California’s “Holy Herb” Found To Be An Effective Natural Treatment For Alzheimer’s

California’s “Holy Herb” Found To Be An Effective Natural Treatment For Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and aging is its primary risk factor. Therefore, researchers continue to look for ways to counter the effects of aging on the brain. In a recent study, researchers from The Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a potential natural treatment for Alzheimer’s in the form of a medicinal herb found in California. In their study published in the journal Redox Biology, they found that yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum), a plant native to California, contains an active compound called sterubin that could be used to treat people with Alzheimer’s. Yerba santa, which is the Spanish for “holy herb,” is highly regarded as a medicine for respiratory diseases, bruising, fever, headaches, infections, and pain. In an earlier study, the same team of researchers used a screening method to identify plant compounds that could reduce inflammation and protect nerve cells. From this, they developed a screening tool that can both identify compounds that might protect cells, but also find the target pathways of these compounds. For the current study, the researchers first examined 400 plant extracts with known medicinal properties for their ability to prevent oxytosis – a type of cell death that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease – in mouse hippocampal nerve cells. Extracts that have this ability underwent more tests – some tests used mouse nerve cells, while others used human nerve cells. The researchers investigated the compounds’ ability to prevent the effects of aging on the brain. The researchers found that sterubin exhibited the greatest protective effect against inflammation and other triggers of brain cell death. In particular, sterubin strongly reduced inflammation in microglia, which are brain cells that provide support to nerve cells. In addition, the researchers found […]

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