In the US 6.5 million people have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In 2023, Alzheimer's and other dementias cost the US $345 billion. The lifetime cost for a person living with dementia is ~$392,000. The human cost is incalculable.

Signs of AD develop in the brain when people are in their 40’s and 50’s. Large pharmaceutical companies have pursued trials of anti-AD antibodies, but AD commonly develops out of inflammatory processes, and antibodies worsen this. The trials obtained only fair results and sometimes caused fatal hemorrhaging in the brain. Thus, this approach appears problematic.

In 2023, South Korean scientists published a paper that claimed that acidic cannabinoids rescue memory deficits. These compounds also reduced amyloid-beta and tau pathology in an Alzheimer’s Disease-like Mouse Model. Further research turned up papers that showed various herbal agents effectively oppose AD. All of these papers came from countries other than the US: China, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Portugal, & Spain. The studies show that Alzheimer's processes represent a spiral of inflammatory effects, and various anti-inflammatory compounds act to suppress these AD processes. However, herbal remedies cannot be readily patented or monopolized. Thus, despite billions of dollars in US research on AD, almost none of it goes toward herbal compounds.

Starting in 2019, Leafyceuticals began producing products based on anti-inflammatory compounds. Leafyceuticals developed a cream using PEA (palmitoyl ethanolamide), caryophyllene, along with aloe vera. Literature searches of PEA and caryophyllene (BCP) also turned up promising AD research. PEA is an endocannabinoid that activates nuclear PPAR-gamma receptors.

Caryophyllene activates the 2nd endocannabinoid receptor (CB2R). Both PEA and BCP moderate the immune response and reduce inflammatory cytokines. Clinical studies of PEA report that it enhances joint movement and inhibits mast cell degranulation (cytokine release).

Leafyceuticals has formulated recipes for capsules with components that inhibit AD processes with no adverse health effects. In general, polyphenols, AKA flavonols, come from various fruits and vegetables. All that have been tested yield promising results in AD animal models. Components unrelated to flavonols include gingerol from ginger root, taurine, spermidine, fucoidan, sulforaphane, and extracts from the fungi Poria cocos and Lion’s Mane.

Flavonols selected for Leafyceuticals “Alz-Halt” capsules include berberine, naringenin, cyanidin, rutin, and quercetin. As flavonols have limited bioavailability, the FDA usually classifies them as GRAS – Generally Recognized As Safe. Piperine from black pepper increases the bioavailability of flavonols.

The compounds found to be effective against AD often have different and multiple mechanisms and are likely to act synergistically. Some promote the growth of nerve cell processes. Most have potent antioxidant properties and promote health and longevity. Lions’ Mane increases nerve growth factor and is recognized as a nootropic.

Leafyceuticals seeks to reduce the burden AD imposes on society by supplementing the diets of susceptible people. Social and legal conditions currently allow this approach. The research into herbal solutions for disease states remains problematic in the US, but opportunities to address other major maladies provide significant moral incentives.