Unlock the Potential of Sage
Sage is a remarkable herb with many uses beyond just seasoning holiday feasts. It's fascinating how such a common herb can hold so much potential for culinary and medicinal applications, yet be frequently overlooked.
For many of us, sage is a familiar sight in the herb garden, its fragrant, velvety leaves offering a cheerful greeting. Yet, despite its accessibility, it is often underutilized outside of Thanksgiving dinner. Sage (Salvia officinalis) boasts a rich history of medicinal use dating back centuries. From soothing sore throats to aiding digestion and improving cognition, sage was traditionally revered for its medicinal properties.
Herbal Monograph
Latin Name(s): Salvia officinalis; Salvia spp.
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Common Names: Sage, garden sage, common sage, kitchen sage
Medicinal Parts: Leaves and sometimes the flowers
Properties: Antiseptic, antimicrobial, carminative, circulatory stimulant, nervine, digestive, expectorant, anti-inflammatory
Preparations: Tea, tincture, infused oil, infused honey, infused vinegar, oxymel, steam, capsule, glycerite
Precautions: Best to avoid medicinal doses during pregnancy. Sage is known to dry up breast milk, therefore it is advisable to avoid it while breastfeeding. Additionally, large amounts of sage should be avoided by those with dry constitutions to prevent excessive drying.
Culinary & Medicinal Uses
Sage is a versatile herb known for its bitter, pungent, and aromatic qualities. It possesses warming properties, dispersing warmth to extremities, while also offering cooling effects, beneficial for alleviating night sweats during illnesses and menopause. Additionally, sage is drying and astringent. It can be enjoyed in various preparations such as teas, tinctures, oils, and infused honeys, catering to individual preferences. Whether seasoning a meal or soothing a sore throat, sage's adaptability makes it a must-have in any herbal collection.
In the kitchen, sage is prized for enhancing the flavors of dishes, especially meat-based recipes. Its aromatic, slightly bitter taste enriches sauces, stuffings, and marinades, proving its culinary versatility beyond the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing.
Practical Applications: From homemade oxymels for sore throats to study blends for improved focus and memory, incorporating sage into your wellness routine is easier than you think. Whether you prefer teas, tinctures, or topical preparations, there's a sage remedy for every need.
Medicinal Benefits and Uses of Sage
Circulation Support: Diffusive and circulatory stimulant, sage promotes the movement of heat from the core of the body outwards to the periphery, exhibiting blood-moving properties that benefit circulation and potentially prevent blood clots and varicose veins
Digestive Support: Carminative, somewhat bitter, and astringent qualities, stimulates digestive secretions and tones weak tissues of the digestive tract; this dual action supports digestion and aids in breaking down fats, relieves gas and bloating, making it a valuable addition to heavy meals
Respiratory support: Antimicrobial, aromatic, and diffusive effects allow sage to be supportive in respiratory infections that involve intermittent chills. Excellent in steams, gargles, cold teas, or throat sprays for sore throats, coughs, laryngitis, or tonsillitis
Brain Health: Warming nervine, beneficial for conditions such as headaches, brain fog, and emotional imbalances, while also improving memory and cognition by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine in the brain
Hormonal Balance: Mild hormone stimulant for both women and men. Particularly beneficial for women, sage can be effective in alleviating peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms, including night sweats and hot flashes. Additionally, the astringent effects can be helpful for a nursing mother who is ready to start the weaning process
Skin support: Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects help to prevent infection, as well as reduce inflammation of wounds.
Incorporating Sage Into Your Wellness Routine
Tincture: To make a sage tincture, chop fresh leaves and combine them with 95% alcohol in a 1:2 (herb: alcohol) ratio by weight, or if using dried herbs, use a 1:5 ratio with a 40-70% alcohol, such as vodka. If you prefer a more simple method, try the folk method of simply filling a mason jar halfway to three-quarters full with dried herb, and filling the remainder with alcohol. Cover and label the jar, and allow the mixture to macerate for about 4 weeks before straining. Adults can take 1-3 ml up to three times daily, while children should take half that dose.
Here are some ways to use sage tincture:
Memory and Cognition: Boost brain health by taking the sage tincture daily, consider combining it with rosemary and tulsi
Hot Conditions: Sage tincture may bring cooling relief to hot conditions such as night sweats, hot flashes, and sore throats
Gargle: Use a freshly made tea with a pinch of salt or 1/4 ml of tincture added to salt water. Gargle for about 30 seconds to help with a sore throat, canker sores, or inflamed gums. You can also add thyme and clove to the blend to boost the potency of this gargle.
Steam: If you or your loved one is suffering from a respiratory infection, or are just looking for a fun facial, look no further than an easy steam. Boil a pot of water, and when it reaches a boil, pull the pot off the heat and move it to a place where you can comfortably sit down. Bring a towel, so that you can make a tent over the pot. Throw a handful of sage into the pot of hot water, you may also want to throw in thyme or pine needles, then put your head into the towel tent at a comfortable distance. Breathe in the steam (from a comfortable distance) for about ten minutes. Keep a box of tissues nearby as your nose may get leaky.
Sage Breath Tea:
1 cup dried sage (Salvia off.)
¾ cup dried wood betony (Stachys off.)
1 tablespoon of linden (Tilia sp.)
This is a bulk tea recipe, so be sure to store it in a clean container, out of direct sunlight. When you need a pick-me-up, brew a pot of water, and add the just-boiled water to about 1 Tbsp of your tea mix. Allow to steep for 10-15 minutes, strain and enjoy. Feel free to add lemon or honey as you please.
As a Natural Cleaner: To make a natural cleaner that both smells good and is effective, infuse dried sage and lemon peels (optional) into 5% vinegar for two to four weeks before straining off the herbs. Dilute the sage-infused vinegar by at least 50% with distilled water. Feel free to add your favorite essential oils for cleaning, such as lemon, grapefruit, fir or pine, peppermint, or a Thieves blend. Use to clean surfaces such as countertops, inside the microwave, the refrigerator, and sinks.
Canker Sores: Use the tea or tincture (diluted with water) as a gargle or mouth rinse.
Sage vs. Sagebrush: It's essential not to confuse sage with sagebrush, a different plant with distinct properties. Sagebrush is a common name applied to several species of plants in the genus Artemisia. While sage is prized for its culinary and medicinal uses, sagebrush is primarily used for cleaning and has strong anti-parasitic properties. Other plants in the genus Artemisia include mugwort, sagewort, and wormwood. Knowing the difference can prevent confusion and ensure safe usage.
Sage vs Clary Sage: Sage is used as a culinary and medicinal herb, but the essential oil comes with a lot of precautions and is not commonly used. Clary sage (Salvia sclarea), like sage, is a member of the genus Salvia. Clary sage can be used as a culinary herb, although it rarely is, but it is utilized as a medicinal herb and as an essential oil. There are many similarities between the herbal uses of sage and clary sage, there are some distinctions, such as clary sage being ideal for eye health and hormonal balancing.
Sage transcends its role as a culinary herb to emerge as a potent healer in holistic wellness. By integrating sage into your wellness arsenal, you can tap into nature's medicine cabinet and enhance your well-being. There is no reason to wait until Thanksgiving to savor the amazing goodness of sage—start experimenting with its medicinal potential today, one aromatic leaf at a time.