Have Amazon Indians Found an Answer to Alzheimer's?  An Herb for the Brain?

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"The [cholinesterase] hypothesis of Alzheimer's dosease (AD) has provided the rationale for the current pharmacotherapy of this disease...Nevertheless, the search for potent and long-acting acetylocholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors that exert minimal side effects to AD patients is still an ongoing effort. Amazonian communities use traditional remedies prepared with [Muira Puama] roots for treating various central nervous system conditions, including those associated with aging. The fact that [Mura Puama]...extract...has been found to facilitate memory retrieval in...[animals] prompt us to evaluate its effects on [acetlcholinesterase] activity in memory relevant brain areas...

Editor's explanation: Inhibiting acetl. has been found to improve Alzheimer's patients. Mura Puama appears to accomplish that.

"Significant inhibition [of acetl.] was...found in animals' frontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum [brain areas.]

The scientists found that such activity was correlated to a number of therapeutic properties traditionally claimed for [Mura Puama] "...particularly those associated with cognition [perception, awareness.]"

Have Amazon Indians Found an Answer to Alzheimer's? Bibliography

Pharamcol Biochem Behavior, vol. 75, 2003. By: Drs. Sigueira, Fochesatto, Elisabetsky, et. al., U. Federal of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, 90035-003, Porto Alegre, Brazil.