A Chinese herbal medicine could be effective in treating Parkinson's disease and the side effects of Western treatments used in fighting it, a university study has found.
The condition of patients treated with the herb gou teng - the stem and thorns of the gambir vine - by researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University showed significant improvements in their communication skills and moderation of symptoms such as depression and sleeping difficulty.
'The results are pleasing,' said Dr Li Min , associate professor of the university's School of Medicine who led the research team. 'Parkinson's disease is incurable with Chinese or Western medicine.'
She expects gambir vine stem could be widely used to treat the disease after the second phase of their study is completed in 2013.
The herb can be bought freely but she advised patients not to use it without a pratitioner's advice.
Parkinson's patients are usually treated with drugs such as levodopa to relieve symptoms such as stiffness and poor muscle control, but the drugs cause nausea and hallucinations.