NOVEMBER 24, 2011 THE GENUS SALVIA

"Give thanks to all, especially the plants."

A day of thanks should be given to your higher power for the magnificent creation of nature in this world. May you give thanks to the simple things in life. For today and always, give thanks to the plants.

Do not forget to thank yourself.

On my bedside table there are about 10 books . I love to read. Unfortunately I read 3-4 different books a night. I have so much to learn yet. I am reading Stop Alzherimer's Now, by Bruce Fife, ND. I am fascinated by this book. It does mention many other therapies for central nervous system disorders, especially Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Well before we had medications, we used a variety of herbs for symptoms of these CNS disorders.

The genus that comes to my mind from a 2007 lecture is the genus Salvia. I wrote about the hallucogenic Salvia divinorum recently. Perhaps writing about that herb sparked me to recall the Salvia lecture I heard by David Hoffman B.Sc. Salvia is the largest genus in the Lamiaceae Family (Mint family) with 700 species.

The word salvia comes from Latin meaning "to be saved". Salvia species are used for a vast range of diseases. Sauer's Herbal Cures lists so many.

Saliva species can be divided into the following groups.

1. Sedative Properties

2. Anxiolytic Properties

3. Anticonvulsant properties

4. Memory Enhancing Properties

5. Anti oxidant Properties

I am sure there have been books written about this genus, but I have not researched that yet. Danshen (S. miltiorrhiza) has been studied for its free radical scavenging effects. For you, this means it is a great herb with great anti oxidant potential for a variety of illnesses.

Memory is so important to me. I have an excellent memory. I sometimes remember too much from my past, but at least I do not dwell on the past events. There are culinary herbs discussed for years in folk herbalism with memory enhancing properties. I am sure some of you use them today. One of them is sage. The others are lemon balm, thyme and rosemary.

A salvia species, S. lavandulaefolia has been studied for memory enhancement. The essential oil extract of this salvia and S. officinalis have both shown to have anti cholinesterase inhibition. This is relevant to patients with Alzheimer's Disease. These both also have antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory properties.

If you read any Alzheimer's Disease literature, these properties are important in the disease treatment and progression. Although studies have been done, more are needed. I am most interested if taking this herb daily will prevent development of disease.

I am also interested to see if patients with apo E allele (4/4) which have a higher disposition to Alzheimer's by 72% would benefit from the Salvia species.

I truly feel that some of the compounds in the species, S. lavandulaefolia and other salvia species should be investigated.

Remember this- we have all the answers here on Mother Earth. These plants are here for a reason. We might not know the reasons right now, but we should never overlook this possibility. As temperatures, climate , weather and waters are changing, so will these plants one day. Some might not be here in 50 years.

Yet in James A Duke's book, Medicinal Plants of the Bible, not one Salvia species is mentioned. This puzzles me.

Until tomorrow...