Ayurveda may help fight Alzheimers

Source: Google Alerts

CALCUTTA, India (UPI) -- British and Indian scientists are looking into India`s ancient system of medicine known as Ayurveda for treating Alzheimer`s disease, the BBC reports.

Ayurveda is seen as working in the same way as conventional drugs as plants used in the Indian system were found to improve memory and concentration. Alzheimer`s disease is a progressive, degenerative and irreversible brain disorder with no known cure.

The research on Ayurveda is being done at King`s College in London and Jadavpur University in Calcutta. Their effort involves studying five plants commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine, which acted to prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitters, improving memory and concentration in people with Alzheimer`s, says the report.

The next step is to identify the chemical compounds in the plants and use them to develop effective drugs.