Salba, Salvia hispanica, is a flowering plant in the mint family indigenous to central and southern Mexico. The seeds of the plant produce an oily extract used as a traditional ethnic remedy for several disease and conditions. Extracts of the seeds, stems and roots have been recently investigated as potential therapies for a wide range of maladies, from cancer to cardiovascular disease to skin conditions. No medical studies have yet reported any serious side-effects of these extracts. Talk with your doctor before taking this or any other herbal remedy.
Safety of Salba
A report published in the September 2009 issue of "Reviews of Recent Clinical Trials" investigated the toxicology, adverse effects, interactions and pharmacology of salba. The authors researched several medical databases and found that salba was an effective treatment for allergies, angina, athletic performance, cancer, heart disease, hormonal disorders and vascular disease. However, the authors noted that evidence for the safety and efficacy of salba was limited. Nonetheless, the authors noted few side-effects associated with the use of salba and found that it is safe for human consumption as a dietary supplement and for the treatment of several diseases.
Cardiovascular Disease
An article appearing in the November 2007 issue of "Diabetes Care" investigated the effects of salba on cardiovascular risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes. The researches recruited 20 participants from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada, and supplemented them with either salba or a placebo for 12 weeks while they continued their conventional diabetes medications. Compared to the placebo, salba significantly reduced systolic blood pressure and concentrations of C-reactive protein, a biological marker indicating the severity of the disease. The study concluded that salba was an effective agent for reducing major cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Cancer
A study published in the May 2011 issue of "Natural Product Communications" assessed the inhibitory effects of salba extract on several cancer cell lines including cancers of the cervix, skin and breast. The researchers compared and contrasted salba extracted with hexane, chloroform or water. The study found that hexane and chloroform extracts showed substantial effects inhibiting the growth of all three cancer cell lines. The authors concluded that extracts taken from the root of the plant were most effective in preventing the proliferation of cancer cells.
Pruritis
Pruritis, or itching of the skin, is a frequent side-effect of many drugs used for end-stage renal disease, or ESRD. The effects of topical product produced from salba seeds for pruritis were evaluated using ESRD patients in a study included in the May 2010 issue of the "Annals of Dermatology." The researchers recruited healthy volunteers with pruritis as control subjects and patients diagnosed with ESRD and supplemented both groups with a four percent salba topical ointment for eight weeks. The study found that salba-based ointment was safe and effective in relieving the symptoms of pruritis in both groups of participants.
References
- "Annals of Dermatology"; Effectiveness of Topical Chia Seed Oil on Pruritus of End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patients and Healthy Volunteers; S. Jeong, et al; May 2010
- "Natural Product Communications"; Bioactivity-Guided Study of Antiproliferative Activities of Salvia Extracts; G. Janicsak, et al.; May 2011
- "Diabetes Care"; Supplementation of Conventional Therapy with the Novel Grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) Improves Major and Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial; V. Vuksan, et al.; November 2007
- "Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials"; Chia (Salvia hispanica): A Systematic Review by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration; C. Ulbricht, et al.; September 2009
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