Amnesia may be ameliorated with chebulic myrobalan extract

Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) is a traditional herbal medicine used across Asia has been found to be a potential cognitive enhancer for amnesia. The study, published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, investigated whether chebulic myrobalan extract improves amnesia induced by scopolamine in mice.

• For the study, researchers in Korea also looked at the possible mechanisms linked to cholinergic system and antioxidant effects.
• They orally administered either 100 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or 200 mg/kg of chebulic myrobalan extract to mice four 14 days.
• Scopolamine was also intraperitoneally injected to induce memory impairment for seven days.
• The researchers measured the learning and memory status of mice through the Morris water maze.
• In addition, they also assessed the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), acetylcholine (ACh), acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the hippocampus.
• Results revealed that chebulic myrobalan extract reversed the learning and memory deficits in acquisition and retention.
• Moreover, the treatment decreased the activities of AchE in the hippocampus and raised ChAT and ACh levels in mice.
• Chebulic myrobalan extract also raised levels of ROS, NO, and MDA, thereby inhibiting scopolamine-induced oxidative damage.
• These findings indicated that chebulic myrobalan extract possesses powerful effects against amnesia through its modulations of the cholinergic system and reduction of oxidative stress.

In conclusion, chebulic myrobalan extract can potentially be used as a natural, alternative treatment for amnesia.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

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Journal Reference:

Kim MD, Lee DY, Lee J, Kim HW, Sung SH, Han J-S, Jeon WK. TERMINALIA CHEBULA EXTRACT PREVENTS SCOPOLAMINE-INDUCED AMNESIA VIA CHOLINERGIC MODULATION AND ANTI-OXIDATIVE EFFECTS IN MICE. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2 May 2018; 18(136). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2212-y