Background: Alzheimer's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder in elderly with progressive decline in cognitive functions. This study aimed to investigate the possible memory-improving effects of Olibanum on patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Research design and method: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was carried out on 72 participants aged 50-75 years. The intervention group (n = 36) received 1.6 g/day of olibanum chewing gum for 18 weeks. The placebo group (n = 36) received chewing gum without olibanum. Neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline, every 4 weeks, and after 18 weeks of the intervention.
Results: There was no significant difference between (MD: 0.84, 95%CI: -1.10 to 2.78, p = 0.392) at baseline. Both groups had linear improvements over time. There was no significant difference between two groups regarding the improvements after the intervention (F = 0.157, p = 0.693). There were no significant differences between the groups for MMSE score (Mini-Mental State Examination) after the intervention (F = 0.141, p = 0.708).
Conclusions: This study revealed that 18 weeks of gum chewing with Olibanum did not change the neuropsychological status. More clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Keywords: Olibanum; alzheimer's disease; gum chewing; memory loss; persian medicine.
© 2023 The Authors. Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.