A nerve cell death inhibitor, an anti-Alzheimers disease agent, a brain hypofunction inhibitor and a drug or food having an anti-Alzheimers disease effect or a brain hypofunction-inhibiting effect, each containing as an active ingredient "a preset partitioned portion that is a portion partitioned in methylene dichloride when an ethanol extract of Rhinacanthus nasuta (L.) Kurz is liquid-liquid partitioned with hexane and methanol and then the portion partitioned in methanol is liquid-liquid partitioned with methylene dichloride and water", "a preset fraction that is a fraction eluted from a silica gel column with an elution solvent, said elution solvent consisting of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and anhydrous methanol, when the preset partitioned portion is subjected to silica gel column chromatography using the elution solvent" or Rhinacanthin C. According to the present invention, a nerve cell death inhibitor having an excellent effect of inhibiting nerve cell death, an anti-Alzheimers disease agent, a brain hypofunction inhibitor and a drug or food having an anti-Alzheimers disease effect or a brain hypofunction-inhibiting effect can be provided.
