In order to investigate the efficacies for cognitive function of edible plants, we measured the inhibitory effects of acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity, radical scavenging activities, and the contents of GABA and glutamate in the plant extracts. Among the plant extracts, Schizandra chinensis contained the highest GABA 14.8 mg/g and the extracts of Cnidium officinale and Polygonum multiflorum also had a relatively high GABA. On the other hand, plant extracts except, Acorus gramineus, showed similar glutamate contents. S. chinensis, Hovenia dulcis, Thuja orientalis, and Eleutherococcus senticosus exhibited high inhibition against AChE activities at about 18-33% at 1 mg/mL. In addition, strong radical scavenging activities were also detected in those extracts which showed high AChE inhibition. Taken together, H. dulcis, T. orientalis, E. senticosus, and S. chinensis could be effective resources for enhancing cognitive function. Further, it was suggested that the AChE inhibitory activities of plant extracts might be related to antioxidative activity.
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