Sage leaf (Salvia officinalis) is regarded by Ayurveda as specific for calming the heart, excessive desires and passions. In addition to the herb’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, centuries-old theories that sage can improve memory appear to be borne out by modern research, as participants in a recent study given sage oil tablets performed much better in a word recall test. Experts believe the active ingredient may boost levels of a chemical that helps transmit messages in the brain.