THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF AYURVEDIC RASAYANA THERAPY IN MITIGATING AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE: AN INTEGRATIVE CLINICAL REVIEW

Dr. Syed Meer Faisal Ali, Dr Sandip Dilip Bansode, Dr Harun Babumiya Mujawar

Age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) present significant therapeutic challenges for global healthcare systems. Traditional pharmacological strategies focus largely on symptomatic control rather than modifying underlying disease trajectories. Ayurvedic Rasayana therapy- a specialized branch of classical Indian medicine dedicated to tissue revitalization, longevity, and metabolic optimization-offers a multi-target, systemic paradigm for neuroprotection. Medhya Rasayanas (nootropic rejuvenators), including Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi), Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Centella asiatica (Mandukaparni), and ‘Convolvulus pluricaulis’ (Shankhpushpi), contain bioactive secondary metabolites that modulate cholinergic pathways, attenuate neuroinflammation, reduce eta-amyloid cytotoxicity, and up regulate endogenous neurotrophic factors. This integrative clinical review synthesizes classical Ayurvedic concepts with modern neuropharmacological evidence, evaluating preclinical mechanisms, clinical efficacy, and systemic modes of action (‘Rasa’, ‘Agni’, and ‘Srotas’) to establish an evidence-informed model for healthy cognitive aging.