VINPOCETINE: A SMART DRUG AND A SMART NUTRIENT: A REVIEW

Vinpocetine, a semisynthetic derivative alkaloid of Vincamine, an extract from the periwinkle (plant) Vinca minor is the first full-fledged nootropic (a supplement positively affecting the mind). Vinpocetine is safe and non-toxic with an amazing array of functional and structural benefits for improved health. Vinpocetine appears to improve a person’s ability to acquire new memories and to restore memories that have been lost. Vinpocetine  has several pharmacologic and biochemical actions, including stimulating cerebral vasodilation, increasing tolerance of cerebral tissue to hypoxic and ischemic insults, anticonvulsant activity, inhibitory effects on phosphodiesterase (PDE), improving hematologic flow properties, and inhibiting thrombocyte aggregation. It also appears to provide direct neuroprotective effects under in vitro and in vivo conditions. In a sense, Vinpocetine is Viagra^® for the brain. These effects appear to be related to the inhibition of voltage-dependent neuronal sodium channels, indirect inhibition of some molecular cascades initiated by the rise of intracellular calcium levels, and to a lesser extent, inhibition of adenosine reuptake. These neuroprotective effects might also be enhanced by vinpocetine’s selective inhibition of calcium calmodulin–dependent cGMP-PDE.This inhibition may enhance intracellular cGMP levels in vascular smooth muscle, leading to reduced cerebrovascular resistance and increased cerebral blood flow.