AMBER Elixir of Immortality: Health compounds with pharmacological action. Baltic amber, Succinite- scientific research on dementia and Alzheimer's disease Kindle Edition

Succinite comes from tree resins from trees that grew all over the area from what is now Finland, Sweden to Siberian and the Black Sea regions. Amber-bearing forests grew around 40-45 million years ago in the Eocene, although this type of data is approximate. It is assumed that their formation in this part of Europe lasted from 22 million years to even 50 million years.Amber extracts which contain chemicals obtained from amber can stimulate the functioning of neurons damaged in a number of dementia-related diseases. Chemically, amber is a mixture of organic (terpenes and their derivatives, resin acids) and inorganic compounds.Geological changes caused that there are also constituents of mixed nature (esters of organic acids with terpene alcohols), formate, acetate, bornyl and dibornyl succinate, fenchyl and difenchyl succinate, and bornyl and phenchyl succinate. Succinic acid is a widely used metabolite in the pharmaceutical (production of vitamins, amino acids, anti-cancer drugs) and food industry. It is one of the main compounds involved in the Krebs cycle. Succinic acid supports mental and physical activity; restores vitality, increases the body’s protection. That compound is often used during alcohol poisoning and reduces the craving for alcohol.In the case of impaired cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in the brain ventricles, amber enhances the directed flow of the cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles of the brain. The problem of dementia is increasing with the aging of the population, and in 2025 the number of people aged 80-90 may double. Already today in Europe there are about 7-8 million people with this disorder, and in the USA about 4-5 million chronically suffer from it. The elements of the human nervous system are also mitochondria – components of nerve cells. There is a concept that mitochondria descended from a common ancestor – an α-proteobacteria, which arose about 2 billion years ago, as a result of which the anaerobic cell symbiotically absorbed the proteobacteria that required oxygen. Thanks to this, cells together could produce more energy in the human body. The role of succinate in blood pressure regulation is known and has been documented in vitro and in vivo. It has been suggested that succinates are compounds that inform the body about cellular stress. Succinate has a positive effect on the work of neurons and astrocytes (they are a component of the nervous tissue), and accelerates their regeneration. The brain has self-repair capacity.The administration of p-cymene caused a significant (more than 50%) decrease in the lipid content in the mouse brain. There was also a decrease in the content of nitrites. Remember that the oxidative stress of nerve cells contributes to the deposition of lipids (tau protein), which is one of the causes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, atherosclerosis, and diabetic complications. One of the plants that contain large amounts of borneol is lemon balm. It is used in Alzheimer’s disease, understood as a defect of neurotransmitters. The deficit resulting from the poor functioning of neurotransmitters was found to be the cause of short-term memory loss in patients. Folk medicine, especially Chinese, widely uses borneol to relieve anxiety and symptoms of nervous disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, fatigue. It is also used as a food additive. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, borneol is present in 63 plant products.They restored the functions of mitochondria in states of cerebral ischemia. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the components in the brain’s ischemic cascade. Succinates can support damaged mitochondria. . It is believed that amber has an immunostimulative activity.