Botanical name: Vinca minor
Common name: Lesser periwinkle
The flower and leaf of lesser periwinkle are used medicinally
Uses
There are two classes of active compounds in lesser periwinkle—alkaloids and tannins. The major alkaloid is known as vincamine. A closely related semisynthetic derivative of vincamine most widely used as medicine is known as ethyl-apovincaminate or vinpocetine. It has vasodilating, blood thinning, and memory-enhancing actions. It has been shown in double-blind studies to help alleviate a type of dementia known as vascular dementia, in which the arteries supplying blood to the brain develop atherosclerotic plaques. A double-blind study found that vincamine can help people with Alzheimer’s disease, while one open study did not. Vinpocetine has also been found to prevent the decline in short-term memory induced by the anti-anxiety benzodiazepine drug flunitrazepam in one preliminary study. Further study is needed to determine whether vinpocetine would be a helpful adjunct to use of benzodiazepines.
Crude periwinkle also contains tannins. These make it a mild astringent. It may relieve pain from canker sores or sore throats.