A pilot study on Sailuotong, a Chinese herbal medicine formula, for cognition and brain activity

Background: Sailuotong (SLT) is a standardised Chinese herbal medicine consisting of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, and Crocus sativus. Preclinical work has shown that SLT has neuroprotective, antioxidant, and antihypoxic properties. A recent human trial demonstrated that SLT significantly improved Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale scores and increased cerebral blood flow (cf. placebo) in participants with probable or possible vascular dementia. Though the effects were small, SLT enhanced visuospatial short-term memory and working memory. Electrophysiological findings indicate that treatment with SLT resulted in more efficient attentional processing of auditory information, and increased activation of working memory processes. Findings are consistent with preclinical and recent clinical work, and suggest that SLT could potentially improve memory function in healthy volunteers, however, a larger sample size is needed to demonstrate this.