"Holy Herb" is promising as a cure for Alzheimer's disease

Old medicine

The name that tribes of Californian origin gave to the plant Eriodictyon californicum – "Yerba santa" – translates to "holy her" sore muscles.

Now, as part of an encouraging discovery that brings together old people, scientists believe they may have discovered another disease, Yerba santa could potentially treat: Alzheimer's disease.

Protector of the brain

In a study published in the journal Redox biology On Wednesday, researchers at the Salk Institute detailed their discovery that Santa could be useful for treating Alzheimer's disease.

They began by selecting 400 plant extracts with recognized pharmacological properties to determine their anti-inflammatory or neuroprotective properties. This led them to the sterubine composed of Yerba santa.

The researchers found, through additional tests, that "the compound was effective against several inducers of cell death in nerve cells," according to a press release.

It had an anti-inflammatory effect on certain brain cells and was also effective at removing iron, which is known to aggravate damage to nerve cells in people with neurodegenerative diseases.

Drugs

Researchers are now considering sterubin testing in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. After that, they will determine the compound's toxicity levels in animals and other characteristics.

Human tests could follow, but as researcher Pamela Maher pointed out in a press release, the team would likely have created a synthetic derivative of the sterubine rather than using it. sterubine extracted from a plant.