Ghasem Khazen
, Fereshteh Farajdokht, Saeed Sadigetegad, Ahad Banagozar Mohammadi, Fatemeh Ebrahimi
* , Javad Mahmoudi
*
Abstract
Cognition relates to the mental processes engaged in acquiring knowledge and comprehension via thought, experience, and the senses. However, cognitive abilities can progressively decline with age over time or due to certain health conditions, affecting the overall quality of life. Neurodegenerative dementia is more likely to affect older adults because of aging. Despite the availability of various conventional therapeutic approaches, they often come with high costs or unwanted side effects. So, finding new interventions to improve cognitive performance remains a hot topic of research. Recently, there has been growing interest in using medicinal plants, as abundant and affordable phytochemical compound resources. This study introduces the most prevalent and accessible medicinal plants in Persian medicine for preventing and treating cognitive impairments. Also, the scientific evidence of the plant efficacy was searched in electronic databases with keywords including the scientific plant names and cognition or memory or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or amnesia or learning, by focusing on recent credible animal and clinical studies. Every relevant clinical study was thoroughly reviewed and included in this review. Findings suggest these natural remedies may alleviate dementia and cognitive decline through key mechanisms such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-apoptotic properties, and enhancement of cholinergic transmission. additionally, several plants inhibit amyloid-β and tau depositions while promoting neurotrophic signaling pathways. Although these medicinal plants could be promising candidates as future drugs or adjunct therapies, further research is necessary to confirm their safety and efficacy, as well as to understand their precise underlying mechanisms of action, potential interactions and appropriate therapeutic dosages.