COMPOSITIONS OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR REDUCING THE EFFECTS OF AGING, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF AGE-RELATED NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND SLEEP DISORDERS
Compositions comprising extracts prepared from mixtures of the herbal plants Radix Bupleurum chinense DC (“B”), Rhizoma Corydalis yanhusuo WT Wang (“Y”), Caulis Polygonum multiflorum Thunb (“P”) and Flos Albizia julibrissin Durazz (“A”) are provided. The BYP, BYA, BPA, BY, BP, YP and BYPA extracts significantly decreased one or more of the effects of accelerated aging in mice exposed to D-galactose, including spatial memory deficit, and elevated oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the brain, indicating efficacy in reducing the damage of aging, and preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease and/or Parkinson's disease. Anxiolysis by the BYA, BPA, YPA, BA and PA extracts indicates efficacy for treating anxiety disorders, and the sedative effect of the BYA, YPA and PA extracts indicates efficacy for treating sleep disorders. None of the extracts significantly induced alteration in locomotor activity, decreased muscle coordination, or anterograde amnesia at the maximum oral dose tested.
