Current Traditional Medicine - Current Issue

Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are often complicated by CKD. This study aims to identify a therapeutic agent that can improve cognitive function and alleviate chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients. It also explores the effectiveness of the combination of Ryoukeijutsukanto and Ourengedokuto (RO-8), a Kampo medicine, for treating cognitive decline and renal function impairment in patients with co-morbid CKD.

In this retrospective single-center study, patients with AD who visited the clinic were selected. Cognitive function and kidney function of all participants in the control and treatment groups were assessed using Hasegawa’s Dementia Scale (HDS-R) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), respectively. Statistical analyses were performed to measure the differences in the HDS-R scores and eGFR values before and after the observation or treatment period.

The Kampo medicine RO-8 improved cognitive function in 90.9% (70/77) of patients and cognitive decline in 3.9% (3/77) of patients with AD and MCI. At the same time, 38.7% (29/75) of the patients with AD and MCI who were treated had chronic kidney disease (CKD), 65.5% (19/29) of which exhibited an improvement in the eGFR.

Despite being a single-center and retrospective study, the findings underscore the potential of mixed Kampo medicine in restoring both cognitive and kidney function in patients with AD or MCI and CKD.

RO-8 may exert beneficial effects on cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia and MCI through an anti-inflammatory pathway and can be further explored as an alternative anti-inflammatory drug to treat AD.

Diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia commonly use herbal medicines (HMs) to manage their condition. Research studies indicate that up to 70% of this population has tried HMs, with popular choices including Cinnamomum verum, Zingiber officinale, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Olea europaea, and Nigella sativa. More clinical trials evaluating their safety and effectiveness are needed to increase the adoption of these herbal remedies.

This systematic review aims to review clinical research in the Saudi Arabian context on the efficacy of commonly used HMs for diabetes.

A comprehensive search of medical literature was conducted to identify the most popular herbs used by Saudi diabetic patients. The PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, and ScienceDirect databases were utilized to find research studies published in Saudi Arabia that examined the effectiveness of traditional herbal remedies for managing diabetes.

Only four relevant studies from Saudi Arabia were identified, with three specific herbs (Trigonella foenum-graecum, Zingiber officinale, and Nigella sativa) used in all four studies. Two of the studies were blind clinical trials, but only one was double-blinded. The methodological quality of these studies was assessed using the Jadad score, with scores ranging from 1 to 3.

Although Saudi Arabia has a large population of diabetic patients, its contribution to clinical research in this field remains limited. Establishing research groups and developing a sustainable infrastructure could help to address this problem and promote more rigorous studies on HMs.

Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD 42024602747.