Sage is not recommended for breast cancer

Sage refers to the leaves of the plant Salvia officinalis, a member of the mint family. Sage has been found to have antiseptic, antimicrobial, astringent, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, hypoglycemic, antiatherogenic and antimutagenic properties. Sage contains numerous biologically active compounds, including carnosol, carnosic acid, rosmanol, rosmarinic acid, epirosmanol, isorosmanol, galdosol, ursolic acid, thujone, genistein, camphor, limonene, cineol, and caffeic acid. Sage has been found to have anti-diabetic effects, reducing levels of serum glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, and increasing plasma insulin in diabetic rats but not in normal rats. Sage has been shown to improve memory retention in both Alzheimer's patients and college-age subjects, however long-term heavy use can cause seizures or other neurological symptoms due to sage's thujone content.

Cancer-related effects of consuming sage

Carnosol and carnosic acid, both found in sage, have been shown to arrest human colon cancer cell development at different phases of the cell cycle. Carnosol also has been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis of human prostate cancer cells. Beta-ursolic acid, another sage compound, has been shown to inhibit lung colonization of mouse melanoma cells.

Sage has been and is used in several folk medicine traditions for its hormonal effects. Sage is recommended by some health practitioners to relieve milk oversupply and breast engorgement during weaning and it is believed to reduce milk supply by acting directly on hormone receptors. Similarly, sage is recommended for menopausal problems, especially hot flashes and night sweats. Sage is thought to stimulate the uterus, and is sometimes used during childbirth and to expel the placenta. Therefore, sage should be avoided by women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or nursing. Sage's reputed ability to suppress lactation has not been thoroughly investigated (this action is not normally associated with phytoestrogens). Until this anti-lactation effect has been explained (and it could mean that sage acts against breast cancer) we recommend avoiding all but modest amounts of sage and would advise against regular consumption of sage tea.

Additional comments

Red sage (Salvia officinalis var. rubia) refers to the leaves of a variety of common sage and has essentially the same properties as sage. Red sage root (also known as salvia root or dan shen) refers to the root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza, another plant in the Labiatae family. It is used as in Chinese medicine to treat irregular menstruation, cardiovascular problems, and inflammation, and as a tranquilizer, among other uses.

Sage essential oil (sage oil) is used as a food preservative (for example in liver pâtés), however it is greatly diluted during food processing. Sage essential oil is too concentrated to be safely swallowed undiluted and can be considered a poison. Sage should be avoided by those who suffer from epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Drinking sage tea could potentially increase liver damage from some prescription medications and should be avoided by those with liver disease. Sage-drug interactions may occur when taken with drugs designed to treat conditions on which sage appears to act, some psychotropic drugs and painkillers, and other drugs (e.g., oxytocin, nalbuphine, bromocriptine mesylate, ethionamide). Clearly, caution is advised when combining significant amounts of sage or regular sage tea drinking with prescription medications. Sage should be avoided during chemotherapy.

Tags: Chinese, D-limonene, antifungal, chemotherapy, genistein, inflammation, insulin, milk, phytoestrogens, pregnancy, sage

Selected studies

Antimutagenic effect of sage tea in the wing spot test of Drosophila melanogaster Food and Chemical Toxicology, January 2009

The use of herbal infusions is much more common in the human diet than the use of essential oils. The present study investigated the antimutagenic potential of sage (Salvia officinalis) tea on Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly). The carcinogen methyl methanesulphonate was used as the mutagen and positive control. Several types of treatment were tested: short treatment with either sage tea or methyl methanesulphonate, longer treatment with sage tea or methyl methanesulphonate, and two combined treatments: short treatment with sage tea followed by a longer treatment with methyl methanesulphonate and vice versa. The sage tea used in the experiments demonstrated a clear antimutagenic effect, reducing the number of mutations induced by methyl methanesulphonate. The inhibitory effect of sage tea was confirmed when pre- or post-treatments with the carcinogen were used. Although sage in this regime decreased the frequency of mutation events, it was not very effective when 2-hour sage pre-treatment was followed by longer treatment with methyl methanesulphonate. The authors conclude that antioxidant activity or suppression of metabolic activation could be mechanisms by which sage or some of its components act as desmutagens.

Determination of the Antioxidant Capacity of Culinary Herbs Subjected to Various Cooking and Storage Processes Using the ABTS*+ Radical Cation Assay Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, June 2008

The current study examined the impact of cooking methods and storage on the antioxidant capacity of some common culinary herbs. Extracts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, lavender, parsley, rose, rosemary, sage and thyme were prepared and their antioxidant capacities before and after cooking and storage (vinegar maceration, cold maceration or freezing). It was found that simmering, soup making and stewing significantly increased antioxidant capacity of the herbs, whereas grilling and stir frying decreased it. Freezing the herbs at −20 °C and cold maceration both had preservative effects on antioxidant capacity, whereas herbs stored in cold vinegar macerations for one week demonstrated a decrease in antioxidant capacity compared to the control herb extracts.

Drinking of Salvia officinalis tea increases CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in mice Food and Chemical Toxicology, March 2007

Drinking sage (Salvia officinalis) tea for 14 days has been found to improve liver antioxidant status in mice and rats in a prior study. Among other factors, enhancement of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity has been observed in the animals. Taking these results in consideration, the present study was designed to evaluate the potential protective effects of sage tea in an environment of liver toxicity due to free radical formation. The effects of sage tea drinking were evaluated in mice of both genders with hepatotoxicity caused by carbon tetrachloride. Contrary to the expected results, sage tea drinking significantly increased the carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury, as demonstrated by increased plasma transaminase levels and histological liver damage. In accordance with the prior study, sage tea drinking significantly enhanced GST activity. In addition, glutathione peroxidase also was significantly increased. Since carbon tetrachloride toxicity results mainly from its bioactivation by cytochrome P450 CYP2E1, the expression level of this protein was assessed. An increase in CYP2E1 protein was observed, possibly explaining, at least in part, the potentiation of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity by sage tea. The carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity was found to be higher in females than in males. The authors conclude that although sage tea did not have toxic effects of its own, herb–drug interactions are possible and may affect the efficacy and safety of concurrent medical therapy with drugs that are metabolized by phase I enzymes.