Volume : 12, Issue : 10, October – 2025
Title:
ROLE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
Authors :
Shailesh D. Yelkar, Ms. Ankita Sarnaik , Dr. Swati Deshmukh
Abstract :
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD) are progressive disorders characterized By selective neuronal loss, protein Misfolding and aggregation, oxidative stress, Mitochondrial dysfunction, and Neuroinflammation. Despite advances in Symptomatic treatments, disease-modifying Therapies remain limited. Medicinal plants And their phytoconstituents have long been Investigated for neuroprotective properties. This review synthesizes current preclinical And clinical evidence on key medicinal Plants—Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), Bacopa monnieri (brahmi), Curcuma longa (turmeric), Panax ginseng (red ginseng), Camellia sinensis (green tea), Coffea arabica (caffeine), and Sesamum indicum (sesamol)—highlighting mechanisms of Action, limitations, and future perspectives Including phytopharmaceutical Development, nanodelivery systems, and Pharmacogenomics. We also discuss Methodological considerations in herbal Research and propose priorities for Translating promising preclinical findings Into clinical therapies.
Keywords : Neurodegeneration; Medicinal plants; Alzheimer’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; Huntington’s disease; Phytochemicals; Neuroprotection.
Cite This Article:
Please cite this article in press Shailesh D. Yelkar et al., Role of Medicinal Plants in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2025; 12(10).
REFERENCES:
1. Barnham KJ, Masters CL, Bush AI. Neurodegenerative diseases and oxidative stress. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2004;3(3):205–14. Doi:10.1038/nrd1330. PMID:15031734.
2. Brown RC, Lockwood AH, Sonawane BR. Neurodegenerative diseases: an overview Of environmental risk factors. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(9):1250–6. Doi:10.1289/ehp.7567. PMID:16140637.
3. Brettschneider J, Del Tredici K, Lee VM, Trojanowski JQ. Spreading of pathology in
Neurodegenerative diseases: a focus on human studies. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015;16(2):109–20. Doi:10.1038/nrn3887. PMID:25588378.
4. Alexander GE. An emerging role for imaging white matter in preclinical risk for Alzheimer disease linking β-amyloid to myelin. JAMA Neurol. 2017;74(1):17–9. Doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.4123. PMID:27842149.
5. Sharma M, Deogaonkar M, Rezai A. Assessment of potential targets for deep brain Stimulation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. J Clin Med Res. 2015;7(7):501–5. Doi:10.14740/jocmr2127w. PMID:26015813.
6. World Health Organization. Epilepsy. [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2025 Oct
18]. Available from: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/epilepsy
7. GBD 2015 Neurological Disorders Collaborator Group. Global, regional, and national Burden of neurological disorders during 1990–2015. Lancet Neurol. 2017;16(11):877–97. Doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30299-5. PMID:28931491.
8. Panza F, Frisardi V, Capurso C, D’Introno A, Colacicco AM, Imbimbo BP, et al. Late-Life depression, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia: possible continuum? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;18(2):98–116. Doi:10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181b0fa13. PMID:20104067.
9. Finkel SI, Costa e Silva J, Cohen G, Miller S, Sartorius N. Behavioral and Psychological signs and symptoms of dementia: a statement on current knowledge And implications for research and treatment. Int Psychogeriatr. 1996;8(Suppl 3):497–500. PMID:9154615.
10. Prusiner SB. Neurodegenerative diseases and prions. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(20):1516–26. Doi:10.1056/NEJM200105173442006. PMID:11357156.
11. Friedlander RM. Apoptosis and caspases in neurodegenerative diseases. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(14):1365–75. Doi:10.1056/NEJMra022366. PMID:12672865.
12. Ghosh D, Firdaus SB, Mitra E, Dey M, Bandyopadhyay D. Protective effect of Aqueous leaf extract of Murraya koenigii against lead-induced oxidative stress in rat Organs: a dose response study. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2012;5:54–8.
13. Ghosh D, Mitra E, Firdaus SB, Dey M, Ghosh AK, Chattopadhyay A, et al. In vitro Studies on the antioxidant potential of aqueous extract of curry leaves (Murraya Koenigii L.) collected from different parts of West Bengal. Indian J Physiol Allied Sci. 2012;66:77–95.
14. Cragg GM, Newman DJ. Natural products: a continuing source of novel drug leads. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013;1830:3670–95.
15. Ghosh D, Firdaus SB, Mitra E, Chattopadhyay A, Pattari SK, Dutta S, et al. Aqueous Leaf extract of Murraya koenigii protects against lead-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Int J Phytopharm. 2013;4:119–32.
16. Gong X, Sucher NJ. Stroke therapy in traditional Chinese medicine: prospects for Drug discovery and development. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 1999;20:191–6.
17. Elufioye TO, Berida TI, Habtemariam S. Plant-derived neuroprotective agents: cutting The cycle of cell death through multiple mechanisms. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:3574012.
18. Kumar GP, Khanum F. Neuroprotective potential of phytochemicals. Pharmacogn Rev. 2012;6:81–90.
19. Trejo LJA, Yachnis AT, Prokop S. Neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurotherapeutics. 2022;19(1):173–85.
20. World Health Organization. Statement by Alzheimer’s Disease International 2013.[Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2013 [cited 2025 Oct 18]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/137709
21. Karlina I, Andriyani EFS, Pratiwi AD, Prasasti FFTA, Tunjung WAS, Rohmah Z, et Al. Review: an overview of neurodegenerative diseases: Huntington, Alzheimer, and Parkinson. J Biomed Kes. 2024;7(1):113–23. Doi:10.18051/JBiomedKes.2024.v7.113.
22. Mishra LC, Singh BB, Dagenais S. Scientific basis for the therapeutic use of Withania Somnifera (ashwagandha): a review. Altern Med Rev. 2000;5:334–46. PMID:10956379.
23. Russo A, Izzo AA, Cardile V, Borrelli F, Vanella A. Indian medicinal plants as Antiradicals and DNA cleavage protectors. Phytomedicine. 2001;8:125–32.
24. Matsuda H, Murakami T, Kishi A, Yoshikawa M. Structures of withanosides I–VII, New withanolide glycosides from roots of Withania somnifera. Bioorg Med Chem. 2001;9:1499–507.
25. Kumar S, Harris RJ, Seal CJ, Okello EJ. An aqueous extract of Withania somnifera Root inhibits amyloid beta fibril formation in vitro. Phytother Res. 2011;25:1560–6.
26. Gregory J, Vengalasetti YV, Bredesen DE, Rao RV. Neuroprotective herbs for the Management of Alzheimer’s disease: a review. Biomolecules. 2021;11:543. Doi:10.3390/biom11040543.
27. Lee MY, Kim M. Effects of red ginseng on neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative Diseases. J Ginseng Res. 2021;45(4):379–89.
28. Roni MAH, Jami MABS, Hoque S, et al. Clinically proven natural products in aid of Treating Parkinson’s disease: a comprehensive review. Curr Med. 2024;3:6. Doi:10.1007/s44194-024-00033-w.
29. Ajitkumar A, Lui F, De Jesus O. Huntington disease. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan– [updated 2025 Apr 6; cited 2025 Oct 18]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559166/
30. Choudhary S, Kumar P, Malik J. Plants and phytochemicals for Huntington’s disease. Phcog Rev. 2013;7(14):81–9. Doi:10.4103/0973-7847.120505.
31. Dar RA, Shahnawaz M, Ahanger MA, Majid IU. Exploring the diverse bioactive Compounds from medicinal plants: a review. J Phytopharmacol. 2023;12(3):189–95. Doi:10.31254/phyto.2023.12307.