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Root bacteria may be ginseng’s healing secret and answer to Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is a disease that has kept the medical community in a state of confusion for decades. But we do know more about the disease than ever before…
We’ve learned sleep can clean help cleanse beta-amyloid plaques from the brain, brushing our teeth can keep dementia-causing bacteria from traveling to the brain and following a plant-based can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s by 50 percent.
And where conventional medicine has fallen short, research into natural solutions is pushing the envelope in Alzheimer’s prevention — including ways to lower your disease risk or postpone it to keep your memories longer.
Now, research scientists have stepped up to the plate once again, discovering a novel class of compounds that could hold the key to Alzheimer’s treatment…
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Found in the soil close to the roots of ginseng plants
Compounds known as rhizolutin are bacteria that have been found in the soil close to roots of ginseng plants — and researchers say this bacterium could provide a new approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
The area around the roots of plants, known as the rhizosphere, is a complex ecosystem where a massive number of interactions take place between plants and the diverse microorganisms that live around and on them.
Related: Ginseng, best all-around herb
And even though ginseng is widely used in Asian traditional medicine, where it is said to be a tonic, the plant’s rhizosphere, has been pretty much neglected in the search for new treatment options.
So, a team of researchers from South Korea set out to correct that mistake…
Dissociating amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles
The team specifically cultivated rhizolutin which is produced by a Streptomyces strain that grows in the root zone of ginseng plants.
By cultivating it in a medium of ginseng powder, the researchers were able to increase the rhizolutin production of the bacterium tenfold to examine its structure which revealed a unique framework made of three rings bound together.
What did those rings reveal?
That it’s a structure that has been linked previously in natural product libraries as a “drug lead” with the ability to dissociate amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and tau tangles (fiber-like aggregates of tau proteins), the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
So they decided to test it out…
- During in vitro and in vivo experiments, the team was able to demonstrate that rhizolutin leads to clear dissociation of insoluble amyloid plaques and tau aggregates.
- In cultures of neuronal and glial cells, rhizolutin was able to markedly reduce the inflammatory processes and cell death caused by those plaques.
- Rhizolutin was also able to significantly dissociate the plaques present in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s.
If you haven’t heard a breakdown of why these plaques and tangle are bad before, here it is…
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It all starts when amyloid-β proteins fold incorrectly forming what’s known as β-sheets. These then lump together to form insoluble plaques and fibers. These lead to (from top to bottom):
- Nerve inflammation
- Nerve cell death
- Brain atrophy
- Cognitive losses
As a drug lead, you can bet that a pharmaceutical company may soon grab this research and run with it. I certainly hope so! But until then, do as the practitioners of ancient medicine have done for thousands of years. Ginseng can be taken as a dietary supplement in the form of tea, dried herbs, powder or capsule.
But note… there are different types of ginseng: Asian or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng. The American version is considered less stimulating. And though I didn’t see mention in the report, the recent research was performed in Korea, so it’s a safe bet that they used Panax ginseng for the experiments.
Editor’s note: While you’re doing all the right things to protect your brain as you age, make sure you don’t make the mistake 38 million Americans do every day — by taking a drug that robs them of an essential brain nutrient! Click here to discover the truth about the Cholesterol Super-Brain!
Sources:
Root bacterium to fight Alzheimer’s — EurekAlert!
Plant-based diets promote healthful aging, according to new editorial — EurekAlert!
Brush your teeth — postpone Alzheimer’s — EurekAlert!
How we sleep today may forecast when Alzheimer’s disease begins — EurekAlert!
By Dr. Adria Schmedthorst
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