Noguchi-Shinohara M, Ono K, Hamaguchi T, et al. Safety and efficacy of Melissa officinalis extract containing rosmarinic acid in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease progression. Sci Rep. October 2020;10(1):18627. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73729-2
Alzheimer's disease (AD) can begin 25 years before the appearance of clinical symptoms due to the slow parenchymal and vascular amyloid deposits of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles. Research has been focused on finding treatments which target the Aβ aggregation and that can be implemented early in the disease process
There is no good medication to slow the progression of this disease. WE have Namenda and Aricept. There are many supplements that I use as the mushroom, Lion’s Mane, Bacopa, Vinpocetine and Prevagen. These supplements have been studied and researched with some success. I try to find out some causes of memory loss as mold toxicity, heavy metals and even environmental toxicity, I go beyond most neurologists typical list of causes.
Recently a study at a university in Japan studied the effects of the herb Melissa officinales also known as Lemon Balm. I use lemon balm for hyperthyroidism, viral infections and for anxiety. I was intrigued by this study published in the American Botanical Council’s HerbalGram
The constituent rosmarinic acid (RA), an ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxiphenyllactic acid, has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anti-bacterial, and antiviral actions Rosmarinic acid is found in Lemon Balm. This was a small study group
The authors conclude that lemon balm with RA was well-tolerated and could potentially have beneficial effects for AD dementia, as seen in the NPI-Q scores. More research is needed for other populations and for longer doses. Limitations included small study size, narrowed population, and not using adults with pre-AD dementia.
Until tomorrow…