Sage
Other names Salvia, Salvia Officinalis, Salvia Lavandulifolia, Sage Essential Oil, Spanish Sage
Sage is a natural herb and spice used by many people for cooking, but if used in the right doses it might also improve learning, memory, nervousness levels, mood, and sociality. However, the evidence is only preliminary. Read on to find out what the science actually says.
Benefits
Read about the effects of Sage in relation to the amount of evidence we've found
We analyzed data from 4 placebo-controlled studies on the effects of Sage in healthy humans and summarized the results here:
| Effect | Effect size | Evidence amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Minute positive | Relatively large |
| Focus | Minute positive | Relatively large |
Risks
The legality and side effects of Sage
You should always consider the risks of a nootropic before you use it.
Side effects
No negative side effects were seen in any of the studies that we reviewed.
Interactions
Supplements and drugs can interact with Sage to increase or decrease the positive or negative effects you experience. If you are already using any supplements or drugs, speak with your trusted medical professional before you experiment with Sage. To learn more about the potential interactions between Sage and other substances, use interaction-checker.
Legality
Is your country not included? Learn how to find out if Sage is legal in your country.
Legality Disclaimer
The contents herein are not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. While we have done our best to be as accurate as possible in the information we convey to you about the legality of nootropics, there is a risk for inaccuracies and errors. If you’re uncertain about the legality of any of your actions, contact a legal counsel or your local authorities governing the legality of various substances you may want to use/import/travel with.
How To Use
Dose, frequency and duration
It is usually safer and more effective to use nootropics as they have been used in studies on humans. In the only study that we’ve reviewed, Sage was used in the following ways:
- 25 Microliter doses for acute effects
- 50 Microliter doses for acute effects
- 50 Microliter doses for acute effects
- 50 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 100 Microliter doses for acute effects
- 150 Microliter doses for acute effects
- 167 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 300 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 333 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 600 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 666 Milligram doses for acute effects
- 1332 Milligram doses for acute effects
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sage
Which form of sage should I use for nootropic effects?
There are two different species of Sage with interesting cognitive-enhancing properties. These are Salvia Officinalis and Salvia Lavandulifolia.
Salvia Officinalis extract powders (whether in capsule or powder form) and Salvia Lavandulifolia essential oil have been studied for their potential nootropic effects. [1][2][4][3]
Both of these forms of Sage have been examined for their cognitive-enhancing and mood-boosting effects in two studies each. Both have good safety profiles and are likely effective for improving mood and cognition (specifically memory) when used in appropriate doses.
In the "Dose, frequency and duration" section above, µl (microliter) doses are for Salvia Lavandulifolia essential oil whereas mg (milligram) doses are for Salvia Officinalis extract powders.
Fun fact: Rosemary and lavender are other nootropics which are sometimes used in the form of essential oils.
Which are the active ingredients in sage?
Active ingredients that may be involved in the cognitive effects of sage include [12]:
- Rosmarinic acid
- Luteolin
- Apigenin
- Hispidulin
- Kaempferol
- Quercetin
- Arabinogalactans
- Pectin
How should I select a sage product for mood and cognition?
It is not known which ingredients in sage are the most relevant for its effects on mood and cognition. This makes informed product selection decisions almost impossible. However, there are some things to consider that can increase your chances of finding a safe and effective sage product:
- Find a product with a certificate of analysis verifying that the product contains safe levels of heavy metals and other potentially dangerous chemicals
- Find a product as similar as possible to those used in studies in humans
- Look for standardized amounts of active ingredients that are likely of relevance to sage's effects on mood and cognition (see question above)
- If available, use product forms similar to those used in studies on the effects of sage on mood and cognition in humans (see question above)
A certificate of analysis is necessary for you to be confident that the product you are going to use will be safe. You should not stop searching for a product until you have found one which has a certificate of analysis. There is no way to be 100% certain that the company you are buying a product from has not faked a certificate of analysis, but them providing you with one significantly increases their legal and financial commitment to the chemical purity and identity of the product, which should make you trust them more.
Sage product selection is not easy because of the lack of transparency and chemical testing by most supplement companies.
When it comes to the active ingredients, that is not as crucial as a certificate of analysis. Sure, you may purchase an ineffective product if you buy one without the relevant active ingredients, but ultimately safety is more important than efficacy. The reason we say it's not crucial to find a product with standardized amounts of active ingredients as those used in studies in humans is that it is very hard to find such products as a consumer. You may or may not want to take a chance and buy a product that is not standardized to contain the same active ingredients as those used in the studies, and carefully self-experiment with it to see if it is safe and effective.
What substances may stack well with sage?
Rosemary, lemon balm, and sage combined had a strong positive effect after two weeks of use compared with placebo on delayed word recall for younger people, but not in the elderly (above 63 y/o) [13]. This combination of substances was also safe, with no negative side effects observed.
This memory improvement is promising, but more data is needed to confirm the efficacy of the nootropic "stack".
Before combining any drugs or supplements, talk with your trusted medical professional about the risks involved.
Can sage be neurotoxic or neuroprotective?
One of the active ingredients in sage, thujone, may be neurotoxic in high doses. [15] It is known that the negative effects of thujone are dependent on the dose ingested. [16] The European medicines agency made a public statement based on the opinion of a committee of scientists regarding how much thujone is likely safe for people to consume each day for the rest of their life. [17] They concluded that 6.6 mg/day is likely safe. Thujone contents in sage products vary:
"For an amount of 1 g sage leaves per 150-ml cup of hot water, the EMA assumed a thujone content ranging between 0.7 mg and 5.0 mg per cup, based on 3% essential oil containing 10-60% α-thujone and 4-36% β-thujone and 17.6% extraction during tea steeping." [18]
This essentially means that you should not use high doses of sage daily for prolonged periods, which is always a sound principle for nootropic use in general. You will also want to be extra cautious with mega-dosing sage. Some nootropics can be mega-dosed safely. Do not mega-dose sage.
Another active ingredient in sage, rosmarinic acid, is likely neuroprotective. [19]
The above findings stem primarily from animal and cell studies, which makes it hard to know how good or bad for your brain cells sage extracts are. Another complicating factor is that different sage products have varying amounts of different active ingredients. Certain products may contain very little thujone and high amounts of neuroprotective agents, while others may contain mostly thujone and only small amounts of neuroprotective agents.
It is likely very safe to use sage occasionally in appropriate doses. [20]
How does sage work in the brain to enhance cognition?
Some active ingredients in sage reduce the activity of an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is also known by many as the "memory neurotransmitter". Inhibition of the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine may increase acetylcholine levels in the brain, which might be one mechanism by which sage enhances cognition. [21]
Rosmarinic acid restored hippocampal BDNF in rats with chronic stress. [22]
The neuropsychopharmacological effects of sage have not yet been fully discovered by researchers, and there's a need for more studies on what the biochemical effects of the different active ingredients in sage products are.
Who should use Sage?
There’s a need for more high-quality scientific information about the safety and effectiveness of Sage. Specifically, there’s a great degree of individual variance in how people respond to nootropics in general and Sage in particular. This means that if you use Sage, you may not experience the same effects as those that were seen in scientific studies on it.
It is currently largely unknown what factors play a role in whether a nootropic will be effective for a person.
While we wait for science to explain who is likely to respond to which nootropics, patient self-experimentation with nootropics that have been found safe and effective in placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans is a proven strategy to feel and perform better with the help of nootropics.
Studies
Studies conducted on the effects of Sage in healthy humans
In the 4 studies that met our inclusion criteria, 106 participants received Sage. In total, we examined 4 studies on the effects Sage, which you can find summaries of below.
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
"Both doses of sage led to improved ratings of mood in the absence of the stressor (that is, in pre-DISS mood scores) postdose, with the lower dose reducing anxiety and the higher dose increasing 'alertness', 'calmness' and 'contentedness' on the Bond-Lader mood scales. The reduced anxiety effect following the lower dose was, however, abolished by performing the DISS, with the same dose also being associated with a reduction of alertness during performance. Task performance on the DISS battery was improved for the higher dose at both postdose sessions, but reduced for the lower dose at the later testing session."
Study groups
Adults using 300 Milligram
Adults using 600 Milligram
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
Study groups
Adults using 50 Microliter
Adults using 100 Microliter
Adults using 150 Microliter
Adults using 25 Microliter
Adults using 50 Microliter
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
"Oral consumption lead to improved performance of secondary memory and attention tasks, most notably at the 1-h post-dose testing session, and reduced mental fatigue and increased alertness which were more pronounced 4-h post-dose. These results extend previous observations of improved cognitive performance and mood following AChE inhibitory sage extracts ..."
Study groups
Adults using 50 Milligram
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
"The overall pattern of results is consistent with a dose-related benefit to processes involved in efficient stimulus processing and/or memory consolidation rather than retrieval or working memory efficiency. These findings extend those of the memory-enhancing effects of Salvia extracts in younger populations ..."
Study groups
Adults using 167 Milligram
Adults using 333 Milligram
Adults using 666 Milligram
Adults using 1332 Milligram
Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023