Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of Melissa officinalis extract using a fixed dose (60 drops/day) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Design: A four month, parallel group, placebo controlled trial undertaken in three centres in Tehran, Iran. Methods: Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease aged between 65 and 80 years (n = 42; 18 women, 24 men) with a score of > 12 on the cognitive subscale of Alzheimer's disease assessment scale (ADAS-cog) and < 2 on the clinical dementia rating (CDR) were randomised to placebo or fixed dose of Melissa officinalis extract. The main efficacy measures were the change in the ADAS-cog and CDR-SB scores compared with baseline. Side effects were systematically recorded. Results: At four months, Melissa officinalis extract produced a significantly better outcome on cognitive function than placebo (ADAS-cog: df = 1, F = 6.93, p = 0.01; CDR: df = 1, F = 16.87, p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of observed side effects except agitation, which was more common in the placebo group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Melissa officinalis extract is of value in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and has a positive effect on agitation in such patients.

Summary Background:  Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a slow, progressive decline in cognitive function and behaviour. Acetylcholine esterase inhibitors are the only agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. All other agents prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are used on an off‐label basis. Current research into new drugs is focused on agents that will prevent, slow down and/or halt the progress of the disease process. Savia officinalis has been used in herbal medicine for many centuries. It has been suggested, on the basis of traditional medicine, its in vitro cholinergic binding properties and modulation of mood and cognitive performance in humans, that Salvia officinalis might potentially provide a novel natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of Salvia officinalis extract using a fixed dose (60 drops/day), in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, over a 4‐month period. Methods:  This was a 4‐month, parallel group, placebo‐controlled trial undertaken in three centres in Tehran, Iran. Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease aged between 65 and 80 years (n = 42, 18 women) with a score of ≥12 on the cognitive subscale of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS‐cog) and ≤2 on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) were randomized to placebo or fixed dose of S. officinalis extract. Over the 16 weeks, the main efficacy measures were the change in the ADAS‐cog and CDR‐Sum of Boxes scores compared with baseline. In addition, side‐effects were systematically recorded throughout the study using a checklist. Results:  At 4 months, S. officinalis extract produced a significant better outcome on cognitive functions than placebo (ADAS‐cog: F = 4·77, d.f. = 1, P = 0·03) (CDR‐SB: F = 10·84, d.f. = 1, P < 0·003). There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of observed side‐effects except agitation that appears to be more frequent in the placebo group (P = 0·09). Conclusions:  The results of this study indicate the efficacy of S. officinalis extract in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, S. officinalis may well reduce agitation of patients but this needs to be confirmed.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder of childhood that affects 3-6% of school children. Conventional stimulant medications are recognized as useful symptomatic treatments by both specialists and parents. Nevertheless, approximately 30% of ADHD children treated with them do not respond adequately or cannot tolerate the associated adverse effects. Such difficulties highlight the need for alternative, safe and effective medications in the treatment of this disorder. Theophylline is a psychomotor stimulant most widely used as a broncodilator. Purinergic modulation may be therapeutically beneficial in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. We hypothesized that theophylline would be beneficial for the treatment of ADHD and report results of a trial of theophylline compared with methylphenidate for the treatment of ADHD. A total of 32 children with ADHD as defined by DSM IV were randomized to theophylline and methylphenidate dosed on an age and weight-adjusted basis at 4 mg/kg/day (under 12 years) and 3 mg/kg/day theophylline (over 12 years) (group 1) and 1 mg/kg/day methylphenidate (group 2) for a 6-week double-blind and randomized clinical trial. The principal measure of the outcome was the Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale. Patients were assessed by a child psychiatrist, at baseline and at 14, 28 and 42 days after start of the medication. No significant differences were observed between theophylline and methylphenidate on the Parent and Teacher Rating Scale scores over the trial (t = 0.49, d.f. = 24 P = 0.62 and t = 0.19, d.f. = 24 P = 0.54 respectively). Although the number of dropouts in the methylphenidate group was higher than the theophylline group, there was no significant difference between the two protocols in terms of the dropouts. In addition, headaches were observed more often in the methylphenidate group. The results suggest that theophylline may be a useful for the treatment of ADHD. In addition, a tolerable side-effect profile is one of the advantages of theophylline in the treatment of ADHD. Nevertheless, our study is small and our results would need to be confirmed in a larger study.

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