Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that impairs movement, many with this condition experience tremors, slowness of movement, rigidity or tightness in the limbs, and gait and balance problems. Parkinson’s disease itself is not life-threatening, but its complications can be serious. According to the CDC complications from Parkinson’s are rated as the 14th leading cause of death within the USA alone.
Chinese goldthread was examined for its neuroprotective effects in lab and animal models of Parkinson’s disease; cell models were pretreated with water extract of Chinese goldthread. Pretreatment resulted in significant increases in cell viability and intracellular ATP concentration, as well as attenuated programmed cell death.
Examination of the alkaloids revealed that berberine and coptisine to be the main active compounds responsible for the observed neuroprotective effect; the full extract was found to be more effective than single alkaloids which improved motor functions and increased tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. Based on their findings the researchers concluded the compound and its main alkaloids could be used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
The rhizome of Chinese goldthread is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine alone or in combination with other herbs to treat disease associated with oxidative stress including inflammatory disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease such as diabetes, diarrhea, ear infections, heart disease, high blood pressure, psoriasis, respiratory infections, and high cholesterol.
Chinese goldthread/Coptis chinensis has been found to show promise in treating certain health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. It is advised to consult your physician before trying Chinese goldthread/Coptis chinensis. Roots can be found in many natural food stores, and dietary supplements contain the compound can also be found.
Chinese goldthread was reported to be effective in preventing cardiovascular disease in a study published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition that found the herb may help prevent or manage heart disease by reducing cholesterol and blood sugar levels in animal studies.
The herb may be useful in the fight against cancer, a study published in the journal Carcinogenesis suggest that it may help to fight against breast cancer by inducing programmed cell death to stop the spread of cancer cells. The International Journal of Molecular Medicine published a study showing the pro-apoptotic effects may help to strengthen the body’s defenses against liver cancer.
Chinese goldthread may be useful in treatment and prevention of diabetes, as it was revealed to help improve insulin resistance which may help to protect against diabetes in a study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.
