The Chinese herb gastrodine is at the centre of new findings that suggest it could improve memory, orientation and language in people who have mild to moderate vascular dementia as the result of a stroke.
The researchers, led by Jinzhou Tian, the director of the Institute of Geriatrics, Beijing university of Chinese Medicine, presented their findings last week at the American Heart Association's Second Asia Pacific Scientific Forum.
Used for centuries to treat disorders such as dizziness, headache and even ischemic stroke, the scientists selected the gastrodine compound granule, extracted from tall gastrodia tuber plants and six other herbs, for the study.
They identified 120 stroke patients (75 male, 45 female) who were diagnosed with mild to moderate VaD lasting three months or more.
Vascular dementia is one of the most common dementias ranked after Alzheimer's disease and is a growing problem in China, with a prevalence of about 1 to 3 per cent, similar to prevalence rates in the United States and Europe.
Tian and his colleagues randomly assigned the study participants with mild to moderate vascular dementia to receive either gastrodine or Duxila, a French drug that purports to increase oxygen levels in the brain, three times a day for 12 weeks. Both medications were dissolved in water and taken by mouth. The study was a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving several clinical centers.
At the end of three months, the gastrodine and Duxila groups showed similar improvements in the areas of memory orientation, calculation and language.
The gastrodine group scored higher on the Blessed Behavioral Scale(BBS), including indices on behaviour, activities of daily living and personality. There were also fewer side effects in this group.
According to the study authors, overall improvement in the gastrodine group was 51.4 per cent, with 16 of the 70 cases showing 'much improvement', 20 cases showing 'some improvement', and 34 cases showing no change. In the Duxila group, the overall improvement rate was 52 per cent, with seven of the 50 cases showing 'much improvement', 19 cases 'some improvement', and 24 cases no change.
"This study might result in doctors considering the use of herbal medications, such as gastrodine compound granules to supplement the treatment of mild and moderate cognitive impairment in primary care for the elderly with cerebral ischemic damage," said Tian.
A key motivation behind the study was the desire to find less expensive treatments for Vascular dementia. Current medications for the condition are very expensive for most patients in China. Chinese herbal medicines are not only less expensive and have fewer side effects than standard chemical medications, but they are also more accepted by the Chinese people, commented Jinzhou Tian. Only a small study but it is a beginning. The herbal industry will be watching with interest as future studies investigate, and unravel, the impact of gastrodine.