Notoginsenoside Fa, a protopanaxadiol (ppd)-type saponin isolated from P. notoginseng, could possibly activate and recover the function of degenerated brain[1][2].
[1]. Z.M. Qian, et al. Simultaneous determination of nucleobases, nucleosides and saponins in Panax notoginseng using multiple columns high performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 48 (2008) 1361-1367. [2]. Tohda C, et al. Abeta(25-35)-induced memory impairment, axonal atrophy, and synaptic loss are ameliorated by M1, A metabolite of protopanaxadiol-type saponins. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004 May;29(5):860-8.