REVI EW ARTI CLE

Neuronutrient impact of Ayurvedic Rasayana therapy

in brain aging
Ram Harsh Singh K. Narsimhamurthy
Girish Singh
Received: 2 April 2008 / Accepted: 26 September 2008 / Published online: 18 October 2008
Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008
Abstract Ayurveda is the oldest system of Medi-
cine in the world, its antiquity going back to the
Vedas. It adapts a unique holistic approach to the
entire science of life, health and cure. The areas of
special consideration in Ayurveda are geriatrics,
rejuvenation, nutrition, immunology, genetics and
higher consciousness. The Ayurvedic texts describe a
set of rejuvenative measures to impart biological
sustenance to the bodily tissues. These remedies are
called Rasayana which are claimed to act as micro-
nutrients. Some of these Rasayanas are organ and
tissue specic. Those specic to brain tissue are
called Medhya Rasayana. Such Rasayanas retard
brain aging and help in regeneration of neural tissues
besides producing antistress, adaptogenic and mem-
ory enhancing effect. In addition to the long tradition
of textual and experience-based evidence for their
efcacy, certain recent studies conducted on these
traditional remedies on scientic parameters have
shown promising results which have been reviewed
in this paper for providing lead for further studies.
The popular Medhya Rasayanas are Ashwagandha
(Withania somnifera Dunal), Brahmi (Bacopa mon-
nieri Linn), Mandukaparni (Centella asiatica Linn)
and Sankhapuspi (Convolvulus pluricaulis Chois).
Keywords Brain aging Ayurveda
Rasayana therapy Neuronutrition
Medicinal plants
Ayurvedic concept of aging
The cause of aging and its exact mechanism is not yet
clearly known. However, the process of aging is now
known to be controlled largely by genetic, immune
and endocrine mechanisms besides many other allied
contributing factors with the scope of developing
positive interventions. Ayurveda considers aging as
the Swabhava or nature of the living being which is
considered to be a time-bound entity and it biolog-
ically ceases to exist through senescence and death.
However, in this school of thought death is limited to
physical body only, the subtle energetic body
survives death and is claimed to be capable of rebirth.
Vagbhatta (300AD) and Sarangdhara (1300AD)
describe the time-bound sequential biological human
aging in terms of sequential loss of certain biological
qualities of life specic to different decades of life as
described in the following table (Table 1). If these
biolosses are compensated in respective decades by
appropriate life-style, nutrition and Ayurvedic
R. H. Singh (&) K. Narsimhamurthy
Department of Kayachikitsa, Institute of Medical
Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005,
India
e-mail: rh_singh2001@yahoo.com
G. Singh
Department of Community Medicine, Division of
Biostatistics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras
Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
1 3
Biogerontology (2008) 9:369374
DOI 10.1007/s10522-008-9185-z
rejuvenative Rasayana remedies described for this
purpose, the rate of biological aging may be retarded.
Rasayana therapy
Since ancient times Ayurveda is practiced through its
eight specialized branches namely (1) Kayachikitsa
(Internal Medicine), (2) Salya (Surgery), (3) Salakya
(Ophthalmology and ENT), (4) Kaumarbhritya (Pedi-
atrics), (5) Aagada tantra (Toxicology), (6) Bhuta
Vidya (Psychiatry), (7) Rasayana (Rejuvenation) and
(8) Bajikarana (Sexology). One of these branches
called Rasayana Tantra deals with therapeutic nutri-
tion, immuno-enhancing and longevity. The
Rasayana remedies of Ayurveda are essentially
molecular nutrients and nutrition enhancing agents
acting through three basic mechanisms: (1) Rasa
enhancing or direct nutrient effect, (2) Agni enhanc-
ers or promoters of digestion and metabolism, (3)
Srotas purifying agents or promoters of microcircu-
lation and tissue perfusion. All these three events
singly or jointly lead to improved nutritional status in
the body leading further to the formation of the best
qualities of cells and tissues which sustain aging
and stressLabhopayo hi shastanam rasadinam
Rasayanam (Caraka Cikitsa1).
All Rasayanas are nutrition- promoters in general
but there are certain organ and tissue specic
Rasayanas viz., Medhya Rasayana for brain, Hridya
Rasayana for heart, Twacya Rasayana for skin,
Caksusya Rasayana for eyes and so on. Similarly,
Rasayanas could also be age-specic as they promote
nutrition relevant to the natural bio-losses occurring
at different phases of life span as depicted in Table 1.
The following are some Rasayana remedies which
can be used to compensate age-related bio-losses.
Brain aging
Aging is a generalized systemic involution of the
living body, its tissues and cells of which the brain is
the most vulnerable component because the neurons
are known to be poor in their regenerative capacity.
Ayurveda propounds that the Medha, the core
cognitive function of brain starts depleting by fourth
decade of human life and after the eighth decade the
loss of Buddhi or decision making intellect becomes
inevitable leading to senile dementia as a normal
sequence of events in aging process. Thus, consider-
ing optimum span of life of man of Ayurvedic times
as 100 years the fourth and ninth decades of life are
the major time-sets for brain-aging for which Ayurv-
eda introduced rejuvenative Rasayana therapy to help
fulll the cherished wish of man to live 100 years
with functioning brain and sensesJivem saradah
satam, Pasyem saradah satam (Riguveda).
The contemporary biosciences also register similar
views on brain aging considering it an inevitable
phenomenon. Aging is fundamentally the outcome of
the overwhelming of the evolutionary processes of
the body-mind system by the involutionary events
hallmarked with degenerative changes like physio-
logical disturbances of neurotransmitter secretions,
blunting of dendrites and synapses and formation of
Beta Amyloid plaques warranting reparative and
rehabilitative care. Many elderly persons become
dominantly more handicapped due to the age-related
degenerative brain disorders than the actual gross
Table 1 Sequential
bio-losses during aging
described by Sarangdhara
(1300AD), a medieval text
on Ayurveda and some
suggested restorative
Rasayanas
S.No. Decades Age related bio-losses Restorative Rasayanas
1 010 Loss of corpulence Vacha, Gambhari
2 1120 Loss of growth Amalaki, Bala
3 2130 Loss of lusture Haridra, Kumari, Louha
4 3140 Loss of intellect Sankhapuspi,Brahmi
5 4150 Loss of skin glow Kumari, Somaraji
6 5160 Loss of vision Triphala, Jyotismati
7 6170 Loss of virility Kapikacchu, Aswagandha
8 7180 Loss of strength Amalaki, Bala
9 8190 Loss of cognitive power Brahmi, Mandukaparni
10 91100 Loss of locomotive ability Amalaki, Bala, Aswagandha
370 Biogerontology (2008) 9:369374
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somatic aging. Therefore brain aging is a matter of
great concern in geriatric health care which has
already emerged as a major task in global health care
program because of rapid population-aging. Most of
the developing countries of the world are already in
the grip of high proportion of elderly persons in their
population displaying signicant negative impact on
socioeconomic and health-care planning of the pres-
ent society. Most demographers world over believe
that population aging is going to remain the most
signicant demographic trend of the 21st Century
which will inuence a wide range of public issues of
our times (Preston et al. 1989). The following table
shows the trend of population aging in major regions
of the world. (Table 2).
Neuronutrient Medhya Rasayanas
Rasayana Tantra, one of the eight specialty branches
of Ayurveda was designed in ancient times to take
nutritive care, immuno-enhancing and longevity. A
large number of herbal and herbomineral Rasayana
remedies are in vogue in the hands of Ayurvedic
practitioners in India in geriatric care. These remedies
in principles are expected to produce their positive
health impact through molecular nutritive effect,
immuno-enhancing and longevity promotion.
The Medhya Rasayanas are a special class of
Ayurvedic nutraceuticals which are specic to brain
and nervous system. They are claimed to promote
cognitive functions of the brain as related to brain
aging. There is a bulk of scriptural and experience-
based evidence for their efcacy besides a number of
recent scientic studies substantiating the ancient
claim (Singh 2007). Some such observations are
reviewed here under to provide a lead for further
studies.
Some observations
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) is a pop-
ular Indian medicinal plant. Its roots are used as a
nervine tonic and adaptogen for centuries. Dwivedi
and Singh (1997) studied the effect of this plant drug
on mental and physical health of elderly volunteers
measuring the impact through a standardized biolog-
ical age scale (BAS), brief psychiatric rating scale for
mental health (BPRS) and immediate memory span
test using ne powder of Ashwagandha roots in the
dose of 5 g twice a day for 6 months orally in elderly
persons ([60 years). BAS and BPRS contained rated
items related to the features of biological aging and
mental state, respectively, administered in the form of
standardized questionnaires. Singh et al (1987) studied
the antistress effect in normal and stressed rats using
total alcoholic extract of the dry roots of the Ashwa-
gandha in standardized doses and reported signicant
activity, being twice more effective than P. gensin
in terms of Ed 50. Archana and Namashivayam
(1999)studied further the humoral basis of the anti-
stress and anti inammatory activities of this drug.
Singh and Malaviya (1978) and Bhattacharya et al.
(1997) reported anxiolytic activity in the Glycowit-
hanolides from Withania somnifera (Tables 35).
More recently Kuboyama et al. (2005) reported
neuritic regeneration and synaptic reconstruction
induced by Withanolide-A isolated from Ashwagan-
dha. It was also shown to prevent the formation of
Beta Amyloid plaques.
Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri Linn.) is another Medhya
herbal plant in extensive medicinal use in India as a
memory enhancer and brain tonic. Singh and Singh
(1978) reported memory enhancing effect in this plant
(Table 6) which has been substantiated by many
subsequent studies (Singh and Dhawan 1997; Stough
et al. 2001). Holcomb et al. (2006) reported that this
Table 2 Observed and forecasted percentages of the elderly
(65 ? years) in the population (Kinsella and Victoria 2001)
Countries/Regions Year 1950 Year 2000 Year 2050
World 5.0 6.9 19.3
China 4.5 6.9 22.7
India 3.3 5.0 14.8
Japan 4.9 17.2 36.4
Europe 8.2 14.7 29.2
USA 8.3 14.7 29.2
Table 3 Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in
elderly persons in terms of certain indices of Biological and
Mental Aging (BAS and BPRS) after Dwivedi and Singh 1997
Variables Before treatt.
Mean S.D
After six months
treatt. Mean S.D
P
BAS total score 19.33 4.57 14.95 4.53 \0.01
Immediate
memory score
4.55 0.86 4.85 1.00 \0.01
BPRS total score 32.40 5.22 22.93 2.86 \0.01
Biogerontology (2008) 9:369374 371
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drug reduces amyloid levels in PSAPP. This drug has
signicant neurotransmittral balancing effect (Singh
et al. 1979a, b, c; Pathak and Singh 1986).
Mandukaparni (Centella asiatica) was reported to
possess anxiolytic and memory enhancing effect by
Mishra and Singh (1980) which has been reconrmed
by Wigneweera (2006, personal communication).
Agrawal and Singh (1998) conducted an open trial
of Mandukaparni in cases of educable mental retar-
dation indicating signicant improvement in
performance IQ, Social Quotient, immediate memory
span and reaction time. The psychomotor and cog-
nitive functions were measured using (1) Bhatia
Battery for performance test of intelligence and
memory, (2) Vineland Social Maturity Scale for
behavioral and social adaptability (Table 7). The
drug was administered in the form of whole plant ne
powder in the dose of 2.5 gm twice a day orally for
six months.
Sankhapuspi (Convolvulus pluricaulis), another
Medhya plant is reported to possess anxiolytic and
memory enhancing and mood elevating effect and is
claimed to retard brain aging (Singh and Mehta 1977;
Koirala and Singh 1992; Dhingra et al. 2007).
Kapikacchu (Mucuna pruriens) is a Rasayana-
Bajikarana plant drug. It is frequently used for the
treatment of Parkinsons disease and depressive illness
in elderly persons. On Phytochemical studies Mucuna
pruriens seeds have been shown to contain signicant
quantity of L-Dopa which could be the basis for its anti-
Parkinsonism effect. This drug is also used as an
aphrodisiac in polpular Ayurvedic practice (Singh
2001, 2003).
Comments
Brain aging and its manifestations form the most
important component of aging process as it may lead
Table 4 Showing the
humoral basis of the
antistress activity of the
extracts of Ashwagandha
roots in normal and stressed
rats (Archana and
Namashivayam 1999)
Observation Mean SD Normal Control Swimming Stress Swimming Stress ?
Ashwagandha
Plasma corticosteron mg/dl 98.95 0.51 107.2 0.38
P\0.05
99.77 0.14
P\0.05
Phagocytic index 68.50 0.56 78.0 0.58
P\0.05
68.83 1.20
P\0.05
Total swim time 5.30 0.24 8.90 0.50
P\0.05
Table 5 Antistress effect of the extract of some Rasayana drugs in terms of Ed 50 in almino rats (Singh N et al. 1987)
Plant drugs screened Prevention
of increase
of adrenal wt.
Prevention
of adrenal
ascorbic acid
Prevention
of increase of
adrenal cortisol
Prevention
of restraint
induced ulcer
Antistress
unit activity
as Ed. 50
1. Tulasi (O. sanctum) 12.0 1.6 13.0 1.5 13.4 2.0 15.3 1.2 13.7 1.3
2. Ashwagandha
(W. somnifera)
13.0 1.4 14.5 1.5 16.0 1.8 15.9 1.8 14.9 1.5
3. P. gensin 15.0 1.8 24.1 2.1 24.7 2.2 18.0 1.6 25.2 2.3
Table 6 Effect of Brahmi
(Bacopa monnieri) on
certain mental health
indices in human subjects
after Singh and Singh 1978
Observations (n = 22) Mean Scores SD P
Before Treatt. After Treatt.
Immediate memory span 5.94 1.18 6.37 1.17 \0.01
Mental fatigue index
1. Work output/5 M 711.15 270.15 855.85 233.55 \0.01
2. Error score/5 M 7.85 12.65 1.15 2.49 \0.05
372 Biogerontology (2008) 9:369374
1 3
to more crippling impact than gross somatic aging
warranting specialized care. The conventional system
of Medicine does not offer much in this direction.
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of Medicine in
its Rasayana tantra/Rejuvenation Therapy offers a
range of anti-aging remedies in general and specic
remedies for brain-aging such as Ashwagandha,
Brahmi, Mandukaparni, Sankhapuspi, Kapikacchu
and several other such herbal and herbomineral
drugs. Besides textual and experience-based evidence
for their efcacy now several new scientic studies
have been conducted showing interesting results as
reviewed in this paper as a lead for further studies.
Conceptually it is held that all Rasayana drugs
produce their effect by acting through nutrition
dynamics (Rasa, Agni, Srotas) at molecular level.
They may not possess sharp pharmaceutical activities
if used in holistic form and hence as such they may be
treated as soft and safe medications which are the
popular professional demand in present times.
The evidence-base for the efcacy of these med-
ications is three-fold viz., (1) Literary and conceptual
evidence, (2) Experience-based evidence and long
tradition of use and (3) New scientic evidence which
is being attempted now to be generated with the help
of selected clinical and experimental studies which
are obviously not adequate at present but it is
worthwhile to project such evidences to provide lead
for further studies.
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