Assessment of the Effects of a Sage (Salvia officinalis) Extract on Cognitive Performance in Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Cognitive health is a major concern for many people, and with potential benefits to academic and professional life, maximising cognitive performance is of interest far beyond the older demographics. Several natural products have been suggested as nootropics, including the herb sage. Previous assessments of various Salvia species have reported a range of effects on cognitive performance and mood in both older adult and younger adult populations. This study was conducted with SibeliusTM: Sage, an aqueous-ethanol extract of S. officinalis, to assess for the beneficial effects on cognitive performance in adolescents (12-14 year olds) and young adults (18-25 year olds). Methods and Findings: An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with two single doses of SibeliusTM: Sage (150 mg and 300 mg). Cognitive performance was evaluated using CogTrackTM, which probes aspects of cognitive performance covering attention, working memory and episodic/declarative memory through a series of computer-based tasks. Consistent with previous study of SibeliusTM: Sage a significant effect was seen on the Immediate Word Recall task in young adults; suggesting acute treatment benefits to verbal episodic/declarative memory performance. Physiological effects of the treatment on salivary cortisol and oxytocin levels, as well as blood pressure and heart rate were also assessed, with limited evidence of an effect on these factors. No adverse events or side-effects linked to the study product intake was observed. The study was registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00015716). Conclusions: A significant improvement due to the Sage extract was shown for a task assessing short-term episodic memory (Immediate Word Recall), supporting beneficial effects on cognitive performance in young adults that are consistent with previous reports in healthy older adults. These findings suggest that further investigation of the effects observed in this study in larger, long-term human volunteer studies could be beneficial to pursue.

Neuroprotective Potential of Aromatic Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender

“…A total of two other studies (on young adults and adolescents) were conducted with a single dose of 150 and 300 mg of sage extract, respectively. A marked improvement following the sage extract consumption was shown for evaluating cognitive performance and short-term memory in healthy young adults, which are similar to previous studies in older adults (Edwards et al, 2021 ). Similarly, a recent RCT in young and healthy cases demonstrated the combination of various phenolic and aromatic extracts such as sage might have significant beneficial effects on the function of the brain (Jackson et al, 2020 ).…”

Evidence for anti-inflammatory effects and modulation of neurotransmitter metabolism by Salvia officinalis L.

“…Our previous investigation of S. officinalis extract supported anti-inflammatory effects in adipose cells, as well as attenuation of the cross-talk between peripheral tissues and nerve tissues [32]. The same extract has previously been shown to have cognitive performance benefits in both healthy older and younger adults [28,30]. In Margetts et al BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2022) 22:131 addition to anti-inflammatory effects, modulation of the metabolism of acetylcholine neurotransmitters, by the inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), has been proposed as one mechanism by which Salvia extracts impart acute cognitive benefits in humans [28].…”

“…In particular, Salvia plants have traditional applications in cognitive health dating back hundreds of years [24], and there is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting beneficial effects in this area (reviewed in [25]). This includes several human volunteer studies with extracts of Salvia showing cognitive performance benefits in healthy adults [26][27][28][29][30], as well as in AD patients [31].…”

“…Building on our previous work showing anti-inflammatory effects of S. officinalis extract in human cells [32], we now assess these effects across a broader set of cellular contexts. This includes assessment of the extract through in vitro models of the intestinal barrier and BBB, as well as on the BioMAP Diversity PLUS Panel, to gain further insights into the anti-inflammatory activities and other potential mechanisms of action that contribute towards the cognitive performance benefits demonstrated in human volunteers for this extract [28,30].…”

Acute Oral Toxicity and Neurobehavioral Effects of Salvia officinalis Essential Oil in Female Wistar Rats

“…who reported that S. officinalis has cognitive-and memoryenhancing effects in rats. Also, the extract of this plant has previously been shown to have cognitive performance benefits in both healthy older and younger adults (Edwards et al, 2021). Generally, in vitro and animal experiments have demonstrated that several compounds found in Salvia plants can change some biological mechanisms linked to cognition performance including their actions on oxidative stress and cholinergic activity.…”