Top three herbs in Alzheimer's disease - A review

Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease characterized by the progressive death of brain cells. It is the most common form of dementia, which occurs equally in both genders. There are currently a few plant-derived drugs approved for clinical use. This is largely because most herbal medicines are complex mixtures of chemical components and have diverse biological and pharmacological actions. A considerable number of herbal extracts and constituents, most notably antidepressant and antidementia agents, possess antioxidant and neuroprotective actions, as evidenced by protection against neuronal cell death induced by exposure to excessive free radicals, excitatory toxins, toxic derivatives of amyloid precursor protein, and other neurotoxins. In this review, the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of herbs like Curcuma longa (turmeric), Bacopa monniera Wettst (Brahmi),Ginko biloba (Maidenhair tree) that have great therapeutic potentials in Alzheimer's disease is discussed extensively.