how very sage
Sep. 2nd, 2003 01:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheSage may help combat Alzheimer's
The herb sage can be used to improve memory, British scientists said Thursday, backing up centuries-old theories about the plant. The new research could have significant implications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, the new study suggests.
Checking the writings of herbalists from four centuries ago, scientists at the northern English universities of Newcastle and Northumbria found a marked improvement in the memory capabilities of people taking sage oil extract.
In the study healthy, young adults who took sage oil capsules performed significantly better in a word recall test.
The finding was consistent with a discovery by researchers at the Universities’ Medicinal Plant Research Centre that sage protects a key chemical destroyed in Alzheimer’s.
“This research does have serious implications for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, as it will inform drug research and development,” lead researcher Nicola Tildesley said in a statement, noting sage has no side effects.
“This proves how valuable the work by old herbalists is, and they shouldn’t just be ignored because they were writing centuries ago,” she added.
The British team tested 44 healthy, young adults between 18-37 years. Some were given capsules containing sage oil while others were given placebos.
The volunteers were then given word recall tests to see how many words they could remember. Those who had taken the sage oil performed consistently better than those who had taken the placebos.
The herb sage can be used to improve memory, British scientists said Thursday, backing up centuries-old theories about the plant. The new research could have significant implications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, the new study suggests.
Checking the writings of herbalists from four centuries ago, scientists at the northern English universities of Newcastle and Northumbria found a marked improvement in the memory capabilities of people taking sage oil extract.
In the study healthy, young adults who took sage oil capsules performed significantly better in a word recall test.
The finding was consistent with a discovery by researchers at the Universities’ Medicinal Plant Research Centre that sage protects a key chemical destroyed in Alzheimer’s.
“This research does have serious implications for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, as it will inform drug research and development,” lead researcher Nicola Tildesley said in a statement, noting sage has no side effects.
“This proves how valuable the work by old herbalists is, and they shouldn’t just be ignored because they were writing centuries ago,” she added.
The British team tested 44 healthy, young adults between 18-37 years. Some were given capsules containing sage oil while others were given placebos.
The volunteers were then given word recall tests to see how many words they could remember. Those who had taken the sage oil performed consistently better than those who had taken the placebos.