World Menopause Day 2022 has just happened  (it’s on the 18th October), and October is now World Menopause Month. Isn’t it FANTASTIC that there is so much more awareness of the menopause now? A massive thank you and well done to all those women speaking out and sharing their stories with the world.

In our last blog post we talked about using Aromatherapy for Menopause Symptoms. Today we are investigating the use of sage leaf tablets for menopause. What is sage leaf used for? How do you use sage for menopause? Is sage good for menopause symptoms? Can sage help with hot flushes? Can you use sage for excessive sweating? There are many benefits of sage leaf tablets - let’s dive in and have a look! 

What Is Sage Leaf?

First up, what exactly is sage leaf? 

According to Wikipedia   “Salvia officinalis, the common sage or just sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalised in many places throughout the world. It has a long history of medicinal and culinary use, and in modern times it has been used as an ornamental garden plant.”

Sage is a well known culinary herb and we know it goes particularly well with chicken and stuffing too! 

Historically, sage leaf has been used to treat all kinds of ailments throughout the ages from women’s fertility and a nervous disposition, to insect bites and stings. It’s been used for mental conditions, fevers, memory loss, soothing a sore throat and ulcers and made into poultices for wounds.  

The Romans called sage the ‘Holy Herb’ and used it in religious ceremonies and it was known in the Middle Ages as ‘Sage the Saviour’ because of its healing properties!

But what does modern medicine say about ‘Super Sage’? 

Studies On Sage Leaf For Menopause

Sage leaf has long been considered helpful for women going through the menopause and particularly useful for the treatment of hot flushes and night sweats, in turn improving sleep and mood.  

This 2011 study concluded that sage leaf tablets reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flushes. Half of the 71 women found they had a significant decrease in hot flush symptoms after 4 weeks, and 64% experienced benefits after continuing with the treatment for 8 weeks. On average, hot flushes lessened every week, and 100% of severe flushes ceased.

Another study in Iran in 2019 conducted on 30 postmenopausal women had them take 100mg sage leaf extract daily for four weeks. The results showed the severity of hot flushes, night sweats, panic, fatigue, and concentration had significant differences before and after the consumption of sage extract and the study concluded that sage is effective in changing the severity of menopausal symptoms.  

A slightly larger 2016 study concluded:  “The findings of the current study showed that extracts of sage significantly reduced the frequency, severity, and duration of hot flashes and night sweats and improved the menopausal symptoms in menopausal women. Hence, this safe and effective herb can be recommended for treatment of menopausal symptoms. “

This is just the tip of the iceberg, we found many more studies exploring the use of sage leaf extract for all kinds of reasons. If you’re interested in discovering more about sage it’s well worth doing a search on PubMed! 

In  the meantime here is a round up of the benefits of sage leaf tablets: 

What Are The Benefits Of Sage Leaf Tablets?

• Decreases hot flushes, their duration and intensity.

• Reduces night sweats.

• Reduces excessive sweating - In fact sage leaf is also very popular with men for this reason.

• Improves sleep and aids insomnia - Again, sage leaf is used by men and women alike to achieve better sleep. It’s thought to have a sedative effect and reduce anxiety. 

• Sage leaf is also believed to improve cognitive ability and memory. 

• It’s a powerful antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress in the body and fighting free radicals.

• A great source of Vitamins A, C and K.

• Improves digestion, flatulence, heartburn and bloating. Sage has long been used for digestive complaints. 

• Sage is a natural antiseptic often used in mouth rinses and oral care. 

• It’s also a natural antimicrobial!

How Do You Use Sage For Menopause Symptoms?

Sage can be taken in a variety of ways, but the studies above all used sage leaf extract in tablet form as this is considered the best way to take sage to relieve menopause complaints. 

Best Sage Leaf Tablets For Hot Flushes - Which Strength? 

Here at Soul Nutrients we have 3 different strengths available in our extremely popular sage leaf tablets range. Sage Leaf Tablets 500mg, the stronger high strength Sage Leaf Tablets 800mg and our maximum strength Sage Leaf Tablets 2500mg 

The most popular strength for help with menopause symptoms (according to feedback from our customers) is the 800mg. Some women prefer to start with the 500mg tablets and see how they get on, then change to a higher dose if required. Another strategy is to use the highest strength 2500mg tablets for help when menopause symptoms are peaking, then gradually reducing the strength as needed.   

How Long Does Sage Take To Work For Hot Flushes And Night Sweats?

It’s thought to take between 4 and 8 weeks for the full benefits of sage extract to take effect. Though some women have reported that they’ve found relief from hot flushes and other symptoms much sooner. 

Are Sage Leaf Tablets Vegan?

Yes!  (Well ours are, you would need to check this is the other case for other brands.) All of our Sage Leaf Tablets are vegan friendly and free from gelatin, artificial colouring agents, flavours, sweeteners, preservatives, added sugar or salt, lactose, soya, gluten­, wheat or yeast!

What About Side Effects Of Sage Leaf Tablets? 

Sage leaf tablets are considered relatively safe for adults, but should not be taken by pregnant or lactating women. This fantastic, informative article by VeryWellHealth discusses sage in depth, including uses and side effects. 

The NHS advice below should be followed for any herbal medicine, including sage leaf extract: 

Certain groups of people should be particularly wary of taking herbal medicines.

Who Should Avoid Herbal Medicines?

Taking a herbal medicine may not be suitable for:

• people taking other medicines

• people with serious health conditions, such as liver or kidney disease

• people who are going to have surgery

• pregnant or breastfeeding women

• the elderly

• children – as with all medicines, herbal medicines should be kept out of the sight and reach of children

Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice before trying a herbal medicine if you fall into one of these groups.

Summary: Sage Leaf Tablets For Menopause

We’ve looked at the history of sage and some studies on the use of sage leaf tablets for menopause symptoms, possible side effects, the benefits of sage for menopause and how long it might take to work. If you’ve decided this is something you’d like to try for yourself, head over to the Menopause and PMT section of our website! 

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