ABSTRACT
This chapter inspects evidence of plant-derived natural products and their components that have been demonstrated to reduce or reverse the underlying neuronal degeneration seen in Parkinson’s disease (PD), with an emphasis on dopaminergic (DA) neurotransmission levels and motor function regulation. Several research papers investigating the anti-PD therapeutic potential of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and parasitic plants, and fungi have been published in the recent decade. Phytochemicals may have a role in the prevention and moderation of some of the symptoms of PD. The ability of these natural products to modulate dopamine production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial function, excitotoxicity, cellular signaling pathways, and metal homeostasis which are all disturbed in the PD brain, is thought to be responsible for their anti-PD effects. However, the specific neuroprotective mechanism of action of natural compounds in the treatment of PD is unknown.
