Heteromeles Arbutifolia, a Traditional Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, Phytochemistry and Safety

This study examined the chemistry and safety of , also called toyon or California holly, which is a traditional California Indian food and treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Plant extracts were examined by HPLC/MS, NMR and other techniques to identify compounds. Volunteers were recruited to exa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2016-07, Vol.3 (3), p.17
Main Authors: Wang, Xiaogang, Dubois, Raphael, Young, Caitlyn, Lien, Eric J, Adams, James D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer’s disease
California holly
Heteromeles arbutifolia
phytochemistry
safety
toyon
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Summary:This study examined the chemistry and safety of , also called toyon or California holly, which is a traditional California Indian food and treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Plant extracts were examined by HPLC/MS, NMR and other techniques to identify compounds. Volunteers were recruited to examine the acute safety of the plant medicine using a standard short-term memory test. The plant was found to contain icariside E4, dihydroxyoleanenoic acid, maslinic acid, betulin, trihydroxyoxo-seco-ursdienoic acid, catechin, vicenin-2, farrerol, kaempferide and tetrahydroxyoleanenoic acid. These compounds are anti-inflammatory agents that may protect the blood-brain barrier and prevent inflammatory cell infiltration into the brain. The dried berries were ingested by six volunteers to demonstrate the safety of the medicine. The plant medicine was found to contain several compounds that may be of interest in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The plant medicine was found to be safe.
ISSN:2305-6320
2305-6320
DOI:10.3390/medicines3030017