TCM herbs for Parkinson’s have been widely recognized for their potential in supporting symptom management and improving quality of life. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD), you may be exploring natural treatments to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a range of herbal remedies that have been used for centuries to support individuals with neurological conditions like Parkinson’s.
In this article, I’ll dive into how TCM herbs can be used to complement conventional treatments for Parkinson’s, focusing on their potential benefits in managing symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and motor control. I’ll also share practical insights into how these herbs can be incorporated into your overall health regimen.
Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons, which are responsible for producing dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in controlling movement. When dopaminergic neurons die, the brain’s ability to produce dopamine is impaired, leading to the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Motor symptoms include:
- Tremors, often starting out small — think of fingers tapping to their own beat
- Slow movements; everyday tasks might feel like they’re in slow-motion
- Muscle stiffness, which can make it feel like you’re trying to bend a very stubborn piece of metal
The challenges go beyond just symptoms. Imagine not knowing how fast these changes will progress. This unpredictability can be tough.
On the flip side, there’s always room for informed hope. Various methods, including Chinese herbs, aim to make life smoother. In this article, we will learn how Gou Teng and Suan Zao Ren may be helpful in the treatment of PD.
How Gou Teng Helps with Parkinson’s disease
Chlorogenic Acid (CGA), an active compound in Gou Teng, has been shown to reduce symptoms similar to Parkinson’s Disease (PD), including motor deficits and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. These neurons are critical for controlling movement, and their degeneration is a hallmark of PD.
One of the mechanisms through which CGA exerts its effects is by boosting autophagy, a cellular process that helps clear damaged or dysfunctional cellular components, including proteins and organelles. Autophagy is often impaired in PD, contributing to the accumulation of toxic substances in cells and exacerbating dopaminergic neuronal damage.
2023 findings suggest that CGA might not only alleviate symptoms but could also modify the disease itself. By enhancing autophagy and addressing the cellular dysfunction seen in PD, CGA could offer a therapeutic strategy that goes beyond symptom management, possibly slowing or halting disease progression.
How Suan Zao Ren Helps with Parkinson’s disease
Suan Zao Ren or Ziziphus jujuba, is widely known as a helpful natural remedy for insomnia experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease. It is now being studied for potential neuroprotective benefits.
On of the herbal formulas closely associated with Suan Zao Ren is calle Suan Zao Ren Tang or SZRD. According to sciencedirect, this 5-herb formulation helps protect the brain by reducing harmful iron buildup and lowering oxidative stress, both of which can damage brain cells.
Better than the 5-herb formulation, the desiccated powdered form of Suan Zao Ren has proven to be effective in reducing amyloid beta, tau, and alpha synuclein oligomers. This is big because these are the proteins associated with dementia, with alpha synuclein being closely linked to Parkinson’s pathology
Suan Zao Ren powder is also able to restore synaptophysin levels, increase BDNF expression and promote neurogenesis, thus resulting in improved cognitive and motor function in various mouse models.
Why Use TCM Herbs Together With My Existing Parkinson’s Medication?
The reason why patients are seeking alternatives and complementary approaches to the treatment of parkinson’s is because of these three significant drawbacks of pharmaceutical medicine.
1. Motor Fluctuations and Dyskinesia
One of the major issues with conventional treatments, particularly levodopa, is the development of motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. Patients often experience a “wearing-off” effect where the medication’s efficacy diminishes before the next dose is due, leading to unpredictable “on” and “off” periods where symptoms can fluctuate dramatically.
This can result in episodes of motor freezing and involuntary movements, which can severely impact quality of life.
2. Side Effects and Complications
Conventional medications for PD come with a range of potential side effects that can complicate treatment. For instance, dopamine agonists and other drugs may cause nausea, dizziness, hallucinations, and even impulse control disorders such as compulsive gambling or hypersexuality
Additionally, long-term use of levodopa is associated with serious complications like dyskinesias (uncontrolled movements) which we mentioned above. A more severe development in some patients is the surfacing of psychiatric symptoms like psychosis.
These side effects not only affect the patient’s physical health but also their mental well-being.
3. Limited Long-Term Efficacy
As Parkinson’s disease progresses, the effectiveness of conventional medications tends to decline. Most treatments provide good symptom management for only a few years before patients may notice reduced responsiveness to medications, necessitating increased dosages or additional medications to counter the dykinesias.
This diminishing efficacy can lead to a cycle of escalating treatment complexity and increased side effects without significantly improving patient outcomes.
In summary, while conventional pharmaceutical treatments can help manage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease initially, they are often accompanied by significant challenges related to motor complications, side effects, and reduced long-term effectiveness.
This is not to say that pharmaceutical medicines should not be used. Rather, it may be helpful to look at a range of treatment interventions, including acupuncture and even TCM Herbs for Parkinson’s Disease.
Final Thoughts on TCM Herbs for Parkinson’s
Chinese herbs and acupuncture has been used across centuries in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.
Ultimately, while TCM herbs for Parkinsons is a valuable complement, the process of managing a patient with Parkinson’s Disease involves both dedication and realistic expectations. It’s not about immediate results but about staying committed to long-term symptom management and improving overall quality of life.
At our clinic, we always ask patients first to come in for a session of acupuncture of Parkinson’s Disease. Only after some time do patients decide to consider herbal treatments.
Chinese Medicine for Parkinson’s in Singapore
Hi, I’m Dr Chan, and I’ve been practising Chinese Medicine for almost 2 decades already. I enjoy working with a range of conditions including digestive disorder, bloating and urinary conditions. All said, I have a particular interest in working with stroke and Parkinson’s disease patients.
These are the two neurodegenerative diseases that increasingly afflict more people in Singapore. These conditions are chronic and debilitate you gradually. I know how physically and emotionally exhausting these conditions are, and it brings me joy to be able to help using acupuncture and TCM herbs for Parkinson’s.
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FAQs
1. What other Chinese herbs are used for nerve regeneration?
2. What is a natural alternative to levodopa?
Mucuna pruriens is a legume found in Africa, contains 6-9% levodopa by weight however. One of its main medicinal uses is to counteract parkinsonian symptoms.
3. What is the best herbal tea for Parkinson’s?
Green Tea. Green tea contains theanine and polyphenols that have positive effects on PD. Theanine combats depression and calms the mind without causing drowsiness. A 2007 study cited by Biological Psychiatry showed that theanine protects dopamine-producing neurons from demise.
4. What herbs are high in L-DOPA?
- Mucuna pruriens
- Gingko biloba
- Vicia faba
- Vitex negundo
- Acantho panax senticosus
5. Who should not take Gou Teng?
Those with bleeding disorders, autoimmune disease, kidney disease, leukemia, blood pressure problems, or who are awaiting surgery should avoid Gou Teng (cat’s claw). It contains an alkaloid called rhynchophylline, which lowers blood pressure by widening the blood vessels. In large amounts that can tip you into hypotension, particularly if you already run low or are on blood pressure medication.
6. What medications should I avoid while taking Gou Teng?
Check with your doctor before combining Gou Teng with any of these:
- Antihypertensives — ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics
- Sedatives and tranquilizers — benzodiazepines such as diazepam and lorazepam
- Antidepressants — SSRIs, SNRIs
- Anti-epileptics — phenytoin, valproate, carbamazepine
- Blood thinners — warfarin, heparin, aspirin
- Immunosuppressants — corticosteroids and similar
7. How much Gou Teng should I take?
In studies, adults have most often taken 60–300mg daily by mouth for 8 to 24 weeks. It also comes as gels and sprays. The right form and dose depend on what you are treating, so ask a practitioner rather than picking a number off a label.
8. Can I take Gou Teng if I want to get pregnant?
You will read that Gou Teng has mild contraceptive properties. There is no clinical evidence that it causes infertility. Some herbs do have mild hormonal effects; Gou Teng is not one of them. If you are trying to conceive and want to take it, raise it with your doctor or herbalist first.
9. Does Gou Teng have antimicrobial effects?
Some. Research has looked at Gou Teng (cat’s claw) against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium behind Lyme disease, including its persistent forms, and separately at antiviral activity against the dengue virus. That is a side note rather than a reason to take it — for Parkinson’s the relevant compound is rhynchophylline.
10. What are the side effects of suan zao ren (Ziziphus)?
Drowsiness is the main one, which is unsurprising for a herb used to help people sleep. Taken alongside sedative medication it can make you too sleepy, and alongside surgical sedation it can prolong sedation.
In a trial of suan zao ren tang for sleep disturbance the reported effects were mild: diarrhea in two patients, sweating in two, dizziness in one, and morning sleepiness in one.
11. How much suan zao ren should I take per day?
There is no single number. Suan zao ren is high in saponins and flavonoids, and current research puts a safe daily saponin intake for most adults at around 200mg from a typical diet — but that varies with the source and with you. For a neuroprotective dose, ask a practitioner rather than guessing.
12. What is the hypnotic effect of Ziziphus spinosa semen?
The alkaloids in Semen Ziziphi Spinosae reduce spontaneous activity, shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, and lengthen sleep. The effect appears to work through GABA pathways — GABA being the main inhibitory neurotransmitter behind sleep and relaxation.
13. Is it safe to take crushed Ziziphus jujuba seeds?
Not established. In work led by Takami Tomiyama at Osaka Metropolitan University, ground seeds improved memory in mice beyond that of healthy mice, and appeared to slow aging in older mice. The researchers were careful to add that simple crushing is not the usual processing method, and that the safety of taking the powder long term still needs confirming.
14. Is Coptis (huang lian) used for Parkinson’s?
Not as a standard treatment, but it is being studied. Coptis chinensis is best known as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory herb, and its main alkaloid is berberine. In animal models of Parkinson’s, berberine reduced neurotoxicity and improved motor deficits.
That is animal work, not human trials. It is a reason to watch the research, not a reason to take huang lian for Parkinson’s on your own.
15. What does berberine do in the brain?
Berberine is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The neuroprotective effect being investigated comes from reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in brain tissue, which in principle protects neurons rather than merely masking symptoms — the loss of dopamine-producing neurons being what drives Parkinson’s in the first place.
