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Smart Drugs & Nutrients:

How to Improve Your Memory and Increase Your Intelligence Using the Latest Discoveries In Neuroscience

VOLUME 1 in the Smart Drugs Series

by Ward Dean, M.D. & John Morgenthaler
$12.95 - 224 pages, softcover (Out of Stock)

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Sec 5: Other Cognitive Enhancers

Acetyl­L-Carnitine (ALC) | Caffeine | Centrophenoxine (Lucidril) | Choline & Lecithin | AL721 (Egg Lecithin) | DHEA | DMAE | Gerovital (GH­3) | Ginkgo Biloba: A Nootropic Herb? | Ginseng | Hydergine | Idebenone | Phenytoin (Dilantin) | Propranolol Hydrochloride (Inderal) | Thyroid Hormone | Vasopressin (Diapid) | Vincamine | Vitamins | Xanthinol Nicotinate

Vincamine

Vincamine is an extract of the periwinkle. It is a vasodilator and increases blood flow to the brain and improves the brain's use of oxygen.

Vincamine has been used to treat a remarkable variety of conditions related to insufficient blood flow to the brain, including vertigo and Meniere's syndrome, difficulty in sleeping, mood changes, depression, hearing problems, high blood pressure and lack of blood flow to the eyes. Vincamine has also been used for improving memory defects and inability to concentrate. Vincamine has extremely low toxicity and is very inexpensive.

Vincamine has shown some efficacy in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (Albert, 1983, Branconnier, 1983). Vincamine normalizes the brain-wave patterns of elderly people with bad memories and alcohol‑induced organic brain syndrome (Moglia, 1984, Saletu, 1985).

If you have a family member or friend who is suffering from some form of senility, talk to their physician about vinca­mine. Its low cost and low toxicity make vincamine a logical choice to be included in a combination drug therapy.

We have not found a great deal of research involving vincamine and cognitive enhancement in normal, healthy humans. We do know that people like vincamine. People report that the subjective effects are very pleasant, and that it seems to enhance memory and concentration.

In this study, inexpensive vincamine compares favorably with other cognition enhancers in protecting rats from scopol­amine‑induced memory impairment. (Redrawn from DeNoble, 1986.)

Precautions: Rarely causes gastrointestinal distress, which disappears when usage is stopped. Vincamine has not been proven to be safe for pregnant women or children.

Dosage: 30mg every 12 hours.

Sources: Vincamine can be purchased in Europe or by mail order from the sources listed in Appendix A (see page 165). Other names include: Aethroma, Anasclerol, Angiopac, Arteriovinca, Asnai, Cerebroxine, Cetal, Cetovinca, Cin­cuental, Devincan, Equipur, Esberidin, Novicet, Ocu‑Vinc, Oxicebral, Oxygeron, Perval, Pervincamin, Pervone, Sostenil, Tripervan, Venoxigen, Vinca, Vincabiomar, Vincabrain, Vincadar, Vincafarm, Vincafolina, Vincafor, Vincagil, Vincahexal, Vincalen, Vincamidol, Vincane, Vincapan, Vincapront, Vincasaunier, Vincavix, Vincimax, Vinodrel Retard, Vinodrel, and Vraap.

References:

Albert, M. "Treating Memory Disorders in the Elderly." Drug Therapy. October, 1983, pp. 257‑65.

Anderson, K., Anderson, L. Orphan Drugs. Los Angeles, CA: The Body Press, 1987.

Branconnier, R. "The Efficacy of the Cerebral Metabolic Enhancers in the Treatment of Senile Dementia." Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 1983, 19(2), pp. 212‑20.

Casale, R., Giorgi, I., Guarnaschelli, C. "Evaluation of the Effect of Vincamine Teprosilate on Behavioral Performances of Patients Affected with Chronic Cerebrovascular Disease." International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research. 1984, 4 (4) pp. 313‑9.

DeNoble, V.J., Repetti, S.J., Gelpke, L.W., Wood, L.M., Keim, K.L. "Vinpocetine: Nootropic Effects on Scopolamine‑In­duced and Hypoxia‑Induced Retrieval Deficits of a Step‑Through Passive Avoidance Re­sponse in Rats." Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior. 1986, Vol. 24, pp. 1123‑8.

Groo, D., Palosi, E., Szporny, L. "Comparison of the Effects of Vinpocetine, Vincamine, and Nicergoline on the Normal and Hypoxia Damaged Learning Process in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats." Drug Development Research. 1988, 15: pp. 75‑85.

Moglia, A., Alfonsi, E., Zandrini, C., Pistarini, C., Arrigo, A. "Acute I.V. Vincamine Teprosilate Administration: Quantified Investigation in Elderly Subjects. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research. 1984, 4 (4) pp. 303‑6.

Novis, S.P., Moretto, M., Fenelon, S.B., Barbosa, C.S., da Graca Torres, J. "Vincamine in Patients with Cerebral Vascular Insufficiency" Arquivos Neuropsiquiatria. 1975, 33 (1) pp. 25‑32.

Saletu, B., Grunberger, J. "Memory Dysfunction and Vigilance: Neurophysiological and Psychopharmacological Aspects." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1985, Vol. 444, pp. 406‑27.