To keep your brain healthy for as long as possible, there are a few healthy lifestyle rules to follow: take care of your sleep, adopt a healthy and balanced diet, manage your stress, practice regular physical activity, stop smoking and drinking alcohol, etc.
Sage contains powerful antioxidants that benefit the brain
Some dietary supplements can also help – but be careful, only under medical supervisionself-medication should be avoided! Questioned by our American colleagues from Eating Well, Dr. Maya Shetreat (who is a neurologist and herbalist – yes yes – in the United States) specifically recommends a plant that is beneficial for the brain: sage.
Several scientific studies have already highlighted the benefits of Sage officinalis (this is its scientific name) for the maintenance of cognitive abilities – memory, in particular. This aromatic plant is said to containrosmarinic acid and of thecarnosic acidtwo molecules with neuroprotective properties.
Sage or rosemary, each to their own!
Thus, according to the neurologist, rosmarinic acid is a powerful antioxidant capable of protecting brain cells against oxidative stress – which is now known to be linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Carnosic acid, for its part, would also be an antioxidant.
Easy to grow in a pot (on a balcony or in a window box) or in the garden (preferably in the shade of a tree), sage can be used in 1001 ways in cooking: dried and pulverized, it can be sprinkled on a salad, on grilled meat, on steamed vegetables, on barbecue skewers or even used to enhance the flavor of a vinaigrette.
Good to know : If you don’t like the (strong) taste of sage, rosemary also contains rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid!
Source : Eating Well
