Alzheimer's Association :: New York City Chapter

Alternative Treatments

Text Size

A A A

Share this page

Print Page

Page outline

Ginkgo Biloba
Huperzine A
Coenzyme Q10
Phosphatidyl Serine

Miracle drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's are heavily promoted in the news, in magazines, and especially on the Internet. Several products claim to cure Alzheimer's and even prevent it from ever occurring.

Many of these products claim to be herbal or all natural. However, these claims do not mean the products are safe.In most cases there is not enough scientific evidence backing these products — neither proving their effectiveness nor disproving the existence of harmful side effects.

Products currently promoted as Alzheimer treatments include Ginkgo biloba, Huperzine A, Coenzyme Q10, and Phosphatidyl serine.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo biloba is a plant extract containing several compounds that may have positive effects on cells within the brain and the body. Ginkgo biloba is thought to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, to protect cell membranes, and to regulate neurotransmitter function. Ginkgo has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine and currently is being used in Europe to alleviate cognitive symptoms associated with a number of neurological conditions.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October 22/29, 1997), Pierre L. Le Bars, MD, PhD, of the New York Institute for Medical Research, and colleagues found ginkgo biloba to have a positive effect in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

This 52-week study initially involved 309 patients suffering from mild to moderately severe dementia, caused by either Alzheimer's disease or multi-infarct dementia (MID, or vascular dementia). These patients were divided into two groups; participants in one group were administered 120 mg of ginkgo biloba extract each day, and participants in the second group received a placebo (sugar pill).

At the end of the study, data from only 202 of the participants were used to determine the efficacy of using ginkgo in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease due to a significant dropout rate of participants during the course of the treatment. Participants were tested for improvement in cognition, daily living and social behavior, and overall impairment. Researchers found that modest improvements took place in cognition, activities of daily living (such as eating and dressing), and social behavior — but no measurable difference was noticed in overall impairment.

Results from this study show that ginkgo may help some individuals with Alzheimer's disease slightly, but further research is needed in order to determine the exact mechanisms by which ginkgo works in the body. Also, results from this study are considered preliminary because of the low number of participants involved and methodological issues associated with the research.

Further study of ginkgo biloba is necessary to fully understand its potential therapeutic value in treating individuals with Alzheimer's. Few side effects are associated with the use of ginkgo as a dietary supplement, although it is known to reduce the ability of blood to clot, potentially leading to more serious conditions, such as hemorrhaging. This possibility of hemorrhaging may increase if ginkgo biloba is taken in combination with other anticoagulants, such as aspirin.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the U.S. National Institutes of Health has launched a large, multi-center study to determine if ginkgo biloba may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Recruitment for this trial closed in 2002 and the trial will run for five years, so results will not be available until some time after 2007.

Huperzine A

Huperzine A is a moss extract that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Because it acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, it has now surfaced as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers have found that huperzine A is just as potent as donepezil (Aricept^®), rivastigmine (Exelon^®), and tacrine (Cognex^®). The difference, however, is that huperzine A is unregulated and manufactured with no uniform standards in place. Because it is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, there could be dangers associated with its use. If used in combination with donepezil, rivastigmine, or tacrine, the results could be devastating and would be like prescribing an overdose of any one of these drugs.

So far, researchers do not know much about the effectiveness of huperzine A in treating Alzheimer's disease. Few studies have been done in this area of research. Until results from large-scale clinical studies are available, its use is not recommended, especially since there are FDA-approved drugs with the same drug mechanism. If your patients insist on trying huperzine A, make sure they do so under your supervision.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the body and is needed for normal cell reactions to occur. This compound has not been studied for its effectiveness in treating Alzheimer's. A synthetic version of this compound, called idebenone, was tested for Alzheimer's disease but did not show favorable results. Little is known about what dosage of coenzyme Q10 is considered safe, and there could be harmful effects if too much is taken.

Phosphatidyl Serine

Phosphatidyl serine is a phospholipid essential to all cells in the human body. It was studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease about a decade ago but was ineffective in improving cognitive abilities in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Some small studies have shown that people who do not have Alzheimer's experienced slightly enhanced cognition while taking phosphatidyl serine, but this research is thought to be inconclusive.