Indian physicians have long recognized that cognitive impairment is a potential illness of old age. As early as 800 B.C., Ayurvedic physicians described loss of memory in older persons and even developed treatments for it. However, given the limited descriptions of the conditions being treated, the specific diseases treated by these physicians remains conjectural. To clarify these issues, my colleagues and I currently are designing a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of these centuries-old medications in specific conditions.