Neuroprotective and Nootropic Evaluation of Some Important Medicinal Plants in Dementia: A Review

Dementia is a devitalising decline in neurological acuity, which burdens both high- and low-income countries due to poor diagnostic systems and high healthcare costs. A growing population and rises in deleterious environmental and genetic anomalies aggravate new and aggressive cases of dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. The unparalleled capability of medicinal plants is constantly explored in treating neurological disorders, and some of these phytocompounds are used for treating diseases. However, some of these metabolites are neurotoxic and disrupt DNA polymerase functions. They possess life-threatening side effects and are unable to prevent disease progression. Therefore, it is important to focus on discovering novel compounds from new medicinal plants. Our review encompasses some medicinal plant metabolites recently explored in treating this disease. We also summarized the molecular mechanism of action as determined in in-vitro: the toxic dose, nootropic and neuroprotective effects on neurophysiology and neurotransmitter levels, and the antioxidant effects.