01:42 PM ET 09/15/97
Sage might help treat Alzheimer's - researchers
SCARBOROUGH, England (Reuter) - Sage has properties which
could be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease,
scientists said Monday.
Researchers at King's College in London found that a
compound extracted from essential oil of the herb blocked the
activity of an enzyme linked to the degenerative brain disease.
Blocking the enzyme stops the breakdown of one of the
chemical messengers in the brain. Low levels of the chemical,
acetyl choline, lead to the loss of short-term memory, the first
sign of the illness.
``As long as 400 years ago, English herbalists were
reporting that sage was good for improving the memory. Our
research may explain why,'' Dr. Peter Houghton told a
pharmacology conference.
Sage, which has also been proven to have anti-inflammatory
and antioxidant properties, may also be useful in other aspects
of Alzheimer's, he said.
But Houghton warned that it was too early to say whether
eating large quantities of the herb would help to prevent the
disease.
He said the most common type of sage used in cooking, salvia
officinalis, contains a compound called thujone which can be
toxic in large quantities.
He used a different type of sage in his research which does
not contain thujone.
Houghton said his team planned to carry out further research
into sage oil extracts and its compounds.
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