Brain Function: Clinical Research on TCM

Many brain dysfunctions present difficulties for treatment by Western medicine. Recent work with ginkgo extract and huperzine for Alzheimer's disease suggests that herbal treatments may provide important assistance.

• In a study of the treatment of senile brain function, Wang Xuemei and Xie Zhufan treated 53 patients, aged sixty to eighty, with Wu Zi Yan Zong Fluid (which contains cuscuta, lycium, rubus, plantago seed, and schizandra) for six weeks. A control group of 20 patients received no treatment. In the treatment group, significant improvements were found in nervous system function, including control of the arms and legs, and improved memory, whereas no improvement was noted in the control group. Similar formulas are available in the United States.
  
  
• During an interesting study on schizophrenia by Luo Hechun, schizophrenics received Ginkgo biloba leaf extract for eight to thirteen weeks, and were compared with a control group of 56 comparable schizophrenics who received a placebo. Significant improvement was found with ginkgo, appearing between weeks four and twelve, with few side effects. The people treated in this study had previously received a variety of antipsychotic drugs for at least three months without showing improvement.

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From THE BEST ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: WHAT WORKS? WHAT DOES NOT? by Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier.
Copyright © 2000 by Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, New York.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier. All Rights Reserved.
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