Parkinson
Zingiber
officinale
6-Shogaol Anti-dementia, anti-
neuroinflammation
Inhibits level of TNF-α, IL-1β, COX-2,
NO, iNOS, PGE2, and NF-κB, stimulates TrK-mediated neurites
175 Nervous System Disorders
VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; MMP-2, matrix metalloproteinase-2; TrK, receptor tyrosine kinase.