If you are what you eat—and evidence increasingly indicates that's the case—perhaps sage will help you grow wiser.

Research findings from England seem to corroborate the culinary folklore that sage "quickens the nerve and the memory," as herbalists professed in the sixteenth century.

Scientists at the Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria gave sage oil tablets and placebo tablets to a group of 44 healthy young adults. Those who got the sage performed significantly better in a word recall test that challenged their short-term memory.

Plants are nature's chemical storage site, and the oil of sage contains compounds that indirectly kindle activity of neurotransmitters in the brain. Sage oil inhibits an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase, whose normal job is to break down the chemical messenger acetylcholine.

In the absence of acetylcholinesterase, levels of the transmitter acetylcholine increase. People with memory problems due to Alzheimer's disease have deficiencies of the neurotransmitter.

Could sprinkling sage on your food be a deliciously simple way to keep your mind strong?

The name sage derives from the Latin salus, for health. Different varieties sprout around the world, from Europe to China. Earthy and fragrant, sage perfumes the staples of Italian cooking—poultry, veal, fish and pasta sauces. It's also a complement to vegetables and cheese dishes. And it's the classic seasoning in turkey stuffing; for most American eaters, sage use peaks at Thanksgiving.

But even if we savor sage, "there is no evidence that the use of sage as a spice will produce the effects reported in the studies," observes herbalist Mark Blumenthal, head of the American Botanical Council. He cites an inadequate level of the oil's active component when the dried herb is used in cooking.

At the very least, fresh sage leaves may be required for any effect. And the clinical trials conducted so far have used sage oil extracted from a species different from the common garden sage.

Sage is a cousin to peppermint, which also has effects on the brain—it stimulates awareness. Sage has a long history of use to cure all manner of ailments, from snakebites to epilepsy to infertility. In herbal medicine, it's used to treat indigestion and to reduce inflammation and sweating.

Health food stores sell sage oil capsules as well as distilled forms to drink with tea, just as the ancients did. The research suggests it might be easier than you thought to take in their wisdom.

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