Reports that a screening program funded by the National Institute
of Mental Health is demonstrating that molecules in many herbal folk
remedies actually attach to brain receptors that receive chemical
messages. Medicinal value of ginkgo.
By
PT Staff, published on July 01, 1996
HERBS FOR THE HEAD
This is your brain. And this is your brain on ginkgo, a tree widely
used for medicinal purposes.
If the latter brain looks a wee bit smarter, don't be surprised. A
screening program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health is
demonstrating that molecules in many herbal folk remedies actually attach
to brain receptors that normally receive chemical messages. So extracts
of plants like ginkgo may have true medicinal value, elevating mood or
enhancing memory.
"I have no idea whether the binding we're seeing is directly
related to the therapeutic effects claimed for these plants," says Jerry
Cott, Ph.D., chief of the NIMH pharmacologic treatment research program.
"But it definitely shows they have biological activity." And in many
cases, adds Cott, pure compounds derived from the herbs are actually less
active than crude extracts. "It may be true that there is some benefit to
using the whole plant," he says.
Many of these herbs are already mainstream medicine in countries
like Germany, where plant extracts are widely prescribed by doctors.
"They're treated more like standard drugs," says Doug McKenna, Ph.D.,
research director of Botanical Dimensions, a repository in Occidental,
California, for plants that may have medicinal value.
Of course, the word "herb" is by no means synonymous with
"effective" or "safe." Among those whose side effects are slim and
benefits for the brain most promising:
o Ginkgo. May improve memory; the World Health Organization is
planning an international study testing ginkgo as a treatment for
Alzheimer's disease,
o Passion flower. Appears to have antianxiety properties.
o Saint-John's-wort. Preliminary studies suggest it may help
improve mood.
o Valerian. Its odor can be a bit, um, ripe, but valerian may have
value as a mild sedative and sleep aid.
Tags:
alternative medicine,
biological activity,
botanical dimensions,
brain,
brain receptors,
chemical messages,
cott,
crude extracts,
folk remedies,
gingko,
institute of mental health,
mainstream medicine,
medicinal purposes,
mild sedative,
national institute of mental health,
occidental california,
passion flower,
plant extracts,
saint john s wort,
screening program,
sleep aid,
st. john's wort,
therapeutic effects,
valerian
