A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial of a combined extract of sage, rosemary and melissa, traditional herbal medicines, on the enhancement of memory in normal healthy subjects, including influence of age

Abstract

This pilot study indicates that an oral preparation of SRM at the selected dose and for the period of administration is more effective than a placebo in supported verbal episodic memory in healthy subjects under 63 years of age. Short- and long- term supplementation with SRM extract merits more robust investigation as an adjunctive treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease and in the general ageing population. The study design proved a simple cost effective trial protocol to test the efficacy of herbal medicines on verbal episodic memory, with future studies including broader cognitive assessment.

Volatile Terpenes and Brain Function: Investigation of the Cognitive and Mood Effects of Mentha × Piperita L. Essential Oil with In Vitro Properties Relevant to Central Nervous System Function

“…Several randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced-crossover trials have also demonstrated anxiolytic-like effects in humans following single doses of ethanolic extract or dried leaf powder of Lemon balm [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]; whilst chemically-characterised and combined ethanolic extracts of sage ( S. officinalis L.), rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.; accepted name: Salvia rosmarinus Schleid.) and Lemon balm improved memory in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial [ 6 ]. Similarly, single doses of dried leaf [ 7 ] and an ethanolic extract [ 8 ] of sage; containing a wide spectrum of phytochemicals, have both been shown to significantly improve mood and cognitive function.…”

Role of phytochemicals as nutraceuticals for cognitive functions affected in ageing

“…Aromatic edible plants in the mint family, used in traditional medicine through history for cognitive benefits and tested in clinical trials for cognitive effects, include sage ( S. officinalis and S. officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia ;), rosemary ( Salvia rosmarinus ; synonym: Rosmarinus officinalis ), lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis ) and mints ( Mentha species (Perry et al, ; Perry & Howes, ).…”

“…Lamiaceae plants with centuries-old reputations for enhancing memory have been studied in RCTs and shown to enhance cognition (memory and alertness) in healthy, young and older people and to counter cognitive impairment as well as improve behavioural measures in people with AD (Perry et al, 2017) and to have positive effects on blood lipid (lowering cholesterol) and antioxidant profiles in RCTs, both of which are relevant to cognition. Rosmarinic acid, which occurs in the sub-family Nepetoidae, has shown numerous mechanistic effects relevant to cognition and AD, as reviewed previously (Williams et al, 2011) and summarised in Table 1, although its ability to cross the BBB may be limited (Perry et al, 2018). It is interesting to note that spearmint (Mentha spicata) is reported to contain the highest concentration (58%) of rosmarinic acid, followed closely by sage (S. officinalis; 37%) and rosemary (7%; Shekarchi, Hajimehdipoor, Saeidnia, Gohari, & Hamedani, 2012).…”

Tetramethylpyrazine Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Proliferation of Hypertrophic Scar-Derived Fibroblasts via Inhibiting the Phosphorylation of AKT

“…It has been generally recognized that traditional Chinese herbal medicines played a unique therapeutic role in the treatment of many diseases (Bhamra et al, 2017;Perry et al, 2018;Li et al, 2019). Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), an effective component of the traditional Chinese medicine Chuanxiong Rhizoma, which has been used to treat cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases and cancer (Huang et al, 2018;Shen et al, 2018).…”