Using a unique method, Professor Toyama Kimi of Osaka Municipal University and his colleagues have developed food ingredients from traditional Chinese medicines and herbal teas that can prevent dementia and rejuvenate the brain.
Dementia develops when abnormal proteins accumulate in the brain and cause nerve cells to degenerate. Once nerve cells have died, no matter how much the abnormal proteins are removed, it is ineffective, so it is important to prevent dementia while nerve cells are still healthy.
Dementia prevention drugs, which require various conditions, are difficult to develop, so in this study, we focused on food rather than medicine. We searched for natural ingredients such as Eastern crude drugs and Western herbs that are expected to be effective against dementia, and found mamaki, an ingredient in Hawaiian herbal tea, and Acorus gramineus and Zizypha jujube seeds, ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine. For mamaki, we worked with CelebroPharma Co., Ltd., a university-based venture, and for Acorus gramineus and Zizypha jujube seeds, Teijin Limited also joined the joint research, and samples were prepared through industry-academia collaboration.
When hot water extracts of mamaki leaves, acorus commune leaves, and jujube seeds were orally administered to model mice with Alzheimer's disease and dementia for one month, it was found that brain pathology improved and cognitive and motor functions were restored. Furthermore, when simply crushed powder was used, the medicinal effects were stronger than those of the extract, and it was confirmed that simply crushed powder of jujube seeds in particular improved the cognitive functions of the model mice to the same level as or even higher than that of normal mice.
When normal old mice were given crushed jujube seeds for one month, it was found that it suppressed cellular aging and improved cognitive function to the same level as young mice. These results show that crushed jujube seeds not only prevent dementia, but also suppress brain aging.
These ingredients and manufacturing methods are useful for developing dementia prevention foods that middle-aged and elderly people can purchase and take at their own discretion, and are expected to contribute to the realization of a dementia-free society.
Paper information:
[GeroScience] Hawaiian native herb Mamaki prevents dementia in four different mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases
【Nutrients】New Value of Acorus tatarinowii/gramineus Leaves as a Dietary Source for Dementia Prevention
【eLife】Simply crushed Zizyphi spinosi semen prevents neurodegenerative diseasesand reverses age-related cognitive decline in mice
