Spanish Sage - a great aid to memory
The recent news about Gingko biloba is disappointing. In case you missed it, the BBC publicized a recent test by Imperial College, London, testing the effects of Gingko on memory in those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), in comparison with a placebo. These results confirmed a previous study published in New Scientist of August 2002, which concluded “Gingko biloba has no beneficial effect on memory in healthy older people”. This new test shows that it has no measurable effect in those suffering from dementia either.
However, all is not lost. Another study in 2003 has shown that Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia) does have measurable positive effects on memory retention, and without any side effects. These results were demonstrated on tests of short term memory, the type of memory which deteriorates most rapidly in AD. Further tests were planned, specifically on patients suffering from AD, but I assume these are ongoing, as I can find no reports of their results. [update: the 2003 study can be found here: Tildesley N.T., Kennedy D.O., Perry E.K., et al (June 2003). "Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage) enhances memory in healthy young volunteers". Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 75 (3): 669–74. PMID 12895685.]
I don’t have a picture of this herb (if you do, please let me know), but it is a pretty variety, with smaller leaves than the more common Garden Sage, and pale lavender flowers, which seem to be produced quite profusely. Volunteers who took part in the trial were given capsules of either Oil of Spanish Sage or an inactive placebo. The Sage Oil capsules used in the study are manufactured by Power Health Products Ltd of York, UK.
Kitchen Sage or Garden Sage, Salvia officinalis, has been used as a brain tonic and memory aid for hundreds of years. John Gerard, a well-known herbalist of his time, wrote about sage in 1597, saying “It is singularly good for the head and brain and quickeneth the nerves and memory”, and Nicholas Culpeper’s Herbal of 1652 says “It also heals the memory, warming and quickening the senses”.
Neither Garden Sage nor Spanish Sage are suitable for use as herbal remedies or supplements by pregnant women, or anyone trying to become pregnant.
All herbs grown for medicinal use should be kept free from chemicals of all kinds, including chemical fertilizers, to avoid adulterating the active ingredients contained within them. To find out more about growing organic herbs, visit the Gardenzone.
Related Posts
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
[...] sage if that is all you have. There’s also a Chinese red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and a Spanish Sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia), as well as various ornamental red sages grown in the flower garden, which [...]