Emerging Promise of Phytochemicals in Ameliorating Neurological Disorders

Abstract

Background: The field of medicine and synthetic drug development have advanced rapidly over the past few decades. However, research on alternative medicine, such as phytochemicals cannot be ignored. The main reason for prominent curiosity about phytochemicals stems from the belief that the usage of natural compounds are safer and have lesser detrimental side effects.

Objective: The aim of the present review was to discuss in detail several phytochemicals that have been studied or are being studied in the context of various neurological disorders, including depression, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and even neuroinflammatory disorders, such as encephalitis.

Methods: The potential roles of phytochemicals in treating or managing symptoms associated with neurological disorders have been included in this article. All data included in this paper have been pooled from various databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, and Wiley Online Library.

Results: Phytochemicals have been widely studied for their therapeutic properties associated with neurological disorders. Using various experimental techniques for both in vivo and in vitro experiments, studies have shown that phytochemicals do have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, which play major roles in the treatment of neurological diseases.

Conclusion: Even though there has been compelling evidence of the therapeutic role of phytochemicals, further research is still required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these medicines. Using previously published papers as the foundation for additional research, such as preclinical studies and clinical trials, phytochemicals can become a safer alternative to synthetic drugs for treating a spectrum of neurological diseases.

Keywords: Phytochemicals; alternative medicine; cancer.; medicinal plants; neuro-inflammatory disorders; neuro-psychiatric; neurological.