About the plant
Sage is a spice that belongs to the family of
Lamiaceae, her scientific name Salvia officinalis L,. In folk medicine.
The leaves are mainly used, but the infusion and
alcoholic extract of flowers and stems have also used for several therapeutic
areas:
- The treatment of dyspepsia
- Pharyngitis, oropharyngeal infection
- Stomatitis, gingivitis
- Glossitis, and dysmenorrheal
Furthermore, the sage has other uses, particularly as a spice to prepare food in the Mediterranean kitchen.
- Main traditional uses of sage
The officinal sage is rich in essential oils that are
extracted by distillation, given their important properties.
It is one of the most used plants.
Internal use (to be ingested in drops, herbal teas or tablets)
- Anti-diaphoretic (against perspiration)
- As a condiment thanks to its strong antioxidant effect
(in cooking):
This aromatic herb is used in cooking, for its
powerful, slightly bitter and camphorated taste.
- Sage infusions are applied for the treatment of
several diseases of blood circulation
and digestive disorders and nervous system problems.
- It is also considered as a stimulant for anemic people. also for stressed and depressed people, and counseling for students during exam periods.
External use (in solution)
- For external use, it is applied as a gargle against
inflammations of the mouth, abscesses, and also for cleaning and healing of
wounds.
- Antiseptic (antiviral, antibacterial).
- Antiphlogistic (against inflammation) Only leaves are
used for external use.
- Chemical constituent
Salvia Officinalis L. is rich in biologically active
constituents which are mainly represented by polyphenolic compounds.
They added that these polyphenolic compounds can be
classified as phenolic acids and flavonoids.
Those compounds are characterized by the presence of
one or more aromatic rings with one or more groups of hydroxyl.
For this reason, these compounds are classified as
phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, coumarins, and tannins.
- Phenolic acids including carnosic acid and carnosol,
rosmarenic acid, rosmarenic acid and methyl rosmarenate, caffeic acid… cinnamic
acid, chlorogenic acid, quinic acid and salvianolic acids.
- Flavonoids include ferulic acid, ellagic acid,
epicatechin, rutin, apigenin, luteolin and quercetin.
- This was in addition to luteolin-7-glucoside and other
phenolic glycosides.
All of these compounds have effective therapeutic
properties, and are useful in human health care.
- Toxicity
As far as we know, there are no reports of negative
side effects associated with Salvia Officinalis L. despite their use for many centuries.
Normal use of sage is very safe; however, there could
be a negative effect on the use of S. Officinalis in excessive amounts, which
may be caused by the high content of thujone.
The essential oil (EO) of sage can contain up to 50%
thujone, which can be depalletizing and neurotoxic.
Nevertheless, no acute or chronic toxicity has been
reported after use at the usual doses of sage leaves, and its essential oil (up
to 15 drops per day).
However, thujone causes not only a local irritating
effect but also central psychomimetic effects after its resorption.
Chronic consumption of thujone can thus lead to
irreversible disorders of the central nervous system. To disturbances of liver,
kidney, and heart functions.
As long as the amount of the use of drugs, for
culinary purposes remains low for consumers.
Acute toxicity, after administration of a high dose of
EO (2 g and more).
Thus, regular consumption of sage, even in the form of herbal tea was not recommended.
What is inflammation
The process of acute inflammatory is an important
protection mechanism. In front of biological pathogens and other stimuli,
chemical or physical danger.
Its principal characters are Redness, swelling, pain, and heat.
The first step in the acute inflammatory in our
organism it’s the secretion of numerous.
Pro-inflammatory mediator due to the activation of leukocyte cells.
= Pro-inflammatory mediator is:
TNF-α: Tumor Necrosis Factor-α
IL-6 : InterLeukin-6
NO : Nitric Oxide
The second step is employed when the activation of the
leukocyte cells stays uncontrolled.
Then the amount of pro-inflammatory mediators secreted
by leukocytes became an aggravating factor.
For the reason that the free activated form of
leukocytes releases toxic substances.; proteolytic enzymes, reactive
metabolites of oxygen and nitrogen, that can induce tissue damage.
For this purpose, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs are often used to treat inflammatory disorders. By inhibiting the release
and synthesis of these mediators.
But unfortunately, the extensive use of these
synthetic drugs leads to undesirable effects such as gastrointestinal
disorders.
Also, platelet aggregation problems, kidney and liver
toxicity and other severe problems.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Its effect is, of course, based on an inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis via COX-1 and/or COX-2 inhibition.
NSAIDs are powerful analgesics, anti-inflammatory, and
antihyperalgesic.
The time of action is 10 to 15 minutes with a maximum
effect of 30 minutes after intravenous administration of ketoprofen for
example.
The duration of action varies from 4 to 5 hours.
For this reason, the use of discovering natural
substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect.
With fewer side effects and with greater efficiency by
scientists are becoming more and more important;
In this context, scientific research in the field of
pharmacological interventions with active principles of natural origin.
Especially plant, which has the ability to control
inflammation can be a very important therapeutic approach.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs of plant origin
The incorporation and use of medicinal plants in the
treatment of several inflammatory reactions.
Particularly rheumatism, are common practice in
traditional medicine.
Today it is a remarkable fact that anti-inflammatory
substances of plant origin are of growing interest.
Because they offer advantages over traditional
anti-inflammatory drugs, such as the absence of side effects.
Many are believed to act by blocking the pathways of the cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenase as well as by other mechanisms.
Anti-inflammatory effect of Sage
- Effect against pain
The methanolic extract of sage at a concentration of
200 mg/ml; intraperitoneal (IP) administration in rats model.
After being injected by 1ml/kg of 1.2% acetic acid by IP
causes a painful symptom provides an 80.80% inhibition percentage of pain
symptoms... showing a high inflammatory efficacy.
This is due to the presence of numerous components
possessing several activities.
Notable biological components in our extract, these
compounds may have the ability to inhibit the release of chemical mediators.
Such as histamine, which is responsible for the onset of the painful symptom.
- Effect against proteins denaturation
Also, it was still claimed that sage extracts were
able to control protein denaturation.
Providing a percentage of protein denaturation
inhibition of 92.10% at the dose of 200mg/ml, and therefore it has the ability
to inhibit the production of autoantigens.
This is confirmed by the preliminary phytochemical
analysis of the extract.
Which revealed the presence of polyphenols, alkaloids,
saponins, flavonoids, tannins, and reducing sugars;
these components have several notable biological
properties which may be responsible for the effect of anti-inflammatory of the
extract.
