Selective enhancement of focused attention by <em>Alpinia galanga</em> in subjects with moderate caffeine consumption

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of the secondary analysis of the data from the clinical trial "A Study to Evaluate Efficacy of IP on Alertness and Mental Fatigue" (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02816827) was to investigate the effect of the Alpinia galanga proprietary extract E-AG-01 (EnXtra) on focused attention, in comparison with caffeine and placebo in moderate caffeine habitués. Participants and methods: A total of 59 caffeine-habituated healthy young adults (aged 18-40 years) with body-mass index of 18.5-25.0 kg/m 2 were crossed over in four interventional groups: placebo, E-AG-01, caffeine, and a combination of caffeine and E-AG-01. All participants completed the attention-network test, which measures the accuracy and speed factors of the alerting, orienting, and executive-control networks. Results: The results of accuracy parameters in terms of percentage-error rate showed a remarkable difference between E-AG-01 and the other treatment groups, wherein the error rate dropped by 1.63% (1 hour), 1.32% (3 hours), and 0.78% (5 hours) from baseline. The caffeine group demonstrated a decrease of 0.37% (1 hour) and 0.44% (3 hours), followed by an increase of 0.2% (5 hours), whereas the error rate of subjects in the caffeine + E-AG-01 group decreased by 0.24% (1 hour) and 0.26% (3 hours), followed by an increase of 0.2% at 5 hours. The placebo group exhibited an increase of 0.14% (3 hours) and 0.77% (5 hours). Conclusion: These results show that E-AG-01 exhibited selectively enhanced focused attention to a higher extent in comparison with caffeine and placebo.

Alpinia galanga Extract IncreasesA lertness, Focus, and Energy While Lowering Fatigue and Daytime Sleepiness with Four Weeks Supplementation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Study in Human Subjects

“…Previous studies conducted in human subjects demonstrated that AGE promotes alertness after oral consumption starting from 30 minutes lasting up to 5 hours, unlike caffeine, which rapidly promotes mental alertness within the first hour followed by a steep decline thereafter [15]. We further validated the same-day nootropic benefits of AGE using a larger subject population and demonstrated that AGE supplementation significantly improved mental energy, including mental alertness, attention, reaction time, correct responses, and reduction in errors, as early as 30 minutes and sustained until five hours post-dose.…”

“…Further, A. galanga extract (AGE) was found to be more effective than other plant extracts such as Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemongrass) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), with a significant and stable increase in alertness scores from baseline until 5 hours in healthy subjects [11]. Additionally, AGE by itself or in combination with 200 mg caffeine was able to improve mental alertness with sustained attention at 3 hours post dose [11][12][13][14][15][16]. A molecular docking study indicated that the neurocognitiveenhancing property of AGE is likely mediated by the interaction of bioactive components of the extract with various targets involved in dopamine and acetylcholinesterase pathways [12].…”

Stability Study of Alpinia galanga Constituents and Investigation of Their Membrane Permeability by ChemGPS-NP and the Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay

“…The ethanol extract of A. galanga also reduced the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease through several other pharmacological targets [12,13]. In addition, studies on the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the rhizome indicated significant central nervous system stimulant activity in mice and in human trials as well [14,15].…”