About 4,000,000 people suffer from Alzheimer’s in the United States. So, it's no wonder, drug companies are motivated to find new treatments for the brain-ravaging disease. Now there's an herb that could be a new drug for Alzheimer’s.
Betty Lewis has Alzheimer's, but she's not the only one in the family who has it.
"We have Alzheimer's, mom doesn't have Alzheimer's. We do because she thinks she is just fine," Karen Galley, her daughter, said.
Karen cares for her 77-year-old mother. Alzheimer's has taken its toll, but a new drug could be the answer for Betty and millions of Alzheimer's patients like her. It is called Huperzine A.
"It is very safe, it has a long history of being used in China where it was discovered," Alzheimer's specialist Dr. Charles DeCarli said
Doctor DeCarli is conducting a clinical trial of Huperzine A. He said some patients tolerate the natural herb better than other Alzheimer's drugs and patients are seeing progress.
Karen says when it comes to her mom, "It made her want to get up out of the chair, it made her want to go out to the pool and swim laps, it made her want to go out and prune her flowers."
Another benefit Betty's family has seen: she has lost 50 pounds because she has been more active. Dr. DeCarli said this is just one example of clinical trials in action.
"Every new medication needs to be studied carefully, to see if it effective, does what it's supposed to do, that it's safe," Dr. DeCarli said.
Researchers are still looking for more patients to enroll in the Alzheimer's trial.
They are looking for men and women, age 55 years or older who have been diagnosed the disease.
Related link:
Huperzine A in Alzheimer's Disease
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