The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that every seven seconds a Baby Boomer turns age 50. By these calculations, the new millennium will bring with it some 40 million Americans who will be candidates for the use of brain-boosting substances. Enter Huperzine A Complex.

Nutritional support in the fight against Alzheimer’s

In a study conducted at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C., it was recently further validated that huperzine A (HupA) is an excellent pre-treatment, preventative agent and brain booster for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the associated conditions of dementia. First discovered as a part of the Chinese herbal medicine, Qian Ceng Ta, HupA is a natural compound that has been shown to improve memory, enhance alertness, converge concentration, and focus thought processes.

The standardized form of purified HupA, derived from the Chinese club moss, Huperzia serrata, has been laboratory tested and has demonstrated memory-enhancing activities in a broad range of animal and human brain-function models. Compared to existing prescription drugs, HupA, as a nutritional supplement, has better therapeutic indices for human patients, too, and its potential peripheral side effects are minimal at the therapeutic dose ranges (averaging 100 micrograms daily).

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stated in its March 12, 1997 issue that HupA-derived pharmaceuticals may become more effective therapeutic agents for AD than the two drugs currently approved for use by the FDA: tacrine hydrochloride (TAC) and donepezil (Aricept). The current Walter Reed Army Institute research confirms that HupA also confers more neuroprotection than the FDA drugs. In addition, HupA has a longer-lasting duration of therapeutic effect.

Physiological brain actions of HupA

It has been validated that HupA is a potent blocker of the enzyme, acetyl-cholinesterase (AChE), which breaks down acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter essential for memory and brain function. AChE inhibition tends to provide true brain-boosting by enhancing thinking and memory retention. HupA exhibits novel “nerve protection” properties through its action at certain brain receptors. Also, it offers good penetration through the blood-brain barrier, high oral bioavailability, and longer duration of blocking action on AChE. While FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors have been shown to result in adverse effects—such as liver poisoning—HupA has, thus far, shown no unexpected toxicity.

Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute point out that HupA also decreases neuronal cell death from stroke, epilepsy, and other brain disorders. It has been employed successfully in China for this purpose on at least 100,000 patients. The scientist who first synthesized huperzine A standardized extract, Alan Kozikowski, Ph.D., professor of pharmacy at Georgetown University’s Institute of Cognitive and Computational Sciences in Washington, D.C., says HupA will be useful for anyone who wants to improve cognitive function and sharpen mental clarity, such as high-technology researchers, students, athletes, workers in states of stress overload, the elderly, and Baby Boomers concerned about the aging process.

Dr. Morton J. Walker, a full-time, professional freelance medical journalist and author, has produced 73 published books, including Smart Nutrients, co-authored with Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. (Avery Publishing Group).