Sage Extract May Help Improve Memory
Salvia (sage) is the largest genus of plants in the mint family with nearly 1000 species. A new study suggests that an extract containing garden sage leaves and Spanish sage essential oils may help improve memory.
Ninety-four adults with an average age of 45 participated in the study. They were given 600 mg of garden sage and Spanish sage extracts or a placebo daily for 29 days. The researchers administered the Corsi Blocks, Numeric Working Memory, and Name to Face Recall tasks at 120 and 240 minutes after the first dose and at the end of the study period to assess working memory and accuracy task outcome.
Participants in the sage group saw significant improvements in accuracy on the numeric working memory task after the first dose and at the end of the study period, compared to the placebo group. They also saw a significant increase in name-to-face recall accuracy compared to baseline.
The study was conducted by researchers from Northumbria University.It was published online ahead of print on January 14, 2021 in the journal Nutrients.