Sage for memory

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http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/healthyliving/20535ecb.html

Reported and Web Produced by: Carol Williams Updated:

09/01/03 10:57:40

 

A NEW STUDY BACKS UP CENTURIES OLD THEORIES THAT SAGE CAN

IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY.

 

BRITISH SCIENTISTS TESTED 44 HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS AND FOUND

THAT THOSE WHO TOOK SAGE OIL CAPSULES PERFORMED

SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN A WORD RECALL TEST.

 

SAGE IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS A POTENTIAL TREATMENT FOR

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

 

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http://channels.netscape.com/ns/homerealestate/packagejsp?name=fte/boostyourmemo\

ry/boostyourmemory & floc=wn-nn

 

Eat This Herb. Boost Your Memory

 

Spice up your food and your memory--and possibly ward off

Alzheimer's disease while you're at it--with sage.

 

If your grandmother spiked your tea with sage and told you

to drink up, she probably knew this secret that was first

discovered some 400 years ago by herbalists. They wrote in

1597 that sage " quickens the nerves and memory. "

 

Now researchers from the northern English universities of

Newcastle and Northumbria have confirmed it scientifically:

Healthy, young adults who took sage oil extract in capsule

form in the medically-controlled study experienced a marked

improvement in their memory capabilities and performed

significantly better on a word recall test than those who

took a placebo.

 

And that's not all. Researchers at the Universities'

Medicinal Plant Research Center concluded that sage can

possibly help Alzheimer's patients by protecting a key

chemical that the disease destroys. " 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. " This

proves how valuable the work by old herbalists is, and they

shouldn't just be ignored because they were writing

centuries ago. "

 

Best of all, sage has no side effects.

 

The next step: Researchers will try to figure out how sage

actually boosts the memory, especially in Alzheimer's

patients. The findings were published in the British journal

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behaviour.

 

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http://www.msnbc.com/news/958833.asp?0cv=HB10 & cp1=1

 

Sage may help combat Alzheimers

 

Chemical in the herb improves memory, study finds

 

MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

 

LONDON, Aug. 29 — 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.

 

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http://www.hindu-religion.net/showflat/cat/health/56043/0/collapsed/5/o/1Science

A scientific study involving healthy, young adults, sage

oil capsules and a word recall test has backed up

centuries-old theories about sage's ability to improve

memory.

 

British scientists carrying out the first clinical trials of

the herb sage have found that those who took sage oil

capsules performed significantly better in a word recall

test.

 

The researchers, from the Medicinal Plant Research Centre at

the Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria, studied texts

by well-known herbalists from as far back as 1597.

 

" It is singularly good for the head and brain and quickeneth

the nerves and memory, " wrote Nicholas Culpeper in 1652.

 

" It also heals the memory, warming and quickening the

senses, " wrote John Gerard.

 

The researchers went about proving those observations, as

while people have long taken sage for memory loss --

drinking teas and tinctures containing extracts of the herb

-- research is only now providing scientific evidence for

its benefits.

 

Oil capsules and placebos

 

To obtain their results, the British researchers tested 44

healthy young adults aged between 18 and 37. Some were given

capsules containing sage oil and others were given placebos.

 

 

The volunteers then took part in a word recall test, and

were tested at intervals to see how many words they could

remember.

 

Those who had taken the sage oil consistently performed

better than those who had taken placebos.

 

Alzheimer's treatment?

 

Sage is now being investigated as a potential treatment for

Alzheimer's disease after earlier research by MPRC found

that it inhibits an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase,

which breaks down the chemical messenger acetylcholine.

 

Many current drugs for treating Alzheimer's, such as

donepezil, have unpleasant side effects and doctors are keen

to find alternatives.

 

No side effects were noted in the sage trial.

 

Drug development

 

The researchers think that sage's beneficial effects come

from a combination of chemicals that have an effect on

acetylcholinesterase, as well as antioxidant and

anti-inflammatory properties, which are also considered of

value in Alzheimer's therapy.

 

Further investigation will help determine exactly how sage

works.

 

" This research does have serious implications for people

suffering from Alzheimer's disease, " says the study's lead

researcher, Nicola Tildesley. " It will inform drug research

and development. "

 

The study is published in the current edition of the journal

Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.

 

....take the essence...SP letter to Krsnadasa 1972