Sharadendu Bali¹* and Anuj Gautam²

¹Professor General Surgery, TMU, Moradabad, UP, India
²MBA (Hospital Administration), Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India

*Corresponding Author: Sharadendu Bali, Professor General Surgery, TMU, Moradabad, UP, India.

Received: November 06, 2023; Published: November 20, 2023

Abstract

Emerging evidence supports the potential role of Citrus limon (lemon), pomegranate (Punica granatum) and Piper betle (betel leaf), in enhancing cognitive functions and offering therapeutic benefits. On the other hand, distillation of natural medicinal substances extracts the essence of these substances, creating a low volume-high efficacy liquid. Distillates of herbs have been used in India for ages, especially in the Siddha and Unani medical systems, to provide the beneficial effects of the herbs in a few drops, circumventing the need to partake large volumes of decoctions. This review explores how the distillates of lemon, pomegranate and betel leaf, when combined, may bestow amplified neuroprotective and cognition-enhancing effects. Citrus limon is recognized for its rich phytochemical profile having potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that benefit cognitive health. Pomegranate, renowned for its health-promoting capabilities, has also shown promise in enhancing memory and cognitive functions, due to its content of myriad bioactive phytochemicals such as Ellagitannins and Punicalagin. Piper betle, an important herb in traditional Southeast Asian medicine, has been studied for its neuroprotective properties, and contains bioactive constituents like eugenol and chavibetol, which inhibit key enzymes associated with Alzheimer's disease. Both preclinical and human studies have reported encouraging outcomes from each of these botanical extracts, prompting interest in a combined distillate form.

 Keywords: Citrus limon (lemon); Pomegranate; Piper Betle (Betel Leaf); Neuroprotective Phytochemicals; Cognition-Enhancing; Distillates; Neuropharmacology

References

1. Basavegowda N and Baek KH. “Synergistic Antioxidant and Antibacterial Advantages of Essential Oils for Food Packaging Applications”. Biomolecules 9 (2021): 1267.
2. Tongnuanchan P and Benjakul S. “Essential Oils: Extraction, Bioactivities, and Their Uses for Food Preservation”. Journal of Food Science 79 (2014): R1231-R1249.
3. Azmir J., et al. “Techniques for extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials: A review”. Journal of Food Engineering 117 (2013): 426-436.
4. Taraj K., et al. “Water Distillation Extraction of Essential Oil from Sideritis Raeseri Herb”. Environmental Process 6 (2019): 1051-1058.
5. Séquin M. “Volatiles for the Perfume Industry”. Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences 2 (2016): 393-398.
6. Pontifex M G., et al. “Citrus Polyphenols in Brain Health and Disease: Current Perspectives”. Frontiers in Neuroscience 15 (2021).
7. Riaz A., et al. “Memory boosting effect of Citrus limon, Pomegranate and their combinations”. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 6 (2014): 1837-1840.
8. Falls N., et al. “Amelioration of neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment by Lemon oil in experimental model of Stressed mice”. Biomedicine and pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine and pharmacotherapie 106 (2018): 575-583.
9. Raza SS., et al. “Neuroprotective effect of naringenin is mediated through suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway in experimental stroke”. Neuroscience 230 (2013): 157-171.
10. Chitturi J., et al. “Beneficial effects of kaempferol after developmental traumatic brain injury is through protection of mitochondrial function, oxidative metabolism, and neural viability”. Journal of Neurotrauma 36 (2019): 1264-1278.
11. Nurk E., et al. “Cognitive performance among the elderly in relation to the intake of plant foods. The hordaland health study”. British Journal of Nutrition 104 (2010): 1190-1201.
12. Kean RJ., et al. “Chronic consumption of flavanone-rich orange juice is associated with cognitive benefits: an 8-wk, randomized, doubleblind, placebo- controlled trial in healthy older adults”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 101 (2015): 506-514.
13. Seki T., et al. “Nobiletin-rich Citrus reticulata peels, a kampo medicine for Alzheimer’s disease: A case series”. Geriatrics and Gerontology International 13 (2013): 236-238.
14. Nakajima A and Ohizumi Y. “Potential Benefits of Nobiletin, A Citrus Flavonoid, against Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease”. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20 (2019): 3380.
15. Bali S. “The Indian Delicacy Nimbu Achar: Your Lemony Pathway to Brain Health”. Current Research in Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7 (2023): 179.
16. Kawahata I., et al. “Potent activity of nobiletin-rich Citrus reticulata peel extract to facilitate cAMP/ PKA/ERK/CREB signaling associated with learning and memory in cultured hippocampal neurons: Identification of the substances responsible for the pharmacological action”. Journal of Neural Transmission 120 (2013): 13971409.
17. Wu S and Tian L. “Diverse Phytochemicals and Bioactivities in the Ancient Fruit and Modern Functional Food Pomegranate (Punica granatum)”. Molecules 22 (2017): 1606.
18. Chen P., et al. “Pomegranate polyphenol punicalagin improves learning memory deficits, redox homeostasis, and neuroinflammation in aging mice”. Phytotherapy Research : PTR (2023): 10.1002/ptr.7848.
19. Mansouri M T., et al. “Beneficial effects of ellagic acid against animal models of scopolamine- and diazepam-induced cognitive impairments”. Pharmaceutical Biology10 (2016): 1947-1953.
20. Hajipour S., et al. “Motor and cognitive deficits due to permanent cerebral hypoperfusion/ischemia improve by pomegranate seed extract in rats”. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences: PJBS8 (2014): 991-998.
21. Ridzwan N., et al. “Pomegranate-derived anthocyanin regulates MORs-cAMP/CREB-BDNF pathways in opioid-dependent models and improves cognitive impairments”. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine4 (2020): 478-488.
22. Sahebkar A., et al. “Effects of pomegranate juice on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials”. Pharmacological Research 95-96 (2015): 11-23.
23. Bookheimer S Y., et al. “Pomegranate juice augments memory and FMRI activity in middle-aged and older adults with mild memory complaints”. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: eCAM (2013): 946298.
24. Hosseini S M., et al. “The effects of pomegranate juice on memory and attention in the elderly”. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine 3 (2016): 309-313.
25. Asgary S., et al. “Clinical evaluation of blood pressure lowering, endothelial function improving, hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects of pomegranate juice in hypertensive subjects”. Phytotherapy Research2 (2014): 193-199.
26. Siddarth P., et al. “Randomized placebo-controlled study of the memory effects of pomegranate juice in middle-aged and older adults”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1 (2020): 170-177.
27. Prasanna S V., et al. “A comprehensive review on the therapeutic potential of Piper betel leaf for the treatment of neurological diseases”. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine1 (2019): 1-13.
28. Ferreres F., et al. “Piper betle leaves: profiling phenolic compounds by HPLC/DAD-ESI/MS (n) and anti-cholinesterase activity”. Phytochemical Analysis5 (2014): 453-460.
29. Kumar N., et al. “Piper betle Linn. A maligned pan-asiatic plant with an array of pharmacological activities and prospects for drug discovery”. Current Science 99 (2010): 922-932.
30. Upadhyaya S., et al. “Effect of Piper betel leaf extract on learning and memory in Aluminium chloride induced Alzheimer’s disease in Wistar rats”. Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal3 (2019): 1489-1495.
31. Dalai MK., et al. “Evaluation of anti-cholinesterase activity of the standardized extract of Piper betel L. leaf”. Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine 14 (2014): 31-35.
32. Jung MJ., et al. “Eugenol relieves the pathological manifestations of Alzheimer's disease in 5×FAD mice”. Phytomedicine 118 (2023): 154930.
33. Saka VP., et al. “Effect of aqueous piper betle leaf extract against scopolamine induced amnesia on albino rats”. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences 1 (2017): 116-120.
34. Yang J and Liu RH. “Synergistic effect of apple extracts and quercetin 3-beta-d-glucoside combination on antiproliferative activity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in vitro”. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 18 (2009): 8581-8586.
35. Aftab N and Vieira A. “Antioxidant activities of curcumin and combinations of this curcuminoid with other phytochemicals”. Phytotherapy Research4 (2010): 500-502.
36. Mao S., et al. “Antioxidant synergistic effects of Osmanthus fragrans flowers with green tea and their major contributed antioxidant compounds”. Scientific Reports 7 (2017): 46501.
37. Hu WH., et al. “Synergy of Ginkgetin and Resveratrol in Suppressing VEGF-Induced Angiogenesis: A Therapy in Treating Colorectal Cancer”. Cancers (Basel)12 (2019): 1828.
38. Joshi T., et al. “Effect of Different Proportions of Phenolics on Antioxidant Potential: Pointers for Bioactive Synergy/Antagonism in Foods and Nutraceuticals”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B 4 (2022): 939-946.
39. Yousefizade S., et al. “Synergistic Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Effects of the Thymoquinone and Eugenol Combination”. Journal of Human Environment and Health Promotion2 (2022): 110-117.
40. Zhao Y., et al. “Modulation of pro-inflammatory mediators by Eugenol in AlCl3 induced dementia in rats”. International Journal of Pharmacology 15 (2019): 457-464.
41. Rahman A., et al. “Gamma-tocotrienol and hydroxy-chavicol synergistically inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of human glioma cells”. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 14 (2014): 213.
42. Pandey A and Bani S. “Hydroxychavicol inhibits immune responses to mitigate cognitive dysfunction in rats”. Journal of Neuroimmunology1-2 (2012): 48-58.
43. Tan SW., et al. “Inhibitory effects of palm alpha-, gamma- and delta-tocotrienol on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in BV2 microglia”. Cell Immunology2 (2011): 205-209.
44. Rahman A., et al. “Inhibitory Mechanism of Combined Hydroxychavicol With Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Against Glioma Cancer Cell Lines: A Transcriptomic Analysis”. Frontiers in Pharmacology 13 (2022): 844199.
45. Asli Prachin Ravan Samhita, Hindi edition, Shivkant Jha. Rupesh Thakur Prasad Publication, Varanasi, (2012).

Citation

Citation: Sharadendu Bali and Anuj Gautam. “Memory in a Drop: Harnessing the Distillation Principle for Enhancing Cognition”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 7.12 (2023): 30-37.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Sharadendu Bali and Anuj Gautam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.