Marijuana

This bit really caught me by surprise: Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that the active ingredient in marijuana (THC) appears to be quite effective in preventing the brain buildup of amyloid plaque. Amyloid is one of the main pathologic markers for Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, the study found that THC also inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. This is the mechanism by which current Alzheimer drugs work to improve symptoms (but not reverse underlying disease process).

Kim Janda, PhD at Scripps notes:

While we are certainly not advocating the use of illegal drugs, these findings offer convincing evidence that THC possesses remarkable inhibitory qualities, especially when compared to AChE inhibitors currently available to patients

For a link to the article’s abstract, click here. To read the release on the Scripps Research Institute web site, click here.

Club Moss & Huperzine A

The National Institutes of Health is conducting a study to examine the effectiveness of Huperzine A, a natural chemical derived from an herb called Chinese Club Moss.

If you know someone with Alzheimer’s disease who may be interested in enrolling in this drug study, click here for a list of U.S. drug trial sites.

If you’d like to learn more about what Club Moss and Huperzine do in the brain, click here for an earlier smartkit post.

Tags: acetylcholinesterdase, club-moss, drug-trial, Huperzine-A, marijuana, THC