European Sage
Salvia officinalis and Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage)
This medicinal plant is the reason why the Dilston Physic Garden began and is one of our research focus plants. As a traditional European tonic, viewed as a ‘cure-all’, it is an essential ‘food is medicine’ plant. Sage grows well here in the UK and we should use it often to maintain health. European Sage boosts your mind, and your body.
Sage Evidence
MEMORY
Use sage regularly to maintain memory, attention and focus – healthy adults who had taken sage oil capsules performed significantly better in memory tests. When taken at a medicinal level sage is confirmed, in gold standard clinical trials, to improve memory in the young, the old and those with Alzheimer’s, where it also lowers agitation.
MOOD
Controlled clinical studies also confirm that sage improves mood & contentedness, and aids premenstrual and menopausal symptoms – it has natural oestrogenic action. Oestrogenic agents may also help support memory – epidemiology (the study of trends) shows us that those taking HRT have a lesser incidence of Alzheimer’s.
BRAIN HEALTH
Sage clinically lowers oxidation, blood glucose and lipids/ cholesterol and it is anti-inflammatory. All these actions help us maintain good cognitive function, and have been shown to support brain cell health. These actions are key to bodily health too.
ANTIBIOTIC
Sage is a strong antimicrobial. It is shown in controlled trials to aid sort throat, mouth discomfort and associated pain – make a leaf tea with honey (thyme and bay) for added antimicrobial action. Sage acts against a range of the bacterial, viral & fungal infections we encounter – and we now know there’s a link between microbes and ‘brain fog’.
HOW IT WORKS IN THE BRAIN
As well as lowering oxidation and inflammation, sage increases our brain’s memory and awareness neurotransmitter – acetylcholine, and it boosts BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) – a key molecule involved in learning and memory. Sage also acts on two different parts of the brain’s calming GABA signal.
A rich source of polyphenol compounds like rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acids, prevalent in flavonoids like luteolin, apigenin and quercetin, sage is also rich in a stimulating essential oil, with an array of terpenoids including thujone, camphor, 1,8-cineole, humulene and β-caryophyllene. Antioxidant diterpenes and triterpenes like carnosic acid and carnosol add to sage’s bioactive range.
CARE: Do not take in epilepsy or at a medicinal level in hypertension or with a history of oestrogen-related disorder/cancer. Caution with diabetes.
Harvest
Best in May, but leaves are delicious in wintertime when they are less bitter.
When harvested in May, one of its active ingredients 1,8-cineole is at its highest. An Old English proverb is testimony to our ancestor’s astute knowledge of sage’s efficacy – ‘He that would live for aye, Must eat sage in May’.
The compound 1,8-cineole reaches the brain to boost the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, our brain’s main signal for attention, memory and awareness. Following inhalation of sage oil, the level of 1,8-cineole measured in the blood was linked to the improvements in memory performance.
Dry it for winter use – 2 weeks hanging in an aerated place out of sunlight, once ‘crisp dry’ store air-tight in the dark.
Use Regularly
Regularly drink sage leaf tea and use it often in a range of culinary dishes:
Sage is delicious, adding rich aromatic flavour to almost any dish – add it roughly chopped as a base to anything oven-baked or roasted (including chips), to soups & stews and to dressings & sauces. Try it with garlic under the cheese on toast and use it in many pasta sauces – just ‘sage, onion & butter’ pasta is quick and easy.
To reach a medicinal level* make into a ‘tincture’ with your favourite alcohol or use bought tincture, capsules & tablets from creditable outlets.
Active aromatic compounds like 1,8-cineole are present in the essential oil – use in diffusers and add to body oils, lotions & conditioner – maximum concentration of essential 2% (2ml / 100ml carrier).
Sage Tea & Dose
Tea from the fresh leaf (10-15g) or dried leaf (4-6g) per 240ml water is particularly good with honey – you can enjoy this chilled too. Take this 3x daily for a medicinal memory-boosting dose*.
Sage leaf makes an especially good antimicrobial tea for colds – sage is antimicrobial and shown to lower pain in sore throats (add thyme, bay, ginger, turmeric and clove for additional benefit).
The Physic Shop
Items from The Physic Shop that contain sage are Memory Tea, Memory Tincture, Respiratory Tea, Protect Atomiser and Alert Pulse-Point.
Read more on sage, and other science-backed plants to improve the mind, in ‘Botanical Brain Balms‘.
Learn how to grow and use medicinal plants for your own use in our Grow Your Own Physic Garden book or by attending a workshop or course at the physic garden
Important
*Before taking any plant at a medicinal level, always consult a NIMH (National Institute of Medical Herbalists) medical herbalist and inform your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, have any medical condition, allergy or are taking any medication.
Always be sure of the identity of your plant, and grow, harvest, prepare and store your plant material following the correct guidelines – this ensures that the bioactive phytochemicals are present and stable.
Source plant medicine products from an established reputable source. Read any caution and do not exceed the recommended dose & duration – but note that there is an effective dose & duration.
Effective plant medicine is about individual prescription to your whole condition in order to get to the root of the problem, and it can take time to treat long-term conditions. When using plant medicine for the first time we recommend consulting a medical herbalist from the NIMH to find out what benefits you most.
Scientific Research
Gold standard trials (which are placebo controlled and double-blind) are the best evidence to verify the traditional use of a plant medicine, and laboratory studies confirm the different ways the plant works to produce its effect.
Lopresti AL. Salvia (Sage): A Review of its Potential Cognitive-Enhancing and Protective Effects. Drugs R D. 2017 Mar;17(1):53-64. doi: 10.1007/s40268-016-0157-5. PMID: 27888449; PMCID: PMC5318325. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27888449/
Wightman EL, Jackson PA, Spittlehouse B, Heffernan T, Guillemet D, Kennedy DO. The Acute and Chronic Cognitive Effects of a Sage Extract: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Study in Healthy Humans. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 14;13(1):218. doi: 10.3390/nu13010218. PMID: 33466627; PMCID: PMC7828691. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33466627/
Tildesley NT, Kennedy DO, Perry EK, Ballard CG, Savelev S, Wesnes KA, Scholey AB. Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage) enhances memory in healthy young volunteers. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003 Jun;75(3):669-74. doi: 10.1016/s0091-3057(03)00122-9. PMID: 12895685. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12895685/
Perry NSL, Menzies R, Hodgson F, Wedgewood P, Howes MR, Brooker HJ, Wesnes KA, Perry EK. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial of a combined extract of sage, rosemary and melissa, traditional herbal medicines, on the enhancement of memory in normal healthy subjects, including influence of age. Phytomedicine. 2018 Jan 15;39:42-48. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.08.015. Epub 2017 Aug 18. PMID: 29433682. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29433682/
Tildesley NT, Kennedy DO, Perry EK, Ballard CG, Wesnes KA, Scholey AB. Positive modulation of mood and cognitive performance following administration of acute doses of Salvia lavandulaefolia essential oil to healthy young volunteers. Physiol Behav. 2005 Jan 17;83(5):699-709. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.09.010. PMID: 15639154. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15639154/
Perry NS, Houghton PJ, Sampson J, Theobald AE, Hart S, Lis-Balchin M, Hoult JR, Evans P, Jenner P, Milligan S, Perry EK. In-vitro activity of S. lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage) relevant to treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2001 Oct;53(10):1347-56. doi: 10.1211/0022357011777846. PMID: 11697542. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11697542/
