Traditional and folk medicines offer many botanical extracts that can be tested by modern science for their medicinal properties and influences on aging. One such plant is the Bolivian prawn sage (Salvia haenkei).
Salvia haenkei is a fast growing perennial plant with aromatic leaves and upright stems of red, prawn-like flowers. It is native to Bolivia and southern Peru and is found in the seasonally dry tropical environment of those countries.
This study’s authors had previously screened botanical extracts and discovered that an extract from Salvia haenkei delays cellular senescence in human cell cultures [2]. The extract is called Haenkenium (HK).
Longer and healthier lives
In this study, the authors administered HK to the drinking water of 20-month-old mice until the ends of their lives. The mice that consumed HK lived longer than the control group: a median lifespan of 32.25 months compared to 28 months.
This lifespan effect was sex-independent, as both male and female mice treated with HK had longer lifespans. The researchers also reported no observed signs of toxicity.
This is a very long but nice paper (I scanned methods & results) with some interesting points in the discussion. They are using a senescence panel developed from aged human bone (SenMayo), so they have a reliable assay for senescent cells in tissues that spans species. Mice had improved fur, increased bone mineral density, increased grip strength and improved kidney function as demonstrated by lower cystatin C levels and other markers, histology. The amount of Haenkenium was low dose and no adverse effects. There are some limitations to the study, e.g. one strain of mice, unclear synergistic effects. There is not a lot of literature for this plant but I have found a couple other studies of Salvia haenkei including an Italian study with a topical extract combined with hyaluronic acid that was encouraging for skin results though I am not sure the paper was convincing, N=50 (n.b. one of the authors is involved in selling a haenkenium product on a website which claims it shortens telormeres). I hope to see more (good) papers on this intriguing botanical extract in the future.
Still trying to figure out how this works:
