CHINESE HERB Treatment ALZHEIMERS #3

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS ABOUT SENILE DEMENTIA

According to the fundamental ideas of Chinese medicine, the brain is an outgrowth of and is nourished by the kidney. Therefore, brain defects and deterioration of the brain may be prevented, limited, or halted by the ingestion of kidney tonics. Rich nourishing agents such as placenta, rehmannia, and cistanche; kidney essence astringents, such as rose fruit and schizandra; and qi and blood tonics that ultimately help nourish the essence, such as astragalus, polygonatum, and tang-kuei, are frequently recommended to benefit the brain. The cognitive functions of the brain are said to be regulated by the heart: the kidney provides the substance, the heart the regulation of activity. Memory, cognition, and wisdom are believed to become disordered if the heart is agitated or if the influence of the orifices that connect the heart and brain are blocked by phlegm obstruction of the channels. The herbs zizyphus, biota, polygala, and acorus are considered important for treating heart disorders affecting memory and cognition. To benefit the function of the heart, qi tonic herbs are also used, as they enhance the energy or qi of the heart. Formulas based on the combination of heart-regulating herbs coupled with kidney and qi tonic herbs are sold in China as Bu Nao Wan (Brain Tonic Pills) or Jian Nao Wan (Healthy Brain Pills).

In the book Jingyue Quanshu (Collected Works of Zhang Jingyue; 1637 A.D.), a chapter on dementia (chidai) describes the problem as a combination of collapse of original qi (yuanqi) and the presence of impure qi in the meridians and heart orifices. Tonification therapy is the proposed solution, as the restoration of normal qi will help to dispel the pathological qi. A formula developed by Zhang for dementia is Qi Fu Yin, comprised of ginseng, cooked rehmannia, tang-kuei, atractylodes, zizyphus, baked licorice, and polygala. The latter herb helps to clear the phlegm obstruction of the orifices.

In the book Bianzheng Lu (Manual of Medical Differentiation; 1690), Chen Shiduo proposed that the first step in development of dementia is depression of liver qi, which is usually caused by emotional problems. This liver qi disorder might eventually lead to exhaustion of the stomach qi because the pathological qi from the liver is easily transmitted to the stomach, where it disrupts normal digestive functions. The resulting undigested food in the stomach can produce obstructive phlegm. He said that "treating phlegm is treating dementia." To accomplish the goal, he suggested that one would tonify the spleen and stomach, resolve phlegm, and clear the orifices of the heart. A formula that Chen developed is Su Xin Tang, comprised of ginseng, hoelen, pinellia, bupleurum, coptis, evodia, gardenia, aconite, tang-kuei, peony, and zizyphus. Bupleurum invigorates the flow of liver qi; coptis and gardenia purge the pathologic qi of the liver, while evodia disperses the liver qi that is damaging the stomach functions; pinellia and hoelen resolve phlegm. Chen devised some alternative formulas for dementia, including ingredients such as shen-chu to enhance the stomach's digestive activity, arisaema to cleanse the accumulated phlegm, and acorus to open the clogged orifices.

At the end of the 19th century, Wang Qingren, who is famous for developing the use of blood-vitalizing therapies, proposed that dementia was caused by an emptying of the material substance making up the marrow and brain, and by stagnant blood clogging the orifices. A formula he developed for this purpose is Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang, comprised of red peony, cnidium, persica, carthamus, onion, musk, jujube; rice wine is added to the water when preparing the decoction. Onion and musk help to clear out the clogged orifices. The wine helps activate the blood-vitalizing properties of the formula.

The modern (post-1950) Chinese approach to Alzheimer's follows closely the ideas of Wang Qingren. Degenerative changes in tissues are usually treated by herbs that promote blood circulation-often relying on salvia in place of persica and carthamus used in Wang's time-plus tonics to treat the deficient organ. The brain is nourished with kidney tonics and qi tonics, such as rehmannia and ginseng. Many physicians still pursue the method of differential diagnosis, and the treatments may vary rather than follow a set pattern based on the disease description.

In China, a patent remedy, Nao Li Kang (Restore Brain Power Granules) has recently been developed. In the patent remedy application to the Sichuan Ministry of Health, it was reported that the formula was carefully tested in 31 patients with Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerotic dementia confirmed by CT scans. The formula ingredients include rehmannia, salvia, polygala, and polygonatum. Three months treatment with the formula resulted in improvements in 40% of the Alzheimer's patients and in 86% of the atherosclerotic patients. Although the improvement rate for Alzheimer's was relatively low, because this disease is so difficult to reverse, the result is still of interest.

The treatment of Alzheimer's should begin at its earliest signs, since any brain cells that have been destroyed cannot be regenerated and the fibrous and mineralized plaques that form in the brain are unlikely to be removed as a result of the ingestion of herbs. Chinese herbs can still prove useful in later stages, by preventing further degeneration or optimizing the function of the intact brain cells, but attempts to more fully resolve the disease could only meet with success in the early phases. During this earlier period, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's is not always possible, but one can safely administer the Chinese tonic herbs and blood circulation agents.

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/alzheimers.htm