4 Health Benefits of Sage (Salvia officinalis)

December 11, 2023 Agric4Profits

Sage, scientifically known as Salvia officinalis is an evergreen perennial shrub with woody stems and grayish-green leaves. The most prevalent variety reaches a maximum height and width of two feet.

Sage bushes produce flowers that range in color from lavender and white to pink and purple in the late spring or early summer. The texture of sage plants is another distinguishing characteristic. Trichomes, which resemble microscopic hairs, are found on every leaf.

The mint family includes common sage (Salvia officinalis), which is believed to have its roots in the Mediterranean. Now that it is widely available, this popular culinary herb is a favorite of cooks all over the world. Also employed as ornamental shrubs are sage plant variants.

Salvia officinalis, the common sage’s Latin name, alludes to the herb’s extensive usage as a remedy. The word salvia derives from the Latin root Salvere, which also means to be saved or to cure.

The phrase Officinalis alludes to an Officina, a particular room in a monastery. Herbs and medications were stored in the office.

The Roman scientist and historian Pliny the Elder first mentions sage in writing. Sage was employed as a styptic, a diuretic, and a local anesthetic, according to Pliny.

The Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne ordered all farms in his realm to cultivate sage for the benefit of the country in 800 A.D.

Sage was one of the ingredients in the Four Thieves vinegar that medieval herbalists used. It was believed that this mixture, which also included sage, powerful white vinegar, wormwood, cloves, and other herbs, would stop the spread of the plague.

The aromatics found in sage and other herbs may have actually served as a flea repellent, according to modern experts. The fleas, not the medieval herbalist, were the true carriers and spreaders of the plague.

Both fresh and dried sage is required in recipes that call for it. Sage that has been rubbed refers to a powder that has actually been removed from the plant’s leaves.

This powder is incredibly fluffy and delicate. Additionally, sage is accessible as extracts and essential oils, all of which provide some very amazing health advantages.

Sage has been a crucial component of conventional medicine for thousands of years. Sage has been used traditionally by herbalists to treat a wide range of illnesses and concerns, such as swelling, infection, pain alleviation, and memory improvement.

Sage tea has been touted for its capacity to improve digestion, stop diarrhea, and offer comfort to women dealing with severe menstruation discomfort.

Additionally, oral sores and infections had been successfully treated with sage. These are just a few of the traditional, safe advantages and uses. It can also be prepared as a mouthwash or gargle to relieve discomfort from sore throats, bleeding gums, and mouth ulcers.

Researchers have focused on sage in an effort to examine these sage advantages in clinical studies, possibly as a result of the herb’s popularity in conventional herbal therapy. The findings of this study are rather unexpected considering how well sage works to heal a variety of illnesses.

4 Health Benefits of Sage (Salvia officinalis)

1. Helps Soothe Dementia

Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia), Chinese sage (Salvia Miltiorrhiza), and common sage (Salvia officinalis) have all long been advised by traditional medicine to cure memory loss and deteriorating mental abilities linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.

Clinical tests were performed utilizing the Spanish sage extract researchers. The benefits of essential oil supplementation on cognition were found to be significant in a study of healthy volunteers utilizing both participants and in vivo tests employing Alzheimer’s-affected rats and humans.

Participants in the trial reported fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as an overall improvement in mental focus. This supports the idea that sage benefits include its capacity to aid in enhancing mental abilities linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were given doses of Spanish sage essential oil.

In memory-related tasks, these subjects demonstrated an improvement in recall speed. Additionally, they saw an improvement in their general alertness, calmness, and contentedness.

Researchers who treat Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are particularly interested in these mood-enhancing properties. Patients with these ailments frequently go through phases of extreme irritation, thus the sage oil treatments may provide some alleviation from those symptoms.

2. Antidiabetic

In experiments on animals, the ability of sage to reduce glucose levels was demonstrated. For instance, to investigate the anti-diabetic properties of common sage, researchers offered tea to mice and rats.

They came to the conclusion that sage may be useful as a food supplement in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by lowering the plasma glucose of individuals at risk, based on its effects on fasting glucose levels in healthy animals and its effects rat hepatocytes that are similar to those of metformin.

Additionally, obese mice who had been fed a high-calorie diet were given sage treatment to test if the herb had any effects on their diabetes. For five weeks, the mice were given either sage methanol extract or a control.

3. Regulates Cholesterol

In a published study, six healthy female volunteers between the ages of 40 and 55 evaluated the advantages of sage tea. Researchers specifically examined cholesterol, lipid profiles, and blood glucose control.

They discovered that four weeks of sage tea consumption had no discernible effects on the regulation of blood sugar, but that the lipid profile had improved, with lower plasma levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol and higher plasma levels of HDL cholesterol both during and two weeks after treatment.

4. Aids Treatment of PMS

Menopause symptoms include overnight perspiration, hot flashes, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, and irregular heartbeats. These signs and symptoms are brought on by hormonal abnormalities, specifically low estrogen levels.

Researchers confirmed an old wives’ tale that sage tea could help with hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. A once-daily pill of fresh sage leaves was administered to 71 individuals in this trial for two months.

Patients reported a considerable reduction in hot flashes throughout this time, with extremely severe flashes being completely eliminated and severe flashes being decreased by 79 percent.

The findings provide patients and caregivers with natural therapy alternatives and demonstrate that sage is a workable treatment for menopausal symptoms.