The plant called Chinese club moss, which is already sold in health food stores in the U.S. as a nutritional supplement, is the focus of a University of North Carolina clinical trial. In China, the plant is used to treat cognitive disorders.
The study, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, is federally funded and is part of a wider program of research into natural and alternative medicine.
According to health experts, funding for alternative medicine is limited, and few doctors are kept abreast of findings.
"That kind of data is completely missing today from most nutraceuticals," said Dr. Daniel Kaufer, a neurologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Patients participating in the trial are given a placebo or a dose of Huperzine A, an alkaloid derived from the plant. The dosage is much higher than that provided by supplements in health food stores.
The clinical investigators test the cognitive responses of the patients.
Final results from the investigation have yet to be announced.
