The FastDay Forum

Mentioned by Dr Moseley on 'Trust Me I'm a Doctor' as useful for increasing attention span through the afternoon slump, the interweb also finds it can help deter dementia and menopause symptoms, among other things.
Of course I'm susceptible to health suggestions like this, mug that I am, so have ordered 3 months (3 for 2 offer) from Vitabiotics and will give it an optimistic go :0)

Anyone else tried sage or knows anything I should be aware of please?

I don't know enough about it, but I tried it and it gave me a headache. I think those who suffer with high BP need to take care with it.

I know nothing about it - except that you can't make sage and onion stuffing without it!

The quality of research used to make these kinds of health claims for herbs and functional foods are so bad I ignore them all. They never hold up to scrutiny, though they get a lot of mention in the press. The people who profit from these herbal preparations pay a lot to get on these shows or get mentions from influential doctors like your Mosely and our (dreadful) Dr. Oz.

I consider it highly unethical to suggest that any substance improves or postpones dementia. My poor mother had dementia and I fed her all the stuff I'd heard recommended, particularly DHEA. She said it helped, but nothing made any observable difference in her functioning which was tragically bad. That is also true of all the expensive prescription drugs they gave her.

So I'm with @StowgateResident, Put that sage in your poultry stuffing but don't expect anything more than compliments on the flavor!

[Tracieknits]

Well said, @Peebles. I absolutely refuse to jump on any of the bandwagons for any of these supplements. Time will tell, and trusted medical journals don't generally back these claims up.

[Debs]

Personally I am a fan of it gently fried in butter for a traditional pasta sauce!!

I read years ago that if you put a muslin bag of sage leaves in the bath water it is stimulating and wakes you up when you are feeling tired, the complete opposite to lavender which helps you sleep. I did try it a couple of times and convinced myself that it worked but that might have been wishful thinking.

Many thanks for all your responses.
I'll give it a try now it's ordered, my blood pressure is fine so should be ok on sage.
I've been taking co enzyme Q10 for a month and have felt brighter but it's expensive.
By replacing it by taking the sage I'm hoping for a similar experience with added help with hot flushes!
We are fond of self experimenting on this forum it seems, pushing at the boundaries of knowledge (ha!).

[Debs]

Nothing wrong with that @Azureblue!!! I have had high blood pressure for a while, and after reading some information, started taking olive leaf and garlic tablets. At the same time I have been doing some fat fasting. My BP has dropped significantly. Nothing else has changed, and my stress levels are, if anything, higher, so I can only surmise it must be to do with one of them. I am going to eliminate them one at a time now to see whether any of them are responsible.

I make a sage and onion mustard!

[Debs]

Sorry Azureblue, this thread was always bound to be highjacked by food

She said, sagely!

Sagacious wisdom always welcome

Ha well yes I also saw that programme & decided to get some for the hubster who is trying to reduce caffeine (doesn't have much anyway) but gets v tired at work. £8 I forked out for about 50 tablets so I will let him be the guinea pig & see if he notices any difference. I wouldn't be surprised if any effect was the placebo effect. I am quite happy with my moderate caffeine habit - need some pleasures to get me through my mediocre job esp when I'm fasting!

Will let you know if there is any noticeable difference!

Fat fasting with that extremely low carb intake will drop your blood pressure dramatically if your blood pressure is rising in response to high insulin levels. OTOH, I have low insulin levels and in the past when I've eaten very low carb my blood pressure has shot up, which is the opposite of what the books say should happen.

Over years of fighting with my BP, and finding thing after thing that works and then stops working (including the various drugs doctors prescribe for me) I have concluded BP is an ineffable mystery. Hopefully, mine won't kill me, but it very well might one day. It was normal all summer long even at every doctor's appointment I attended. And then, after the first cold week we had, it shot back up to the 160/90 level. Obviously, I need a second home in the Caribbean--fully covered by my health insurance as essential treatment!