IN SHAKESPEARE’s day, apothecaries treated memory loss in the elderly with
sage and lemon balm, while 2500 years ago the Greek physician Hippocrates
recommended wormwood. They may have been on to something—all these herbs
have similar effects to drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. And two of them
are already undergoing clinical trials.
The brains of Alzheimer’s patients lose nicotinic receptors, one of the two
types of receptor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Increasing the levels
of acetylcholine in the brain can help alleviate cognitive problems. Several
drugs companies are now testing drugs that stimulate nicotinic receptors, which
not only…
