Behjat Javadi - Department of Traditional Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Milad Iranshahi - Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, which is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Epidemiological studiesemphasis on the crucial role of nutrition and diet in prevention and treatment of AD. In Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM), multiple dietary guidelines have been suggested to prevent and cure dementia. Therefore, we aim to survey TPM-recommended food-items for the treatment of dementia. In addition, epidemiological and pharmacological evidence supporting the effects of TPM-suggested foods in improving cognitive performance will be discussed. TPM anti-dementia food-items were retrieved from major TPM textbooks.Scientific databases such as Pubmed, Science direct, Google scholar and Scopus were searched using the TPM-reported foods to obtain pharmacological data supporting the anti-AD activities and relevant mechanisms of action. Pharmacological studies havebeen shown that most of the TPM-recommended dietary items can improve cognitive impairment and possess anti-amyloidogenic, etc. activities. Among them, Allium sativum, Crocus sativus, Melissa officinalis, raisin, Rosa damascna and Zingiber officinale havebeen found to possess stronger anti-AD activities. Phytochemicals including S-allyl-cysteine, diallyldisulfide, crocin, crocetin, rosmarinic acid, resveratrol, geraniol, 6‐gingerol, 6-shogaol and cuminaldehyde also possess potent anti-AD properties. The above food items and phytochemicals exhibited antioxidant and AChE inhibitory activities and were capable of decreasing lipid peroxidation. They also have antiamyloidogenic effects, reduced cerebral plaques and Aβ-species, suppressed cerebral inflammation and inhibited Aβ-induced apoptosis through various mechanisms. Conclusions: Considering TPM anti- AD dietary recommendations in future research can be beneficial for discovering and development of new medicines and nutraceuticals for the treatment of AD