Huperzine A
An alkaloid found in the Chinese herb Huperzia Serrata, Huperzine A may be effective for improving cognitive and memory abilities. In China, where Huperzine A is used for treating Alzheimer and Myasthenia Gravis, medical scientists have studied its effects on the mental functions of elderly Alzheimer's patients. Researchers also observed the action of Huperzine A on the damaging effects of oxygen free radicals in the patient's plasma and erythrocytes (red blood cells). Biochemical tests showed significant improvement, although not to the reference value for healthy people in the same age group. The authors speculate that the long-term treatment with Huperzine A might be required to optimize the results.
When a nutrient that improves mental function in the aged does the same in the young, that's really interesting and that is what Chinese researchers found in a study designed to determine the efficacy of Huperzine A on memory and learning in adolescents. They selected 34 matched pairs of apparently normal junior middle school students whose only significant complaints were of poor memory and difficulty in learning. In a double-blind trial, one member of each pair, chosen randomly, was given 100 micrograms of Huperzine A twice daily for four weeks, while the other member received the placebo. The students' memory quotients were measured before and after the trial, and their academic performance in their Chinese, English, and mathematics lessons was monitored as well.
Their results: At the end of the study, the Huperzine A group scored significantly better than the control group on standard memory tests described as "accumulation," "recognition," "reproduction," "association," "tactual (tactile) memory," and "number of recitation, but not on tests of "picture memory" or "understanding." They had also done significantly better in their Chinese and English lessons, but not in math. No side effects of any kind were noted.
Ingredients: Huperzine A in a base of Rice Bran.
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