Since aging-related diseases, including dementia, represent major public health threats to our society, physician-scientists must develop innovative, interdisciplinary strategies to open new avenues for development of alternative therapies. One such novel approach may lie in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Gastrodia elata Blume ( G. elata, tianma) is a TCM frequently used for treatment of cerebrocardiovascular diseases (CCVDs). Recent studies of G. elata-based treatment modalities, which have investigated its pharmacologically relevant activity, potential efficacy, and safety, have employed G. elata in well-characterized, aging-related disease models, with a focus on models of aging-related dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, I examine results from previous studies of G. elata, as well as related herbal preparations and pure natural products, as prophylaxis and remedies for aging-related CCVDs and dementia. Concluding, data suggest that tianma treatment may be used as a promising complementary therapy for AD.