Health Benefits of Sage

What are the health benefits of sage? Sage is a natural herb that belongs to the oregano family, thyme, basil, rosemary, and lavender. Due to its strong aroma and extra flavor, it is used in cooking for centuries. For centuries sage is used for its medical properties and has numerous benefits. Therefore, here we will explain some of the significant health benefits of sage.

Nutritional Facts about Sage

Before moving on to the nutritional facts of sage, keep in mind that it is a spice. Consequently, it contains fewer calories and is less in macronutrient content. Generally, it has almost 58 percent of carbs.

Now let's have a look at the nutritional fact table of sage:

Vitamins and Minerals:

Sage has less percentage of macronutrients, but it still has numerous effective vitamins and minerals to fulfill a person's daily dietary needs. Some of the essential vitamins and minerals it contains are:

• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin K
• Folate
• Choline
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6
• Calcium
• Phosphorus  
• Iron
• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Potassium

7 Health Benefits of Sage

Below are some of the most significant health benefits of sage:

1. Loaded with Antioxidants:

Sage is loaded with antioxidants that help to remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals can lead to numerous chronic diseases; thus, it acts as a body's natural defense mechanism. In sage, there are almost more than 160 distinct polyphenols, plant-based antioxidants. According to research drinking, one cup of sage tea daily can significantly increase defense mechanisms. Therefore, it reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases.

2. Reduces Inflammation:

Another excellent benefit of sage is its anti-inflammatory properties. It is excellent for providing relief in diseases like sore throat and sunburn. According to one research result, using sage and Echinacea extract as the oral spray can effectively help a sore throat. Moreover, it can also speed up the healing process of cold sores. However, keep in mind that still more research is needed in this regard.

3. Support Oral Health:

Sage is famous for its antimicrobial properties for centuries. Therefore, it is effectively used for oral health to neutralize microbes that promote dental plaque. According to one study, sage-based mouthwash can effectively kill the Streptococcus mutans bacteria. Moreover, it can also help kill and halt the spread of a fungus in the mouth, causing cavities. Lastly, it can also treat throat infection, infected gums, and mouth ulcers.

4. Lower Blood Sugar Level:

For many years sage leaves are used as an effective remedy against diabetes. It can help to lower blood sugar levels. According to research done on rats, sage can reduce type I diabetes in rats by clearing excess fatty acids in the blood; it can improve insulin sensitivity. Moreover, it shows similar effects on humans as rosiglitazone, an anti-diabetic drug. However, still, further research is needed in this regard.

5. Support Memory and Brain Health:

As far as you can go back to history, you will find one thing for sure: the tremendous benefits of sage for brain health. Sage is very useful for people with Alzheimer's disease. There are numerous ways in which sage can support your memory and brain health. It is loaded with antioxidants that can act as a defense for the brain. Besides, it can also stop the breakdown of chemical messenger acetylcholine (ACH). Therefore, it can improve memory when taken in low doses, and its high dose can improve mood, calmness, concentration and alertness.

6. Lower Cholesterol Level:

Another amazing benefit of sage is that it can lower cholesterol levels. A high level of bad cholesterol is the leading cause of numerous heart problems, resulting in death. However, when you consume sage, it can effectively reduce cholesterol build in your arteries.  According to research, if you consume sage tea twice a day, it can significantly reduce bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol level.

7. Protect against Cancer:

When we look at the statistics, one of the leading causes of death is cancer. However, interestingly laboratory tests on rats show that sage can fight against certain types of cancers, including mouth, kidney, liver, skin, and colon and breast cancer. According to research, sage not only suppresses cell growth, but it can also improve cell death to kill cancer from roots.

Recommended Daily Intake

Sage is used as a spice in numerous dishes to make them tasty. Besides medical uses, it is found in the form of gel caps, oral extract, and capsule formulation for easy use. There is no exact recommended dosage of sage; however, people agreed that a daily intake of 1,000 milligrams is safe.

Recommended daily intake of sage for different diseases is:

• Take almost 1 gram of sage daily and, with time, increase this amount to at least2.5 mg times a day.
• For improving mental performance, take 25-50 mcL of sage oil.
• In diabetes, you are recommended to use 500 mg of the common sage extract three times a day for at least three months.
• For cholesterol, use 500 mg of sage extract two times a day for 2 or 3 months.
• And finally, for herpes treatment, apply 23 mg of sage extract and rhubarb extract on the affected area for 2 to 4 hours until your symptoms stop.

Best Way to Consume

Sage is available in different forms, as a result of which you can use it in various ways to take advantage of its benefits. Fresh sage leaves come with a strong aroma and are therefore best to use in dishes. You can either use fresh sage leaves or dried sage leaves. It also comes in grounded form for use.

How to Enjoy:

There are numerous ways through which you can use sage to make your cooking much more delicious.

• You can use sage as a seasoning for tomato sauce.
• You can also add fresh sage to omelets and frittatas.
• Add flavor in your pizza by sprinkling some sage over it.
• Bake chicken or fish with fresh sage leaves so that they can absorb its wonderful flavor.
• Sometimes you can also add it in a salad for an extra and unique flavor. Or you can also sprinkle it in soups.

Recipes:

Are you looking for some good recipes of sage to add extra deliciousness and flavor to your dishes? Then don't worry as there are numerous dishes that use sage. Some of the best sage recipes are:

• Sausage and apple stuffing bites
• Apple and sage beef chops
• Pumpkin sage dumplings
• Sweet potato and kale Mac N’ Cheese with sage breadcrumbs

Side Effects

Naturally, sage is safe for use and doesn't have any side effects. However, when it comes to sage supplements' side effects, it varies due to the brand and production process. Sage contains a chemical compound called thujone, which can turn out to be poisonous if taken in a large amount. Therefore, it can damage the liver and nervous system and can cause a seizure.

 Some of the common side effects of sage, when consumed in rare cases when consumed in high amounts, are:

• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Allergic reaction
• Indigestion
• Wheezing
• Skin rash
• High or low blood pressure
• Low blood sugar level

Precautions:

Below are certain safety measures you have to take in case you are taking sage supplements:

• Never consume sage during pregnancy or breastfeeding period.
• If you suffer from low blood sugar, sage can further lower your blood sugar level. Therefore avoid its use.
• Anyone with hormone-sensitive diseases like breast cancer will suffer serious side effects on consuming sage.
•  Sometimes it can trigger seizures due to a high percentage of thujone in one of its species.
• If you have a surgery scheduled, stop using sage before two weeks of the scheduled date.
• Never consume sage oil as it can cause allergic reactions.

Why Do People Burn Sage?

It is a centuries-old practice to burn sage. However, recently many people became interested in knowing what the benefits of burning sage are. Burning dried sage is connected to heal, protect, increase wisdom, and improve defense against diseases. It can help purify the air around you as poor air can be a reason for various health conditions. However, its antimicrobial properties can burn viruses, bacteria, and fungus in the air.

Besides, people also believe that burning sage can help to release negative energy. Apart from burning sage, many people are now using sage sprays in their homes. The common reasons for burning sage are:

• Killing bacteria from the air
• Reducing stress and anxiety and thus improves mood
• Act as an insect repellant
• Help to purify objects
• And lastly, it helps to improve intuition.  

Conclusion

Sage is an herb that is used all around the world due to its amazing health benefits. Although it contains fewer calories, it still can make sure recipes delicious and better. Moreover, there are numerous tremendous health benefits of using sage.

References

• https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-504/sage
• https://www.verywellmind.com/the-benefits-of-burning-sage-4685244
• https://www.verywellhealth.com/add-flavor-and-lower-cholesterol-with-sage-4069887
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003706/