December 7, 2024
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that has been recognized as the key cause of dementia in elderly people. According to the latest data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 121,499 people died due to AD in 2019. Currently, there is no definite cure for the treatment of AD due to its multi-factorial nature. Therefore, phytotherapy profiting from valuable biological activities of a mixture of constituents has been in the center of attention. Focusing on the herbal remedies used in the treatment of AD , essential oils (EOs) were found to be very effective since various in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials have endorsed their efficacy because of low molecular weight and high hydrophobicity leading to easy crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
Essential Oils are naturally occurring secondary metabolites which contain a complex mixture of volatile compounds possessing a wide range of biological activities. It should be noted that aromatherapy using plants such as Cinnamomum verum J. Presl. (Lauraceae), Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae), Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaaceae), Anethum graveolens L. (Apiaceae), Myristica fragrans Houtt. (Myristicaceae), and Crocussativus L. (Iridaceae) has been traditionally recommended for the treatment of memory loss in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). On the other hand, non-pharmacological approaches have been developed for the improvement of cognitive problems and in this respect, aromatherapy has been widely considered as a strong tool. In different studies, the combination of therapies has depicted significant results in improving memory, quality of life, and treatment of other complications in patients with AD.
Cinnamomum verum (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, also called true cinnamon tree or Ceylon cinnamon tree) is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka. The inner bark of the tree is historically regarded as the spice cinnamon, though this term was later generalized to include C. cassia as well Cinnamon has a long history of use in traditional medicine as a digestive aid.
Preliminary studies show that cinnamon could slow symptoms of Alzheimer's disease through the reduction of the oligomerization of beta-amyloid. Researchers evaluated essential oils extracted from six plants commonly inhaled to improve memory. Based on the results (ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and beta-secretase 1) of the laboratory experiments, they concluded that cinnamon bark essential oil may be helpful for the management of advanced Alzheimer's disease.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9675096/