Those wise old herbs known as sage and rosemary are to be eaten if you wish to grow old and wise. Studies have shown how sage and rosemary actually do enhance brain function. We may not know all the ‘know it’ when it comes to herbal properties but we know enough to recommend it for brain health.
Sage has actions that ward away Alzheimer’s disease. This senile form of disease is common in the elderly and associated with protein-like plaques in the brain. Rosemary increases blood supply to the brain, it facilitates brain metabolism. That’s helpful, as a brain that doesn’t have a healthy metabolism becomes sluggish. Of course there are nutrients in herbs. One popular held thought is that people coped better in winter months if they ate herbs. The herbs were providing vitamin C, amongst other useful immune-stimulating nutrients. Herbs also contain phytonutrients, which are not classified as essential but highly welcomed to ensure our health. Phytonutrients can act as antioxidants, stimulate our immune system and boost detoxification systems within the body. Special antioxidants known as superoxide dismutase and peroxidase are pivotal in keeping our cells healthy and protected from damaged fats. Cholesterol easily becomes a ‘tarnished player’ when it becomes oxidised. Oxidised lipids are damaged fats.
What do we know? We know through scientific research that sage contains these antioxidants. This is welcoming news as it gives cementing proof as to why people proclaim that herbs keep them healthy. As we age we can not guarantee that if we eat herbs we’ll be as spiked up with mental surges to the degree we desire. There are other factors to take into account, such as genetics and lifestyle. Yet herbs can act as beneficiaries and uplift our health. Easily incorporated into cooking, herbs can be brought at stores, especially in dried form or easily picked from your herb patch in home pots. Herbs usually are able to live in small pots and they find in-house living fine. A dose of sunlight exposure warms them up and allows them to flourish.
When we eat herbs, it is most likely that it is the leaves and stalks that are used. That appetising smell of food cooking can often be traced back to the herbal aromas. Little do we realise it’s the smallest ingredients that have us requesting and favouring certain restaurant foods. Often an infusion of herbs with hot water is drained, and the tepid flavoured water taken as a remedy to relieve symptoms. Symptoms such as inflammation may be helped by sage and rosemary. The best about herbs is that we can enjoy their taste in food when in health or not! Entice not only the aroma and flavour of foods with sage and rosemary but your brain as well.
by Anastacia Sampson
Anastacia Sampson is a freelance journalist and Nutritional Medicine Practitioner. She writes for regional newspapers and lives in East London, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. She is also an iridologist and has written healthy lifestyle columns for several regional newspapers. She is qualified from the Plaskett International College and provides health advise through her website at www.healthyliving.za.org.