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Huperzine A:
Help For Alzheimer’s
Article by herbalist Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
I find myself fascinated again by the
power of nature. In one of my recent journals an
article was written about a substance referred
to as HupA (huperzine a) which sparked my
interest. I wanted to share this information with you
because of the research done with this natural
compound and Alzheimer’s disease.
It is estimated that over 4.0
million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s
which, as many of you know, is a progressive
degenerative disease of the brain.
Alzheimer symptoms range from
vision problems, sensory nerve impairment, lack of
muscle coordination, hearing loss, loss of speech, loss
of motor coordination and loss of thinking and memory.
Huperzine A
is not a cure-all but an aid, and we will
look into how it works.
HupA is an
extract from huperzia serrata, a type of
club moss, indigenous to
China. It is a member of the
Lycopodeum family and is considered one of the most
primitive class of plants. This herb has been
used in China for thousands of years
to treat fever, inflammation and excessive bleeding.
Research into
this plant began back in 1980 where the
constituent, HupA, was first isolated. In 1991 Dr. Alan
Kozikowski, Professor of Chemistry in The Neurological
Dept. of Georgetown University began researching HupA
and he reported his findings in the Journal of the
American Medical Assoc. (JAMA), about its
promising treatment for Alzheimer’s not to
mentions its neuro protective factors in healthy
brains.
Research has been done
on the isolated compound and the whole herb. There is
some controversy as to which is better, but since
the whole herb has been used for thousands of
years, many researchers use the whole form.
Huperzine
a
is not being
marketed as a treatment for Alzheimer’s but
more as a neuro protective agent that enhances
proper brain functions. Its action does
not work as fast as other brain nutrients, but it does
appear to enhance memory and cognition.
Some researchers believe that it may act as a
preventative in the development of Alzheimer’s.
It has been
successfully used in China for conditions
related to stroke, epilepsy and other brain
dysfunctions.
So let’s take a look
at how HupA works in the body to
give the benefits mentioned above. This information
gets somewhat technical, but I will try to
keep it simple:
Individual
nerve cells in the brain are connected over a synapse
or small gap. When thought processes travel through the
brain, they must cross this synapse. A small
electrochemical reaction creates a bridge between the
gaps.
The
electrochemical reaction is “lubricated” by a
neurotransmitter called acetylcholine
(ACh). Because the brain knows that it can’t have too
much ACh hanging around after the gap is bridged, the
body produces an enzyme that breaks down ACh very
quickly. This enzyme is called AChE
(acetylcholinesterase).
It is considered the
fastest enzyme ever discovered so far. It works within
a fraction of a second to remove any excess ACh.
However, in a healthy brain AChE does not destroy all
the acetylcholine before it has time to trigger or
“turn on” the receptor site at other end of the nerve
cell. The ability of this enzyme to enhance
the successful crossing of the nerve
transmission or to overly impede this transmission are
reflected in a healthy or unhealthy brain.
This is where
HupA works. It is considered a AChE
inhibitor, so it prevents the production of AChE thus
allowing more time for ACh to perform its task of
sending the nerve signals. It is well known that in
Alzheimer’s patients the production of ACh
(acetylcholine) is radically diminished; the thinking
is that if you can prevent the breakdown of ACh by
inhibiting the enzymes responsible over time,
the ACh will build up and brain functions will improve.
Currently there are
two medications prescribed that work similarly as
HupA, but they have not been shown to be as
effective and they have side effects and liver
toxicity.
I need to mention two
herbs that have been effective in aiding acetylcholine
production and they are fresh rosemary and gota kola.
In a study reported in
JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Assoc.) regarding
the effectiveness of HupA in comparison to the
prescription drugs mentioned above, they found the
58-75% of the patients treated with HupA
responded with improvement to memory and
behavioral functions, and the response was
faster than those using only the
medications. Other benefits were noted:
·
Improved memory in patients with
benign memory disorder (86.7% overall improvement with
50% having significant improvement).
·
Helped decrease neuronal cell death.
·
Has potential for improved learning
and information retrieval.
·
Improved short and long-term memory.
·
Improved spatial memory
in animals.
·
Improved memory
without development of tolerance.
How safe is
Huperzine A
?
HupA appears
to be completely safe and non toxic without
side effects. No toxic effect has been recorded
particularly with the whole plant. A person would have
to ingest over 100 times the recommended dosage to have
ill effects like nausea. In regards to single
constituents, there have not been any toxic
reactions to date but research is still
determining this factor.
HupA comes in
capsules, tablets and softgels. The typical
dosage is 2 mcg (micrograms) per kilo (2.2pounds) of
body weight, with the average adult dose around 100mcg
per day. It may be combined with other brain nutrients
like gingko, vitamin E, and phospholipids.
As always, it is
important that you research for yourself and consult
with your health care practitioner before using any
substance when treating specific disorder
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