Natural products in Alzheimer’s disease: Impacts and prospects

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are a significant and growing burden in both the developed and developing countries, and effective treatments are lacking. Natural products, particularly those derived from plants, represent an important reservoir for potentially novel treatments and adjuvent therapies. Frequently informed by use in traditional medical systems, many have been evaluated to some degree for potentially therapeutic mechanisms, clinical effectiveness, or safety. Unfortunately, very few have been studied thoroughly enough such that specific recommendations can be made with regards to their therapeutic utility. In this chapter, we wish to present a review on the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease and the current state of research in the use of natural products that may prove effective in treatment.