← Back to Monographs
Huperzinea

Huperzinea

ingredients

Contents

  • Huperzine A is a chemical compound known as an alkaloid. It is derived from the club moss Huperzia serrata, which is a member of the Lycopodium genus. It was first isolated in the 1940s.
  • In China, huperzine A is popular for its role in maintaining and enhancing memory. In traditional health practices, it has been brewed into teas and used for the treatment of fevers, inflammation, swelling, and various mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.
  • Currently, huperzine A is available in China as a prescription drug for Alzheimer's disease. In the West, huperzine A has not been widely developed as a drug due to its declining natural sources and legal property protection by Chinese scientists. In the United States and Europe, huperzine A is marketed as a nonprescription diet supplement to aid memory.
  • Early research in humans has shown promising results for the use of huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease. In China, human research is currently being conducted in this area. Further research in humans is being funded by the National Institute of Health in the United States.
  • Limited research also suggests that huperzine A may play a role in protecting neurons against vascular injury and organophosphate nerve gas. However, further research is needed in these areas.
  1. Chow TW. Review: insufficient evidence on huperzine A for Alzheimer's. Evid Based Ment Health 2008;11(4):112. View Abstract
  2. Diamond B, Johnson S, Torsney K, et al. Complementary and alternative medicines in the treatment of dementia: an evidence-based review. Drugs Aging 2003;20(13):981-998. View Abstract
  3. Hao Z, Liu M, Liu Z, et al. Huperzine A for vascular dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009;(2):CD007365. View Abstract
  4. Lallement G, Baille V, Baubichon D, et al. Review of the value of huperzine as pretreatment of organophosphate poisoning. Neurotoxicology 2002;23(1):1-5. View Abstract
  5. Li J, Wu HM, Zhou RL, et al. Huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;(2):CD005592. View Abstract
  6. Little JT, Walsh S, Aisen PS. An update on huperzine A as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2008;17(2):209-215. View Abstract
  7. Sun QQ, Xu SS, Pan JL, et al. Huperzine-A capsules enhance memory and learning performance in 34 pairs of matched adolescent students. Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao 1999;20(7):601-603. View Abstract
  8. Wang G, Zhang SQ, Zhan H. [Effect of huperzine A on cerebral cholinesterase and acetylcholine in elderly patients during recovery from general anesthesia]. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao 2006;26(11):1660-1662. View Abstract
  9. Wang R, Tang XC. Neuroprotective effects of huperzine A. A natural cholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Neurosignals 2005;14(1-2):71-82. View Abstract
  10. Wang R, Yan H, Tang XC. Progress in studies of huperzine A, a natural cholinesterase inhibitor from Chinese herbal medicine. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2006;27(1):1-26. View Abstract
  11. Ye JW, Shang YZ, Wang ZM, et al. Huperzine A ameliorates the impaired memory of aged rat in the Morris water maze performance. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2000;21(1):65-69. View Abstract
  12. Zhang HY, Tang XC. Neuroprotective effects of huperzine A: new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disease. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2006;27(12):619-625. View Abstract
  13. Zhang HY, Yan H, Tang XC. Non-cholinergic effects of huperzine A: beyond inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2008;28(2):173-183. View Abstract
  14. Zhang ZJ, Tong Y, Wang XY, et al. Huperzine A as add-on therapy in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia: an open-labeled trial. Schizophr Res 2007;92(1-3):273-275. View Abstract
  15. Zhang Z, Wang X, Chen Q, et al. [Clinical efficacy and safety of huperzine alpha in treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial]. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2002;82(14):941-944. View Abstract