Dementia is now a top killer disease in Australia
Maria Rosa, 70, a patient with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, and former business administrator, poses for a photograph inside the Alzheimer Foundation in Mexico city, April 19, 2012. Alzheimer's is a progressive, degenerative disease that robs people of memory, reasoning and the ability to communicate. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

A traditional Chinese herbal remedy that has already shown promise in treating one form of dementia in its native country is set to enter one of the largest clinical trials in Australia.

Sydney-based National Institute of Complementary Medicine is recruiting a number of Australians living with vascular dementia to test the effectiveness of a Chinese herbal medicine called Sailuotong.

Sailuotong, also known as SLT, is a complex mixture of three herbs of medicinal value – gingko, saffron and ginseng. SBS reports that the Sydney-based institute has signed a deal with one of China's largest drug manufacturers, Shineway Pharmaceutical Group, to conduct the clinical trial.

SLT was developed and tested by Xiyuan Hospital, the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing and the NICM at Western Sydney University, reports Starts at Sixty. Preliminary study conducted overseas has confirmed that SLT helps improve cognitive impairment and memory-related problems associated with vascular dementia.

“Over the past ten years, it's been developed with a whole lot of pre-clinical and clinical studies largely in China, but we've also been collaborating with our partners in China and now they've just finished a 15-hospital clinical trial in China with 340 patients.Over a six-month and 12 month period, there's been a clear improvement in cognitive function," said Professor Alan Bensoussan of the National Institute, reports SBS.

The Phase III clinical trial is set to begin in January 2016. It will involve more than 200 patients with vascular dementia and mixed dementia (Alzheimer's and vascular dementia) across five hospitals in New South Wales. The study will be funded by the Shineway Pharmaceutical Group.

The study participants will be given a capsule twice a day for 52 weeks. However, it is not confirmed whether they will receive a placebo or SLT.

Vascular dementia affects more than 340,000 Australians. In this condition, blood supply to the brain is reduced. As a result, proper functioning of the brain is impaired, including those associated with memory and cognition. In addition, vascular dementia is associated with diabetes, hypertension and mini strokes.

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