Top Four Reasons Exploring Sage deserves Your Attention | Highlighting the Aromatic Herb
Sage, a kitchen staple and favorite herb, offers more than just a delightful aroma and flavor to your dishes. This versatile herb boasts a range of health benefits, from reducing inflammation to improving memory.
In the realm of health, sage stands out due to its strong anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are attributed to its antioxidants such as flavonoids, polyphenols, ursolic acid, carnosol, and camphor. These compounds help lower inflammation in the body by neutralizing free radicals, making sage potentially more potent than some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in animal models for reducing inflammation and arthritis-related pain [3][5].
Sage also has a positive impact on cholesterol levels. Research indicates that sage tea consumption led to significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol while increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol levels [1][4]. This effect seems tied to sage’s antioxidant properties and its influence on lipid metabolism.
Moreover, sage supports cognitive function, memory, and attention. Its essential oils inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that degrades acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter vital for memory and brain function. This inhibition improves neurotransmission, potentially slowing cognitive decline as seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s diseases. Sage extracts also protect brain cells from cholesterol-related inflammation and amyloid plaque damage, factors implicated in cognitive disorders [1][2][3].
For those seeking a healthy and delicious meal, here's a simple recipe to get you started. Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups quartered baby potatoes, 2 cups large broccoli florets, 1 large carrot cut into sticks (about 1 cup), 1 cup trimmed & quartered Brussels sprouts, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, 6 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, black pepper (to taste), 1/2 cup of pecan halves, and mix well. The vegetables are then spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and baked for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, the pecans are tossed with the remaining butter, garlic, and sage, seasoned with salt and pepper, and added to the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes.
For more culinary inspiration, check out our Sage & Butternut Squash Four Cheese Lasagna Recipe. If you're interested in learning more about sage, we recommend our article, Everything You Need to Know About Sage.
Lastly, sage kits for your herb garden are now available, making it easier than ever to grow this versatile and beneficial herb at home.
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- To support both your health and wellness, incorporating sage into your lifestyle can be beneficial, especially for managing medical conditions like inflammation and cholesterol levels due to its strong antioxidant properties.
- In the health-and-wellness industry, the science behind sage shows promise in boosting cognitive function, memory, and attention, as its essential oils inhibit the acetylcholinesterase enzyme that degrades important neurotransmitters.
- Apart from enhancing your dishes with flavor, growing sage in your home-and-garden could provide you with a constant source of this versatile herb, contributing to your overall health-and-wellness and even potentially serving as a beautiful addition to your landscape.
