If people know about vinpocetine, most are familiar with its use for getting rid of tinnitus, no matter how long it has existed. But a remarkable study found it to be beneficial for recovery after a stroke. And the reasons vinpocetine helps stroke recovery would make it beneficial for a number of other conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Vinpocetine has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, reduces microglial activation, lowers major inflammatory cytokines, enhances brain repair, inhibits seizures, and improves memory.

The secret of most plant extracts is time. Unlike most pharmaceuticals, plant extracts work best when taken for a long period of time — weeks or months. This is also true of vinpocetine.

Vinpocetine is also a vasodilator, which means that it widens blood vessels. And it is also one of the most powerful inhibitors of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha, which can stay elevated for decades after a stroke.

Drugs injected into the spinal fluid to block TNF-alpha can have dramatic benefits even decades after a stroke. The same may be true of vinpocetine. So with vinpocetine, you could see an improvement of brain blood flow and a reduction in inflammation at the same time.

Yet even that is not the primary benefit of this extract. It also partially blocks sodium channels in the brain, which are activated after a stroke. In addition, it significantly raises the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a vital substance for brain repair. BDNF, in turn, increases levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which plays a major role in brain function and repair.

And there is some evidence that vinpocetine helps prevent atherosclerosis, which is important for preventing stroke and heart attack.

Vinpocetine also protects the brain by inhibiting the activation of microglia after a stroke. Activated microglia play a major role in immunoexcitoxicity, the primary mechanism involved in brain injuries that causes release of a large concentration of free radicals, nitric oxide, inflammatory cytokines, and destructive glutamate.

Studies have shown vinpocetine to be very safe, even when used in large doses. The usual dose of 30 mg three times a day with meals is very safe. Taking vinpocetine with meals greatly increases its absorption.