Treatment of dementia with herbs: a short review.

Dementia is a common symptom observed in many psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of senile dementia seen in the general population. Multiple factors like oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation may be related to the neurodegenerative states. Many drugs like cholinesterase have been used for treatment but the progression of the disease still poses a challenge to the clinician. During recent times, herbs have gained much popularity as supplements because of the cost effectiveness, easy availability and fewer side effects. Early diagnosis and proper treatment may help in the prevention of mortality and morbidity concerned with any neurodegenerative disease. Understanding the cellular and molecular biology of the mode of the action of herbal products may be beneficial for researchers and clinicians. The present review article attempts to look into the potential herbal extracts which may act as an antioxidant in combating dementia.