11/17/2018
Sage Advice
Most of us connect the sweet, woody aroma of sage with Thanksgiving meals and the warm glow of feasts shared with family and friends, but this traditionally American herb's use should go beyond that of an annual seasoning in our holiday turkey. It has been widely used for centuries as a culinary herb and is used in herbal medicine to ease the symptoms digestive disorders and neurological problems, in particularly Alzheimer's disease and depression. The International Herb Association awarded sage the title of "Herb of the Year" in 2001! You may want to add it to your year-round nutritional regimen! Need convincing? Memory and Cognition. A study that was published in "Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior," consisted of healthy young subjects who consumed sage extract or a placebo. Study participants were given memory tests before and after. Participants who were given sage demonstrated a marked improvement after taking the sage extract, while the performance of those who took the placebo was unchanged. In another study, published in "Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics," patients with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease consumed sage extract for four months demonstrated improved mental function. Researchers are excited about these results and are planning more extensive testing. Diabetes. Sage may also protect against diabetes. Research of lab animals indicates that sage extract may lower blood glucose by blocking release of stored glucose from the liver, possibly making it valuable against Type 2 diabetes. Again, more studies are needed. Sage's place in alternative medicine goes even further:- Recent studies support the claim that sage increases circulation and relieves headache. It also improves circulation to the heart.
- Sage is a powerful antioxidant against harmful free-radical compounds.
- It is an anti-inflammatory that helps shrink and soothe inflamed tissue.
