Why is a treatment duration of at least 8 weeks recommended to achieve the maximum effect?
Time does not stand still and neither does the knowledge about sage! Sage extract (Salvia officinalis) is increasingly used to treat all menopausal symptoms, and not without reason: Sage helps to relieve hot flashes and can also relieve other menopausal symptoms. And without stressing the hormonal balance!
A woman may experience a decrease in oestrogen levels after the age of 47, which often triggers symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and increased irritability. Some women have hardly any problems, but others suffer really badly and their normal everyday life is affected. Many women also suffer from increased sensitivity to stress, headaches, weight problems, mood swings, they are prone to depression and sleep disorders.
Lower oestrogen levels do cause menopausal symptoms, but have nothing to do with the intensity of those symptoms.
Current studies show that it is rather the neurotransmitters in the brain that are involved: The dysfunction of these neurotransmitters may explain the many psychosomatic symptoms accompanying menopause.
Sage has long been known for its beneficial effects during menopause. This was investigated with a tablet based on a hydroalcoholic tincture of Salvia officinalis (without thujone): 80 women aged 48-65 years participated in this clinical trial. One part of them took 3600 mg Salvia officinalis every day, the other group a placebo. The salvia group recorded a positive response to all somato-vegetative symptoms (such as sleep, sweating and muscle and joint complaints), to psychosomatic symptoms and also to urogenital symptoms. After 3 weeks there was already a clear healing effect for the salvia group and after 4 weeks the frequency of hot flushes but also their intensity decreased by half compared to the placebo group. In addition, other menopausal symptoms were also reduced by almost 40%. These include:
- sleep disturbances
- heart problems
- stress
- anxiety
- exhaustion
- urogenital problems such as urinary problems
- vaginal dryness
- loss of libido
This indicates a regulatory effect of sage extract on neurological processes such as temperature regulation, mood and cognitive abilities. With sage women feel much less anxious, are more relaxed, can concentrate better and are significantly less irritable. But what is the reason? To understand this, you first need to know that declining oestrogen levels weaken the way neurotransmitters work. Neurotransmitters are substances that are found on the receptors of brain cells and are responsible for the transmission of stimuli between brain cells. The better this transmission works, the better the whole human body works. The worse the transmission or the more disturbed the transmission frequency, the more health complaints occur.
Some active ingredients in Salvia officinalis tincture now appear to bind to brain cell neurotransmitters involved in neurological processes such as sleep, mood, cognitive skills, and temperature regulation (e.g., sage can bind to the neurotransmitters serotonin, muscarine, and adrenergic and opioid receptors).
Thus, sage can support the function of precisely these processes by stimulating some stimulus transmissions and inhibiting other stimulus transmissions (e.g., stress stimuli).
Sage does not bind to the oestrogen receptors, as initially thought, and therefore has no effect on hormone balance. This is good news for women who need to be careful and still want to do something about their menopausal symptoms.
Please note that by far not all Salvia officinalis extracts show these positive effects. For the strongest effectiveness, you need a product extracted from fresh sage leaves. So no extract from the leaf stalks, no dried plant material, but just fresh sage leaves. This was also demonstrated in the study.
Although women began to see results after 3-4 weeks, it is recommended to take the fresh sage extract for 8 weeks because it takes that long for the neurological processes in the brain to return to normal and symptoms to be absent for a long time. Since the extract does not contain thujone, it can be safely taken over a long period of time.
References
Clinical Study: Reduction of Hot Flushes by Menosan®
REF: Bommer S, et al. Salvia Extract for the Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized, Controlled, Double Blind Clinical Trial. GA Congress 2019 (Poster), 1-5 Sept, Innsbruck, Austria
How does Menosan® work – Effects on Neurotransmitters in vitro
REF: Tober C, Schoop R. Modulation of Neurological Pathways through Salvia officinalis depends on manufacturing process and plant parts used. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jun 13;19(1):128 ))
