Hei Xiaoyaosan in Treating Alzheimer's Disease： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease （AD） is a neurodegenerative disease that predominantly affects the elderly. It belongs to the category of dementia in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with the onset and progression closely associated with the functions of the kidney， liver， and spleen. The classic TCM formula Hei Xiaoyaosan， which regulates the three Yin of liver， spleen， and kidney， shows broad prospects in treating neurodegenerative diseases. This article reviews the experimental studies reported in the past decade to summarize the mechanisms of Hei Xiaoyaosan and its active components in intervening in AD. Hei Xiaoyaosan can treat AD via multiple targets， levels， and aspects comprehensively. The clinical studies have demonstrated that Hei Xiaoyaosan alone or in combination with other therapies has a definite therapeutic effect on AD. Specifically， it can ameliorate the cognitive impairment， mitigate oxidative stress， and inhibit the overexpression of soluble apoptotic factors in AD patients. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of AD with Hei Xiaoyaosan and explore new research directions. Moreover， it gives new insights into the clinical application of Hei Xiaoyaosan and the development of products with both medicinal and edible values.