Sage (Salvia Officinalis): An Overview of Benefits for Musculoskeletal Health
Sage (Salvia officinalis) is prized for its medicinal, flavoring, and aromatic qualities. Sage tea and sage essential oils have been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments. Native to the Mediterranean, sage is now used worldwide both as a flavoring spice and as a traditional herbal medicine.
Sage contains a diverse array of health-promoting compounds, such as flavonoids, terpenoids, and essential oils, which provide it with strong antioxidant, anti-fat, and anti-inflammatory properties. Investigators suggest that camphor, carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, and ursolic acid all contribute to sage’s health-promoting attributes.
Potential Benefits of Sage for Musculoskeletal Health
1. Sage as an Antioxidant
Free radicals damage cartilage, muscle, bone, and tendons, accelerating degeneration. Sage provides multi-pronged protection against free radical damage:
- Sage defuses highly destructive oxygen and nitrogen free radicals, such as the superoxide anion and peroxynitrite radical.
- Sage potentially safeguards cell walls from lipid peroxidation, a devastating oxidative chain reaction that may result in cell death.
- Sage may bond to toxic metals, constraining their ability to steal electrons from vital proteins, DNA, and fats.
Serbian investigators examined the antioxidant properties of sage essential oils. Antioxidant activity was evaluated as free radical scavenging capacity (RSC), together with the effect on lipid peroxidation. The authors found that sage essential oils significantly reduced free radical formation and lipid peroxidation (Bozin et al., 2007).
2. Sage as an Anti-Inflammatory
Rampant inflammation releases tissue-eating enzymes and toxins that destroy healthy tissue. Sage potentially hinders inflammation’s injurious effects. Research suggests:
- Sage obstructs nuclear factor kappa beta, a key protein that regulates the synthesis of pro-inflammatory enzymes and signaling molecules.
- Sage reduces the activity of enzymes, like COX-2, that fuel inflammation.
- Sage boosts the production of anti-inflammatory signaling molecules.
Austrian researchers examined the anti-inflammatory effects of sage on a mouse model of inflammation. The authors found that sage extract was associated with a significant reduction in markers of inflammation, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, COX-2, and iNOS (Mueller et al., 2010).
3. Sage Exhibits Anti-Fat Attributes
Obesity is a significant risk factor for unhealthy aging of bone, muscle, joints, and tendons. Sage is high in carnosic acid, and research suggests carnosic acid inhibits pancreatic lipase. Pancreatic lipase is the chief enzyme your body uses to absorb fat, making it potentially more challenging for the body to digest fat.
Japanese investigators examined the anti-obesity effects of sage extract on a mouse model of obesity. The authors found that the sage extract was associated with a significant reduction in blood triglycerides and body weight (Ninomiya et al., 2004).
Precautions
Sage is generally recognized as safe when consumed in usual culinary and herbal doses. As with any form of supplementation, consult your healthcare provider prior to use if you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications, or have any medical conditions. Discontinue use and consult your doctor if any adverse reactions occur.
References
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