African Medicinal Plants Useful for Cognition and Memory: Therapeutic Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder linked to increasing age, is the primary cause of dementia in the world. Clinically, it is characterized by cognitive impairments, progressive memory deficits and diminished learning ability. Despite the comprehensive research in AD, none of the existing treatments prevents the onset and progression of the disease. The use of medicinal plants is a fundamental component of the African traditional healthcare system due to its accessibility and affordability in many parts of rural Africa. However, there is a dearth of an updated comprehensive compilation of potential medicinal plants from the African continent commonly used in the management of AD. The primary focus of the present article is to review evidence from selected African plants in experimental and preclinical studies which have promising prospects to be developed as novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD. To achieve this, major scientific databases such as Science Direct, Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar have been searched to investigate and gather information on African traditional medicinal plants useful for the treatment of cognitive deficits, memory impairments and AD. Our search results showed several commonly used medicinal plants and their possible mechanisms of action including inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity, modification of Aβ processing, protection against oxidative stress and regulation of antioxidant enzymes activity. This review therefore provides a compilation of medicinal plants that could be further studied for their bioactive constituents; these may become safe, effective and novel therapeutic candidates for the treatment of AD.