Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Those who supplemented with sage for 2 months saw a significant average improvement of 19% in all markers of cholesterol while the control group saw no significant changes.

Hyperlipidemia, or high cholesterol, puts an individual at risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States (2). There are rarely physical symptoms associated with hyperlipidemia, so individuals often do not realize they have high cholesterol levels (2). Currently, 71 million US adults have high LDL, or “bad” cholesterol (2).  Due to the side effects of cholesterol medicine and the fact that only 1 out 3 adults are well controlled on medication, research is looking at alternative options (2). Recent research has found that supplementing with sage is an effective option in lowering cholesterol levels (1).

Sage, or Salvia officinalis, is most commonly known as an herb for adding flavor to food (1). ranian folk medicine uses sage for both hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) (3). Previously, there has only been one pilot study with sage. In the study, drinking sage tea was found to improve cholesterol levels in 6 healthy women (4). For this reason, researchers wanted to look at a larger study population to determine if supplementing with sage would have a similar effect.

The research included 67 participants with an average age of 56.4 +/- 30.3 years. The participants were randomly divided into either the sage treatment group (n=34) or placebo group (n=33). The sage group took one 500mg capsule of sage extract every 8 hours for 2 months (1).

After 2 months, the following improvements were observed in the sage treatment group:

Average BeforeAverage AfterPercent ChangeP-value
Total Cholesterol266.3 +/- 41.6211.3 +/- 31.7Decreased 19.6%<0.001
Triglyceride296.7 +/- 24.3227.7 +/- 15.1Decreased 22.8%<0.001
VLDL58.2 +/- 16.247.6 +/- 10.7Decreased 13.3%0.001
LDL151.8 +/- 52.2117.5 +/- 37.8Decreased 19.7%0.004
HDL49.2 +/- 8.257.6 +/- 6.6Increased 20.2%<0.001

The above data shows that all markers of cholesterol improved in the sage treatment group (1). There were no significant changes in the placebo group (1). There were also no adverse effects reported by either group (1).

In conclusion, sage leaves may be an alternative option for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. The research showed improvement in all cholesterol markers with sage supplementation. Future research with more participants should be conducted to confirm these results (1).

Source: Kianbakht, S., et al. “Antihyperlipidemic Effects of Salvia officinalis L. Leaf Extract in Patients with Hyperlipidemia: A Randomized Double‐Blind Placebo‐Controlled Clinical Trial.” Phytotherapy Research 25.12 (2011): 1849-1853.

© 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Posted November 3, 2015.

Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health.  She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians.  Visit her website at  www.awarenesswellness.com.

Resources:

  1. Kianbakht S, et al.  Antihyperlipidemic Effects of Salvia officinalis L. Leaf extract in Patients with Hyperlipidemia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. 2011 Phytother. Res. 25: 1849-53.
  2. Cholesterol Fact Sheet.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  3. Zargari A.  Medicinal Plants. 2001 4th ed. Tehran University Publications: Tehran.
  4. Sa CM, et al.  Sage tea drinking improves lipid profile and antioxidant defenses in humans.  2009.  Int J Mol Sci 10: 3937-3950.