Mulberry: New Herbal Help for Alzheimer’s
Though not yet very well known, the science behind this powerful berry is starting to pile up. And in that pile, there is suggestive evidence that mulberry might help Alzheimer’s/
There are three kinds of mulberry trees. Each is named for the colour of its fruit: white, red and black. Recently, the berries and leaves are accumulating scientific support for their medicinal use.
One study suggests that black mulberry might be better than estrogen therapy for menopause (Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2020 Feb;48(2):243-252). Research also suggests that both white mulberry (Nutr Metabol July 6,2020;17:51) and black mulberry (Complement Integr Med. 2021 May 5;19(3):763-769) benefit diabetes.
New research is discovering that mulberry may be a promising herb for cognition and even for Alzheimer’s disease.
The first hint that mulberry might help cognition came from a 2020 study of children that found that mulberry improved attention and working memory (Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020 Jun 27;2020:6123759). The promise expanded to adults the next year when a study of white mulberry found improved attention and memory (Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2021; 2021: 5520059).
Now, a just published study has importantly expanded the promise to Alzheimer’s disease. 20 people over 65 with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease were given 20g of black mulberry concentrate for 12 weeks while a 19 people in the control group received no intervention.
Cognitive scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination significantly worsened in the control group while remaining the same in the mulberry group. Scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale also significantly worsened in the control group while remaining unchanged in the mulberry group.
On the other hand, in the mulberry group, scores on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale, cognitive scores improved significantly while the control group did not improve.
This study shows that mulberry may prevent worsening of Alzheimer’s and depression while significantly improving cognition.
Geriatric Nursing. Jan-Feb 2023; 55:229-36.
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